The advocate., 1894-05-16

TASK Oub VI uOOIS' ONOAbOh SAooAuOu
and overjoyed his sons every whim,
and they not only liked, they loved
each other, and were, as Sam Cotteren
remarked, regular chums." Soon
after coming to the farm, OvertOn said
to Mason one day in his mothers Smil-
ing presence:
Marshall, it shall never be said that
my son is the worst off for his father
being alive. l have collected that
legacy from your grandfather'S estate,
and have placed it to your credit in
the Golden National bank; for have
all l shall need. Here are your bank
book and a check book, so you are a
man of means. You will observe that
you begin with very good fortune
for a discarded preacher"
John COtterell was at home helping
his father on the farm. He wore a
grave and thoughtful look in those days.
Often there would come into his face
an expression of saddest eagerness;
often stern, resolute look. Not the
slightest clue to Lena'S whereabouts
had yet been obtained, although Over
ton had done all money could do, and,
in his ignorance of her fate and of
where to look for her, John was i'm
potent to rescue the woman for whose
presence he yearned.
One evening he was visiting Overton
and Mason, and, as they sat on the
porch, OVertOn remarked:
"Mr. Cotterell, that farm over there
is for sale at quite reasonable figure.
1t adjoins ours, and would supplement
it nicely, if it were in friendly hands so
we could work together. l wish you
could buy it,"
eyes, John, said Mason, "then we
could unite, and carry into practice
our theory of cooperation, and living
here independently, you and l could
make occasional forayS and agitate our
faVoite ideas without having to take up
a collection to support us. We could
do any amount of sOcialistic mischief. I"
"But how can l do anything of that
kind? You know can't buy farm.
l couldn't raise money enough to pay
my doctor bill and buy a secondhand
garden patch"
"You mast buy a farm. DR.. CARING
ton says you must not, under any Cir
cumstances, go back to the forge. Re-
member, John, you have good
Woman's life linked with your future
now; for we shall find Lena yet. You
have no right to risk your life trying to
be blacksmith again."
This urging him to buy a farm, in
his impecuniOus condition, sounded
strangely ludicrOus to John.
"That's all true enough, but l don't
see how it's to get me farm. Do the
folks want to give the place aWay?"
"Now, look here, old fellow! DO you
think we mentioned this subject merely
to poke fun at your impecuniOSity? Ex-
cuse me, but l am plutocrat nOW-I
have a stake in society, and have be-
come real nice man, generally. You
are not aware, suppose, that l am a
man of wealth? Well, please take no.
tice that l have become respectable,
and that l am now supposed to know
all about every subject upon which any
newspaper may wish to be informed,
for have money. My fathers father
left him snug legacy, and was try
ing to prove he was dead so / could get
the money, when my father turned up
alive, but he insists l shall not be
allowed to wish he had not turned up,
and has therefore given me the legacy.
l must do something withit, you know.
l cannot safely carry it around in my
clothes, and the bank might suspend if
l leave it there. So we have agreed to
make you buy that farm and stock it
by borrowing five thousand dollars of
my money. l am ready to pay it right
over, and l am anxious to do it as soon
as possible, for nobody can guess when
a bank may break"
"How could l give security for such
a pile as that? And the interest would
eat me up the first year."