The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-11-27

IdE fhOf E0SOh . Ell Id GLEAMED
west goP There you will do better as here
where your fields are all tipped on one side
up and rock full. "
"Well, I've had sort o. hankerin to go
west for long spell" said Mr.. Bascom
"but faint so easy to sell when there
amt anybody seekin to buy. I stay here
because the farms mine, an there aim t
nothin else that is 1 never could get fore
handed enough to make start, and it's all
can do to make a Twin here. "
"But the boy, - said the professor 'will
he all his life stay here also and be poor?"
"Nop exclaimed the father almost an
grily. mot if Pm spared long enough to
care for his mother till he gets start
He's bent on schoolin, and his mother and
are goin to sect he gets it. He'll have to
work his own way, though" added the
old man, with little sigh. "We can't
help him much.''
Eyes, that is good" said the professor
cit is better as boy his own education
GET
And after that he talked with young
John The boy was shy at first, but un.
der the professors blunt questioning he
soon warmed up enough to talk of his am
bition. He wanted to be civil engineer
he said, and the professor found that he
had laid good foundation for an educa-
ton in the village academy and had bought
and mastered q few good books
Moreover, he was observant. One day
when the professor was almost well he was
looking over the specimens in his KNAPP
sack when John came and looked on.
"There's good deal of that kind of rock
on the east side of the farm, he said,
pOintino to one of the chiDS
The professor started a little but he
spoke as deliberately as usual. ''You shall
show to me that east side, - he said, 'when
can climb those hills some day.
Il guess you can get there now," said
the lad. cit isn't much of a climb, and
there's smooth path. f"
So they went out together, and the pro-
fessor'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 few speci-
mems they went back to the house
Next day he said he was going away,
and he asked Mr.. and Mrs Bascom how
much he owed them for his board and his
medicines.
Land sakes, professor" said Mrs. Bas-
com, you don't s'pose we could take your
money, doyou? What little we've been able
to do for you is little enough for what you
did for us. i" And the farmer himself spoke
as earnestly, so the professor said no more
about money. In fact, he seemed so we'll
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 eenamost
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 fool, Maria 'Tain't likely
would, but I'd "a thought more of him
II he'd "a tried little harder to pay"
But there was another one in the family
who had no such thoughts When Ella
Bascom babe the professor goodby, she
said, 81 never have really thanked you as
l want to, and 1 don't s'pose 1 ever can,
but want you to know that 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. ssIt was
nothing only my own stupid foot that all
the trouble made. And | did for you very
little. Only I am glad, fraulein, that I
study the rocks that day. And ne kissed
her goodby.