The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-03
A FOURTH ON THE FART.


II tell you, mother, the boys shall cele
brate once in their lives II they want to,
an It's no use arguin over 1t. I've prom
ised them for the last two year that they
should have lreworks-skyrockets Roman
candles, an all them things-an I've
never kept my word before so I'm goin TO
this year. I've never felt able sence Jed
Bunker brought suit agin me an got pos
session of the Robbins place just as we
was goin to move down there, but now -
"Now your goin to make a show Of
yourself just because there seems to be a
chance that the decision of the court will
be reversed an we may get whatwe bought
an paid for with our hard earned money"
well, amt that enough to make us feel
good heyS Why shouldn't we celebratep"
81 advise you to wait till you are sure
this new evidence of yourn mounts to
anything, Elisha The courts may not
give the case new hearin an
"They can't refuse, mother. It's a clean
case Of robbery, an veil have Bunker pack
in up an movin in six weeks / hope he II
move so fur away that that stuck up son
of his'll never get to see Lizzie agin.
S'pose I'd have darter of mine marry a
Bunker Not If she never got married ~
and Elisha Stone knocked the ashes from
his clay pipe so savagely that the stem was
broken short off, whereat he spluttered and
fumed flercely.
Mrs. Stone calmly continued with her
knitting for some moments, but she finally
dropped it in her lap and pushed her spec.
tacles up on her forehead, observing;
"There, there, Elisha, don't make such
a row over an old pipe. AS for Dick Bun
ker, he seems rather likely sort of young
man, even If Jed Bunker is his father
an
Mandy Jane" almost roared the old
farmer, "do you mean to say you favor
that young rascalp Do you mean to say
you would have the son of our worst en-
emy sparl1in round our Lizzie9"
"Well, not exactly that" replied the
woman, rather overawed by her husband S
manner. "But, then, she might do worse. I"
"She might I'd like to know howl
know there amt many likely young men
out in this country an for her sake
sometimes wish we'd never left New
Hampshire an moved out here. I'd never
done it If the old farm hadn't run out
there, an then l got beat ON this place.
There amt no water here, an I've spent
more'n $500 on that confounded old well. {"
MOnpy UIIOWtN AWAY blRneu hTS.
Stone, picking up her knitting and resum.
ing work in a mechanical manner.
"That's so," confessed Elisha, slightly
shamefaced. "It's no thin but hole in
the ground, an lately it smells SO bad
there's near no endurin it when the wind
blows this way. don't understand it
all, an If was goin to stay here I'd have
to ell in that hole to stop the stencil"
oil Go
May guess not. Well move just
as soon as the law turns Bunker out.
(which fear it'll never do. You know
Bunker claims Noah jackson, the man to
which you paid your money, didn't have no
real title to the property, an the judge told
you you'd havo to look to jackson to get
your rights.
That's folderol Howm 1 goin to
look to jackson when nobody knows where
on the face Of the Garth Jackson's gone tor
Besides that, if this new evidence mounts
to anything, Bunker was in league with
Jackson an the place b'longs to me. tell
ye, feel good enough TO celebrate little
myself, an Pm goin TO see the boys have
good time. You haint g-t no patriotism
in ye, mother. The Fourth of July oughter
be celebrated by everybody in this great an
glorious country ev'ry time 1t conses
round. Now don't make no more talk
about it, " he cautioned as he saw his wife
was about to speak again. cts no use
Alkin for have sent for the fireworks,
an they'll sure be here tonight, so the boys
can shoot 'em off tomorrer night, an that
settles it,
With that he arose and marched out Of
the house. leaving Mrs. Stone to her knit.
ting and her thoughts.
"S'pose Elisha thinks he's goin to cele-
brate the Fourth" she murmured, "but
til really be celebratin because he thinks
he's goin to get the best of Bunker at last
Well mebbe he will, but dunno's Bunk
er's so much to blame, for he did make it
look pretty clear he had prior claim to
the place My opinion Is that jackson Is
the rascal, else he'd never run away the
way'he did, but there's no use sayin SO to
Elisha, he's so sot."
That night at dusk Liz zie Stone slipped
out by the back door and stole away down
the lane that led to the pasture. Her man
ner betrayed the fact that she feared being
seen by some of the family, for she paused
several times and looked back nervously
over her shoulder.
Lizzie was pretty girl, bright and
rather talented, but not without touch
Of the romantic and frivolous in her ma
ture. This, however, would disappear in
later years when she came to understand
life as it really is, and, for the time being,
it made her seem all the more attractive to
the young men who knew her.
OF all those young men there was but
one for whom she really and truly cared,
and that one she met at the foot of the
lane, which Elisha Stone had laid out in
genuine New England fashion, much to
the wonder and amusement of his western
neighbors He was leaning ON the fence
and waiting for her as she approached.
Lizzie feared you would not comel"I
he exclaimed reaching over and clasping
her hands, while she saw his eyes CLEAN
through the murk with a light that set her
heart fiuttering and her pulses throbbing.
81 had to steal away" she replied in a
low tone, feeling that her cheeks We're
burning. "If fatheg,d seen me"- ~.
Observation-Disclosures I..,.!! !! \. |ESaRA