Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-11-26

SNOW 20 me tnat east side, he said, when
/ can climb those hills some day."
Il guess you can get there now" said
the lad. 1T isn't much of "a climb, and
there's a smooth path"
So they ven out together, and the pro-
f~essor's eyes cleaned when he saw the
ledge John pointed out. He said very lit
tie, though, and after he had taken some
measurements and collected IA few speci-
mems they went back to the house.
Next day he said he was going awsv,
n he asked Mr.. and Mrs. Bascom how
much he owed them for his board and his
medicines.
Land sakes, professor, - said Mrs. Bias
com, You don't s'pose We could take your
money, do you? What little we've been able
TO 10 for you is little enough for what you
did for us" And the farmer himself spoke
as earnestly, so the professor aid no more
about money. In fact, he seemed so well
pleased that Mr.. Bascom remarked it when
he was alone with his wife.
Pears to me that there Professor
Hugo's almighty skinny about money, . he
said. HE was tickled to death eenamo
when he found he didn't have to pay moth
in"
John Bascom," exclaimed the good
woman, you don't mean to stand there
and tell me you would take money from
the man that saved your own daughters
life"
Don't be a fool, Maria. 'Tain't likely
l would, but I'd IA thought mere of him
If he'd IA tried n little harder to pay"
Blu there was another one in the family
who had no such thoughts. When Ella
Bascom babe the professor goodby, she
said, II never have really thanked you as
l want 70, and | don't s'pose / ever can,
but | want you to know that L never can
forget what you did and what you have
suffered for me"
"Pish, pishp' said the professor careless
ly, though he was well pleased. 1T was
nothing only my own stupid foot that all
the trouble made. And | did for you very
little. Only L am glad, fraulein, that /
study the rocks that day" Al q kissed
her goodby.
"But you will come again to see usf''
urged the little maiden. Won't you come
Thanksgiving"
"Maybe, maybe,' he said. 'That is a
good day, that Thanksgiving. You to tho
good Lord give thanks because he so g3ud
to you is. And you have one great dinner
Maybe / thank him, too, that he kill me
AOS. tAIi YOU l. Juttllh tIibO yOu ItiNt va
mother good care. And maybe l take din
ner that day with you"
1t was several weeks, however, before
Thanksgiving day came, and in the in
teryal, as the hard New England winter
came on, things went badly with the Bias.
CONS. Ella developed a slight cough, that
made her mother turn paIa when she heard
1t. She had learned to know how easily
consumption attacks young people in the
rigorous climate Of upper New England,
yet she dared not speak to Mr.. Bascom
about sending the girl south for the win
ter. The means were lacking. The crops
were poor. One of tho two pigs they had
fattened died before killing time. Mr..
Bascom himself, growing old before his
time, seemed 10 longer able to look on the
bright side of anything, and the anxious
wife N mother couS.l only pray a little
more earnestly and a little more frequent
ly a before. To work harder was i'm
possible. And John could only study later
n rise earlier to make up for his fathers
failing strength. Nothing was heard from
the professor. and, as the family realized
more and more every day how heavy tho
odds were against them, they ceased to talk
and almost ceased to think much about
him. He had saved them from a great sor-
row, he had been a great care and n bur
den for a time, and then he had passed
away to be only u memory.
1t was therefore entirely % surprise when,
q few days before Thanksgiving, John
brought home a letter from the village
postoffice addressed In a queer foreign
handwriting to Miss Ella Bascom.
ut must be- from the professor, I" she
said, and after they had all agreed TO this
and had examined the envelope and the
postmark and had wondered sufficiently
about what he could have to say, as people
| do who do not often receive letters, she
opened it.
MY DEAR LITTLE F~RAULEIN-I have not for
yotteH that you asked me to go to SEQ you
again on Thanksgiving day. and / will 20. l
will to see what is the great holiday Of the
American people In the American peoples
home.
Your brother John, he Is a good boy, and he
will be q good man. He will give thanks,
maybe, that / did get him a place in New York
where he can study and be an engineer and
will earn m~oney-not very much. but enough.
Tell your papa have, maybe. some good news
for him. and tell your mamma since I come to
dinner I have the great liberty taken to send
my dinner. And I kiss your hand. HUGO.
Such news WINS too wonderful, and yet
IL was tantalizing. There was no end TO
| the specializing, and 1t was later that night
than 1t ever had been before when the Bias
CONS went to bed.
The next day, however, brought n still
greater surprise. Word came from the rail.
| way station, two miles away, that there
were several large cases there for Mr.. Bias
com, expressage paid. The old gray horse
was astonished enough at the speed Mt
which he was ratified along, but his feel
ings were nothing to those of the family
when the cases were brought home and
opened.
II there was anything known to the gro
Gerry or delicatessen trade that wasn't rep
resented In those cases, 1t was because the
professor couldn't find 1t. And there was
the biggest turkey Bascom ever saw, with
a box OK fresh vegetables, and everything
else needed to cook with 1t. And of every
thing else there was enough to last all win
ter.
Mrs. Bascom was Etunned. She could
say nothing, but the children made up for
her silence, and Mr.. Bascom, after he had
recovered q little from his bewilderment,
said, "Well. Maria, II that the professors
dinner, be must nave q leetle the best APP