Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-03-26
CHATTER Nil.
In the Orchard.

him willing, capable, adaptable. And
a ready adaptation 70 circumstances is
one OF the chief factors in success TO
an emigrant Alec did not so about
informing every one he met how diff
ferent and how much better was the
land he had left to this one; his eyes
were sharp, his imitation large; one
lesson was sufficient TO show him how
to set about amy one thing; the harder
he found any task the more deter
mined he was to conquer it. OppoSi-
ton was life to Alec Marin AS mat
ter of fact, by the time his first sea-
son was over Joshua, watching him
packing apples one day while he and
bly, in answer to the mans admiration
n customer looked on remarked audi
of his deftness,
You Jest bet he's a holy terror to
work is Alec. never saw his match,
'ceptin my own boy who went home
to God four years ago this fall. He
was jest sich another as Alec. full of
life an energy, an lookin' torrard
bright and happy to long an sue
cessful life"
All responded the buyer. sym
pathetically, lit must have come sud
den. them"
"Oh, sudden; ya-aS SO sudden that
it was Jest as if that sun there stead
o shinin' on as it's dom would drop
right down behind the wood Wonder
o,' " 1.
was sudden. My wite's never bin the
same woman silce."
What was the matter, was he
killed. the buyer asked, gently.
No oh, no. Jest came home with
little bit of a pain in his knee, moth
in to speak of. thought it VAS Il touch
of rheumatics, till ii sot troublin' an
we got the doctor. II had begun to
swell an pain terribly an the doctor
laid ii open. That was the time the
sun went down on us an left us
lookin at one another without word
to say. The doctor told us he had
only three months to live. 1t was a
maglinant cancer that even cutting
off his leg couldn't cure an there he
lay my poor boy, only 20, waitin for
the end an so patient in hi sufferin's
an so cheerful an we with our
hr2rts hreakin' within MS an afraid
To show it. Ay!" sighed Joshua, hast
lily whisking away the tears which
had dimmed his eyes, there's things
that make We sit dumb, things that
jest overwhelm yc with the terribly
mystery of this here life we're Twin,
but the sight of my boy lookin' cter-
nifty in the face without a murmur
will never leave MY eyes. When w"
stood around him at the last, seem
me clean broke down, he says:
Father, don't! We trust God for life.
why not in death Or rather for the
better life to be? I'm not afraid,
says he, an his voice was quiet an
steady. I'm not afraidan' feel
sure that in Gods own time well meet
an well be fain in the land o the
leal. He always said the affections
were of the soul and would last as
long as the soul lasted an some day
in Gods eternity we'd surely meet
again
Joshua paused a moment and then
resumed;
u feel sure o that myself, an ever
since my boy went try as hard as |
kin to have the same spirit in me now
as I'll have to have on t'other side
The longer | live an the more | see
the more | feel that the only bits of
our life worth anything are them
we've lived for others. It's my creed
never to make life any harder than it
need be for any of Gods critters, an
to live SOS it will be a good thing for
the world that we ever cum into it,"
At this moment Alec, with an extra
large and beautiful apple in each
hand, came up TO them smiling
Flows that for apples?' he said
holding out the fruit; you ought 10
send some of these to the exhibition
"Not a bad idea, Alec" said the
farmer. Better jest get on to that
other tree an pick the best of 'em
kerful. VIC kin send EN- in with them
prize pears.
Alec handed him the apples and
went off TO obey orders and Joshua
looked after the 1.-THE and sinewy fig
ure in the loose blouse and white
straw hat shading the young and
rudy countcnance.
"Wa-al the will o. the Lord be
done, he sighed; its all we kin say,
an we've got to say it sooner or later
whether VIC like it or no.
The buyer asscnted, but presently
he resumed his business tone and the
other world that had been so near 10
him for few moments faded and was
forgotten in the present peremptory
consideration Of collars and cents
Mrs. Myers, a little quiet self-con-
tanned woman liz a plain dark calico
dress, with a straw hat on her head
and neat white apron tied about her
waist, came up through the orchard
with a letter in her hand
This is from your brother, Joshua,