The advocate., 1894-04-25
[CoPYRIGHTl
The Dead Line.
By GIDEON LAME, D. D.
By GIDEON LAME, D. D.

yCfbAh OU DAlD AOCA OJtUAC AOCOk4AANA
Cotterell's horses there. Inquiry of the
stable-keeper developed the whole
affair; and Cotterell's sub Alliance and
some Peoples party men made up
purse, paid off the chattel mortgage,
and brought the team out in triumph,
and put it in COtterell's barn, much to
the delight of the old dog who barked
himself hoarse on that occasion. The
horses seemed happy to get back, also;
for animals get homesick as do the rest
of us. Mrs. COtterell went to the barn
to see what was going on, and was told
what had been done. She was ''mOrti-
fed to death" that their poverty had
thus become known; but it was a God
send, for now the farmers and farmers
families in the neighborhood were as
siduous in their endeaVors to help the
stricken household in its dire emer-
gency. One good, benevolent old
mother came to talk with Mrs. COtter-
ell in order to "keep her from feelin'
hurt about bein' helped" for Mrs. Cot
terelPs "pride" was well known.
"Lida Cotterell, said the old mother,
'you amt got no business tryin' to be
worryin' along here all by your own
self when your old mans Almost took
from you. Don't talk no nonsense
now. What would yOW do, I'd like to
know, if you knowed any of the rest of
us was situated this way? And what
fools you'd say GOe be if we was to re-
fuse to let you do all you could? What's
the use, Ida? Who 'spects any farmer
to be so forehanded these hard times,
with wheat sellin' for just nothin' at
all and corn for less, that his family
won't want for nothin' if he's laid up
for a spell like Cotterell here? The
Good Book says we're to do as we'd be
done by, and you amt doin' right
you're actin sinful, Llda-if you don't
do by us as you'd want us to do byyou if
we was in trouble and you'd come and
wanted to do sOmethin' for us. You've
got enough to stand without haVin' to
look after everything, and there's
plenty Of likely girls amongst us that
amt got nothin' but little milkin' to
do and they'd be glad to come and take
turns helpin' round the house. The
'Liance is goin' to look after things out
doors whether you'll let 'em or not.
What's the use of haVin' neighbors and
'Liances if you amt goin' to let 'em do
nothin' when they're needed. Charity? ?
Who's sayin' anything about charity?
Nobody amt goin' to giCe you nOthin'.
They'll get Sugar'n coffee and sich
like things for you or COtterell to pay
for when he gets round again. We
all have to 60 in debt to the store
EaaDaro on1 rooEon Forpoor fOlHu
amt no worse to get in debt to than
other folks"
Though with much hesitation, Mrs.
Cotterell was persuaded at last to per.
NIT her neighbOrs to be her friends,
and the way having been thus opened,
supplies poured in. Coal was brought
in one wagon, and groceries came in
another; the "idle" girls came to take
turns doing housework; and by some
odd coincidence, it came each young
mans turn to do outdoor work while
the "idle" girl he liked best was acting,
in her turn, as housekeeper pro tenn.
The two months grace allowed him
in which to leave his old homestead
had about expired when Cotterell be-
came convaleScent after an attack of
pneumonia which had succeeded at
once his almost miraculous restoration
to life and sanity, and one day the
sheriff came to inquire how soon the
ruined and broken farmer proposed to
move. Mrs. Cotterell was with her
husband at the time and heard the
blunt inquiry which manifested the
delicacy of feeling of the official repre- |
sentative of that noble institution
which, as have previously tried to i'm
press upon my readers, exists for the |
philanthropic purpose of protecting the
weak against the strong. In dazed
astonishment she inquired what the
ranroranfotiuo Of tho hanavolant ineti- l