The Monitor-register., 1897-02-12

with a rawhide; but what's the use !?
'Twouldn't get back the farm, or I'd do
it in minute. But when it comes to
choosin' between marryin' a rich girl and
marryin' you, Mary Jane, amt goin' to
take very long to consider. If you'll
have me, that ends it, and if you won't,
why"
"Sias Hawkins, do you know what
you're sayin'? Are you crazy? Do you
think Pm the kind of girl''-and at that
juncture she threw herself into his arms,
her eyes flashing, her cheeks Redeemed by
intense emotion, and her voice quivering.
Take me-" she cried-"take me, Silas.
| amt worth much, but"-she hesitated,
her color deepened, and her tones fell to
whisper-"I'll make you as good wife
as know how"
The great problem settled, the two
went back to the cottage. The father
and mother knew intuitively what had
been going on il the barn, and they
asked for the facts with their eyes only.
''Silas and me amt goin' to be any diff.
ferent from what we have been," said
Mary Jane, quietly.
The old man looked at his wife, and
the glance was returned.
"Thank Godv' said Ephraim, as he
lighted candle.
Tidy said nothing; but certain lines
gathered about her mouth and shaped
| themselves into smile.
Misfortune had not broken the plighted
troth of the young couple, though it had
destroyed pretty nearly everything else.
The money was gone, but the loss of hard
cash had served to show the loyalty of
true love.
The Uncle Josh to whom Tidy referred
was a very crooked stick. He was
morally upright, but SO mean that his
name became by word. To be "as
tight as Uncle Josh,' was a phrase of
contempt which expressed the uttermost
attainable degree of parsimony. He
owned the farm in the old days, and
worked it with considerable profit. Up
with the lark in the morning, he was the
first to reach the city market with early
vegetables, and it was said that he
obtained fabulous prices for them. Still
he spent nothing except what was abso.
lutely necessary. He hated to part with
his dollars, and when he died the farm
went to Ephraim and Tidy, his nearest,
if not his only kin; but the ready money
which he had laid up was SO secretly
invested that, though it was hunted, high
and low, it was never found. They
turned over the county records, page by
page, but had their labor for their pains
They inquired through their lawyer at
every saving bank within score of
miles. and then gave it up.
SO Ephraim went to work on his land
and got on very satisfactorily. AS Mary
jane enterted her teens, the old couple
concluded to tear down the ramshaokle
building which had served to shelter
Uncle Josh, but which had fallen into q
deplorable condition of unrepair, and
build another home for themselves.
So Uncle Josh's house was split into
kindling wood. But the hugh old
fashioned chimney, with a fireplace wide
enough for four'foot log, had been left
standing. 1t was late in the autumn
when the work of destruction had reached
that point, and soon after there came a
terrific snowstorm. The grim chimney,
therefore, held it's own all winter, sort
of sentinel looking out on the gathering
drifts. In the spring, the farmer was
more than usually busy, and before he
could find any leisure all sorts Of green
vines had twined themselves about the
shaft, and Mary Jane said it was pictur-
esque, or something of the sort. like the
ruins she had read of in books of travel,
and it was left to stand or fall as Ice and
wind might determine.
"Tell you what tits, Tidy" said Eph-
RAIN one morning at the breakfast table,
''that old chimley's got to come down."
"Wby, what's the use of wasting your
time on that ?' asked Tidy. ''You've
got plenty to do, reckon, without
clearin' up the place for Badger"
81 don't care nothin' for Badger" was
the reply. "He's neither here nor there
in my calculation. But the farms to be
sold at auction. and it'll bring a better
price if [ fix it up little. Appearances
go for somethin', and if it'll sell for more
without that chimley sticking up in such
an impertinent way. down she comes"
THAT reminds me-" said Mary Jane,
''of curious dream had last night"
dreams amt goin' to help ue,''
growled Ephraim.
The mother looked iEquiringly, how
ever and Mary Jane went on.
81 thonght Uncle Josh come to me-"
she said.
"Well, he's probably about more i'm
.portant business, that's my judgment"
and Ephraim nearly burned his lips with
hot coffee.
"He just looked at me, sorrowful like,"
persisted Mary Jane, "and said: SO ye
tore the old house down, did YEP 1
nodded, and was goin to make some ex-
cuse or other when he up and said: well,
why didn't ye finish the job Thought
'twasn't worth while, eh2 Better get
that thing out of the way before Badger
buys the place for the price Of the mort
gage Then he was gons."
dreams is nothin'," blurted Eph-
rain, contemptuously. TELL you what
tits, Mary Jane. dream dollars won't pay
the mortgage on this farm, " and he sho ok
his head as though that matter were
settled beyond dispute
The next morning, and also the third,
Mary Jane came to breakfast with the
same story. sits disturbin'," she de-
clared. Il don't see what put such
things into my head. That's the third
time I've dreamed the same dream. /
hope shan't have another one like it to-
night. Uncle Josh was just as real to
me as he used to be when he fretted and
scolded because I'd broke somethin',
only he didn't fret nor scold. Seemed as
though death had sort OF mellowed him,
for he come up to me and put his hand
on my head and said: Poor Mary Jane,
you're havin' pretty hard time of it,
amt ye, and all on account of me. I'm
awfully sorry! but twas my natur' to
hoard. and couldn't help it. Howsom-
ever, it'll come out all right, If Ephraim