The herald., 1896-01-19

others poor. Don't you see it's all
wrong, Silas? If you do, why don't
you do something?"
Silas Briggs was not afraid of his
wife; that is, he never had been.
Nevertheless he felt meeker than was
his wont. He did not feel exactly like
laughing, but Angie was 80 excited, 80
eager and insistent, that he did laugh
in big, hearty. tender way.
"We can't have two preachers now,
Angie. That is certain. But I'll tell
you what. You could preach on Sun
days and talk politics during the week.
There is Mrs. Sims now, and Mrs.
Smith"
"If knew anything Silas," laughed
she, "but / don't know even syntax.
Its lucky, though, we can think with.
| out bothering about syntax, isn't itf
| And know what you could do. You
could make speeches and tell folks that
all the land of the small farmers about
! here was assessed at $50 per acre, while
Brother Jones' big ranch adjoining and
exactly the same kind of land, was
| assessed at $11; that the Improvements
| of all were assessed separately, SO it
| was just clean, clear discrimination
in favor of the rich and against the
poor. It's all wrong, Silas, and if I
we're a man L wouldn't have such
things happening"
Briggs was thinking of what the dep
uty assessor had told him anent this
identical ranch-that the county asses
sor ordered him to leave the Jones
ranch. He would assess it himself. 1t
so aroused the deputy's suspicious that
he afterward looked it up: saw the dis
A,~,, to .,1 ha IL
! credited to himself and wrote along the
margin, assessed by Dobbin, county
assessor" He also recalled protest
of the citizens in another district
against a similar model of official val
uation.
But such things we're so common
that he had ceased to be excited over
them, indeed they we're rather to be
considered.
"That is nothing new, Mrs. Angelina
Briggs. That's the way we DO public
business. and if l were to start out on
that exposing tour you suggest, I'd
only be dubbed dangerous fellow.
Fact is, people enjoy being bam-
boozled; they can't appreciate any
thing else, so say let 'em have it un-
til they get down to pint of rice per
diem"
Angie Briggs could not 80 easily dis
miss responsibility from her mind.
Possibly because being a woman, quiv-
ering still from the impetuous arrest
of her thought, she had not been sub
ject to the ca!lousing process of the
habitual disregard of public con-
! science. Her quickened mind was
seizing upon facts immediate and re-
mote, making quick and sweeping de-
ductions, and in her womanly simplici-
ty (?) applying all to the concerns Of
human life.
Silently she continued her musings,
| questioDings and conclusions for
time; then, oblivious of the spaces she
had compassed, said in a dreamy,
broken, fragmentary fashion:
"There's those plums and fine prunes-
they came from the wild plum, didn't
they?r
Yes" replied silaa; "what about
thsm?"
"And that Professor Darwin said
that all the beautiful varieties of
pigeons came from the wild rock
pigeon, didn't he?"
"Yes; what about it, Angler
"Oh, / was thinking about the like
ness of all wild things-the roses, the
animals, there's the Spanish bronco,
the swine-how much they've been i'm
proved. And the tramp-the slums-
y dear, they're growing up wild. -.
So netimes - the - -weeds-take-the--
g4rden-if-they' re-left-to-grow..
The only remedy is to open up natures
bounty to natures children; they have
right to it; no other right should
stand in the. way, nor could except
through downright ignorance and in
Justice
Silas Briggs would have sworn that
his wife was veritable little preacher,
and felt too much Difference to disturb
her. She looked at her climbing so
franc.
80 you beautiful, glorious thingI
You're worth all the thought and care.
There's no trace of the wild in you;
your fragrance fills the morning. And
you poor, dear little honsysuckle. It
isn't your fault. 1 shall surely move
you now where you can grow and bios
som. Poor Pierrel Poor Billyp'