Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-06
CHAPTER VII.
JONATHAN FINCHIEY TELLS HOW ALEC
TRIED TO NOW.

SdAfI6h VII.
JONATHAN FINCHLEy TELLS HOW ALEC
TRIED TO NOW.
Before night of that first day Alec's
arrival became a matter of general in
terest to the town. The suspicion that
Mr.. Higgins had conceived of him In
the morning seemed to follow him.
who's that young fellow with the
thin face and the white hands you've
get here?" asked Mr. Stillings. the vii
lage sexton, a short, heavy, smooth
faced man, person of the highest con-
sequence in the village. and much re-
spected, since he was considered wealthy.
"He come around and wanted to get q
job haying for me. hut l told him
didn't have no haying myself. / put it
all cut. Then he wanted to know who
put it ont to, and / told him Frank
Davis gener'ly did it, and he said as he
was going to see if Frank Davis
wouldn't give him JOB. He struck mo
as pretty pert looking young fellow to
be a-coming up here to work in haying.
Any relation O. yours, joel"
Hes about the same relation es your
bull calf, answered MIR. Higgins grave
l., and his reply was followed by guf-
faw of laughter all around the store.
Il jedge they're both equally high
stepping" commented Bent, q humor-
Gus old miser who lived in nutshell
CO house which was as black inside
as a brick oven, ard as bare, though
they said he IVES worth $50, 600, and
the best men If the v;lisge borrow ed
money from him On their land till peo-
pie said jokingly that before he died
Bent would own the town.
Bent's remark also caused q guffaw
of laughter.
HE come around to see me this
morning, too," said Jonathan Finchley,
one of the biggest farmers of the region,
as he sat comfortably on tie counter on
the opposite side Of the store from Joe
Higgins. He chuckled to himself a min
ute Or two before he went ON, so that
all eyes were fixed On him inquirirgly.
81 was moving that ten acre lot On the
sidehil MP above my house." he said
at last, land didn't have only Andy
and Jim and myself. Felix and Sibley
We're down finishing up little hoeing
in the garden that had to lie done be
fore we got fairly into haying. Well.
along come this city crack and says he
wanted Job. asked him eff he could
NOW, and he says, Yes, guess 60. l
kind O. thought he didn't know any
thing about it, but l said: All right.
You don't look right strong, and I reck
On you'll blister your hands tho first
day. But Eli give you a dollar for the
rest of today So took him down to
the barn and ground Sib's scythe for
him and flung it for him, as he didn't
seem to take hold very smart. When l
give it to him, he stood there a-holding
| it on the ground till l took up mine.
Then he took his under his arm Just as
die mine, and kind of easy and grace
| full, and l thought mebbe he could NOV,
| after all
"Well, tell you it was fun to see
him when We got up there. He sort of
waited till he saw US begin, and as he
| started i'll late he was quite u piece be-
| hind. But Kept looking round over my
| shoulder to see him. First he tried the
big swing, and the blame point went
right into the ground and the heel flap
| ped clean over aud yanked the whole
blame business out of his hands. He
looked up at me sort Of frightened, but
| l didn't let on ez had seen.
| well, he didn't do that agin. He
sort O. eingerly tried to put the scythe
round the grass and yank it off.
81 didn't say nothing, but let him
/ ~ I H.
kind of haggled up the grass for few
feet reckon he'd pulled it OFF with
his hands. Looked as if he he'd. When
l got round there, perlitely asked him
to step aside, and he did very perlitely,
too, for he's q perlite sort o. fellow,
and then I moved over what he'd
tramped down, and it was no easy jot
neither Then l says: L guess you q
better go home, sonny. 1 guess Your,
ruther tired out. IF you get rested up
you ken come around tomorro'.'
Andy, he was mad, and wanted Il
give the fellow fits. But l told hin
that the Noung fellow looked awfu
white, and was sort o. sorry fer him
and didn't say nothing more. and h,
asked where he should put the scythe
and 1 told him to hang it in e.:e barn
and he went down to the barn and hun;
it up, and walked off, and didn't cay q
blame word.
81 reckon he was some city fello' JUS
trying what he could do. Thought hi
knowed it all and was going TO show us
But I was sort of sorry for him, ht
looked so blame white.
A long silence followed this pathetic
narrative, though bursts Of laughtel
had been scattered through it. Every
body was wondering where the youns
city fellow had gone when he walked
away, and there seemed to lie an un
comfortable fear that he might turn ri
again, along with curiosity to SCI
what he woald say or do if he did. Be
fore night everybody in the villag
would know Of his experience at Jon
athan Finchley's, and if he returned b.
would meet a brazen wall Of well for
titled curiosity.
'Lisbeth was the only one in the stor
who hadn't laughed at the jokes. ant
! \ ho I'M