The new North-west., 1897-02-12

he would be alone with his troubled
thoughts. But now he would visit old
Sam, and they would have an afternoon
of hunting. This decision gave him
such thrill that out Of pure exuber.
ance of spirits be forgot his gun was
loaded and cooked swung it up and
drew bead on clump of leaves in the
top of tall hickory. The explosion
that instantly followed, sending the
echoes rolling through the woods and
starting the crows cuwing, brought him
out of his dreams with a shock. but the
sound of the gun revived all his passion
for shooting. After carefully reloading
the old muzzle loader he started toward
Sam s farm
As he reached the farm he was sur
prised to find it so changed. There
were new barns and stables and a new
house, and everything was spck and
span. He expected to see tumble down
buildings and rickety fences instead of
evidences of prosperity. But he strobe
cheerily across the field toward the
house, inhaling the smell of the newly
plowed soil, resolved to find out from
the first person he met what had become
of old Sam. Presently he saw a man
busily digging i'll ditch at the end of
field and directed his steps toward
him. AS he approached nearer he could
hardly believe himself. 1t was undoubt-
edly his old friend, working away as if
his life depended Oh it.
'Hello, Sam,' he called cheerily as
he came within hailing distance, chow
are your
The digger stopped, looked at the
stranger with an inquiring stare and
answered half shyly:
"Hello! Nice day"
"Why, don't you remember me:?'
II must say you've got the start of
me-"
Pratt held up the index finger of his
left hand. showing a rough, corrugated
nail and asked, with laugh:
"What! You surely don't forget the
fellow who went to pull the woodchuck
out Of the hollow tree in Blacks woods
and almost had his finger bitten off, do
you?'
Sans grizzled and whiskered face lit
up suddenly, and he scrambled out of
the ditch.
"Why!' he exclaimed as he transfer
red the mud from his hand to the leg of
his trousers eff it ain little Hiram
Pratt. Well, now," and he shook hands
with him vigorously, "when did you
get home?"
'Last night
"Well, we'll, and you've come back
to see us again. My, how you have
grown and changed! Well, suppose
we've all got to get older. How's your
mother? Glad to see you, wasn't she?
Well, we'll And they tell me you've
got awful rich. suppose you could buy
out all the old neighbors now, couldn t
you?"
Pratt laughed at the estimate of his
wealth he could have bought the
whole county and turned it into a shoot
ing park had he wished-and modestly
replied that he didn't think he could do
that, though he had got along pretty
we'll. Then he changed the subject by
remarking on old Sans evident pros
perity.
eyes, said the old man delightetlly,
"things are lookin better, ain they?
But of course you heard all about it?'
Pratt had not heard.
ooh, no, he said, "ths amt my
doings at all. They are Walters. My
Oldest boy, Walter, you know. Jee!
guess he was born after you left. wasn' t
he? Well, we'll, how time does fly, to
ho c,,ro T foil vo,, Wa1tar mi i1j, tv
smart boy, but an awful fellow to
work, - and q half frightened express
sion came over his face.
AS old Sam said this he jumped
back into the ditch and picked up his
shovel as if he We're going to dig again.
"Well, said Pratt, "I'm glad your
family is turning out so we'll, but you
used to be more fond of hunting than Of
plowing and digging, didn't you?"
eyes, but | amt done no hunting in
the last three or four years T"
"Why, there are lots of squirrel left,
are there not, and some quail and par
tridge?''
eyes, but Walter would not let me. :"
said the old man doggedly,
Would not let you! That's strange "
"No, he sold my gun
"You surprise me. -
"Well, guess he was right. I used
to waste an awful lot Of time with it
when l should have been working. If l
had not wasted so much time, l would
not have got into debt. | suppose you
heard about that, didn't you?"
Why, no; l did not hear anything
about it. -
ooh. I was in awful trouble / could
not sleep nights or anything. The store
bills kept getting bigger, and then |
gave notes. and then little mortgage,
and the times kept getting harder and
the taxes higher until was almost
crazy. But l tell you," and little
CLEAN of pride lit up his face, Walter
has changed all that, and even though
he does make me work hard / don't
know that l have any right to COM
plain. You see. this is the way it was:
When things got to the very worst and
we We're afraid the sheriff would come,