The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-05-22
OLD GABE'S COMPANY.
ny julia Truiss Bishop.

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farms were ill-kept and neglected, but
the most struggling and disreputabie
of them All belonged to old Gabc Carter.
lie amt got no call to work hard"
said a neighbor, In cxtenuation OF the
farmers sins Of omission. which were
many; she amt got nobody To take
lscer on but hisself, and eff he wants
20 take things easy, why let i'm, that's
what / say"
Old Gabe Carter had never rebelled
against the dsrespectful title which the
fatcs had given him. IL had chung to
him for many years now, and there was
tradition in the neighborhood that he
had been known by that name 40 years
ago-perhaps even longer than that.
been surprised and Disconnected If he
had heard anyone call him ''Mr. Carter"
Old Gabe was not beautiful to look up
On. His features were thin and eager, his
hair long and struggling and the tall form
vas angular TO the last degree. A mis-
cellaneous assortment of ill-fitting gar
ments generally made up what he called
terious outfit hanging up in the spare
ROOM" known to him as his "other
clo'es." When he went about the farm.
he wore his "clo'es," but when he went
to church, or attended one Of the rare
funerals in the community, he came out
In all the splendor OF his other cloes'
This was so well recognized that when
Iccky MEG uire, glancing out from the
kitchen window, saw him in the glory
of the "other clo'es," jogging serenely
down the road, she screamed to her
mother:
"Oh, ma, ma! There goes old Gabe
Carter in his other clo'es.' Run an ask
i'm who's dead!"
Old Gabe lived alone, with few
trifing exceptions. One Of these was
the hired man, who occupied the cabin
ut the further side Of the orchard. He
would not have even a hired man too
near. "Comp'ny's mighty good he
explained 10 that functionary, but
body can have too much Of it, an eff you
an me was TO git lonesome faint so
fur but what we can call one another
And yet he was not averse to company
at times. Seldom did any neighbor
follow the road that trailed past the
farm but he saw old Gabe leaning over
the fence waiting for him. At such
times the old man had strange things
70 tell-things which made the neigh
bors stare and shrug their shoulders
when they were out of sight.
aye see that rooster, julius Caesar?"
ne would inquire, with a look of pride
illuminating his face. That's the
smartest critter they is in three coun-
ties Maybe you don't know that Julius
foretor this mornn's rain, jes' as plain
az ef he'd a-tallSed, an been done with
It, / lsnowed when that rooster started
to bed las night that he had somethin'
on is mind; an he hadn't been there
more'n half hour before he foun' out
what il was. An then he crew five
times, jes as loud as he could crow.
SOS 20 let me know; an right then j
knowed we was a-goin' 10 have rain.
Julius has been in the foretellin' BUSH
ness some time, an he amt never made
n mistake yet. Jes' look at i'm a-strut-
tim aroun' there like as ef he owned the
earth He knows ever word l been
a-sayin' as we'll as ef he'd a-said it his
self. There amt mo critter nowhere
smarter than julius"
And, indeed. julius Caesar strutted
about with full sense OF his own inn
portnnce as n rival OF the weather bu-
reau, which has, like him, been in the
''foretelin'" business for some time,
but which has this disadvantage, that
IL has been known 20 make mistakes.
What mysterious thing it was that
whispered TO Julius when il was going
10 rain no one knew; but there was In
him some close kinship TO nature which
gave him prophetic knowledge OF the
times and seasons. He was not an es-
pecially beautiful fowl. His comb
dropped over Co one side In n ralSish
and slouchy manner and his legs were
scaly and disreputable; yet this Weary
Watson" OF the barnyard absolutely
seemed to close one eye in most sig
nihcant manner as his master talked.
Another of old Gabe'c companions
was the cat. "Jes' look at that cat"
he would say, with smile wrinlsling
his thin face. "I'll tell you. ole Abe
knows n lot. lie jes' sets there an ticks
is paws. an you couldn't tell from
looltin' az i'm that he was thinlSin OF a
single thing; but all of n student Abe
he sticks is years up an growls. an ]
know In n minute he hears somebody
a-comin'. He done that jes' now when
he heerd you. He amt got much con.
fidence in folks. Abe amt. I'm the only
one he'd trust fur a minute as fur al
you could throw q cow
But the chief object OF old Gabe's
affection was the dog. No shaggier
and more plebeian dog ever palmed
himself OFT on an unwary mortal as a
dog 20 be fostered and made much Of:
but the deception succeeded. Old Gabc
pointed him out triumphantly 20 every
ncighbor who would stop long enough
20 hear his many wonderful virtues re-
..~y,.t.I