The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-01-08

wild Northwest they nad llttle capltai pe-
sides their health and resolute determine
ton.
A two-room log cabin, meagerly fur
nished, served them as home. rude
log barn sheltered the one cow and the
yoke of three-year-old steers that consti-
tuted the stock snd team force of the farm.
Undaunted by the wall Of timber that
surrounded him, Jonathan Justify swung
his ak, and, with the help of his steers,
soon had small field under cultivation.
Year after year he added to the acres
wrested from the grim forest, and Jonathan
pro,pered.
4 daughter came to cheer them in their
isolation-the nearest neighbor was twelve
miles distant-and the Fates seemed smil-
ing on the Norris family.
When little Eva was five years old the
Norrscs met with what seemed to them
serious misfortune. One of the steers,
now grown to be sedate old OK, was killed
By a falling tree. Jonathan reluctantly
took funds from the accumulated store,
and aeRrted forth to either purchase mate
for cod Brin" or procure a new team, as
the case might be. He was unable to mate
his single OK, and when he returned he
drove pretty span of five ear-old bays.
This was a luxury undreamed ola span
Of hoJs25-but oX-teams were scarce, and
the horses had been offered reasonable, and
the owner had agreed to take ''Old Brin"
in part payment; so there they were.
Mrs. Norris and little Eva stroked their
sleek coats and admired them, and they
soon became family pets. Robin and
Dohbin were the names Mrs. Norris sug-
gested for them, and Robin and Dobbin
they were called thereafter.
One by one the years passed, and they
brought sad and important changes to the
Norrises. When little Eva was fourteen
years old she lost her mother
There was a little gathering of the neigh
bors-there were neighbors now within
four miles--a short sermon, prayer and
Mrs. Norris was laid to rest in little
grave near the house.
Those were lonely days that followed.
Eva kept the house and Jonathan sadly
went about the work of the place.
Times were not so good in those days,
either. There had been failure in crops,
then depression in prices, and so it hap
pened that whan Robin was found stark
and cold in the pasture one morning,
Jonathan had not the means to replace him.
Dobbin was afflicted with that malady so
common to farm horses-the heaves and
was of little account so he determined to
put him out Of the way and once more
resort to steers to help out with the work.
When his plans were made known to
Eva she rebeled.
what Kill Dobbin? after all the
years Of service rendered, to reward him in
this manner? No." she cried at shall
never be!'
''But you must be reasonable" urged
her father. Chimes are hard, Dobbin is of
no use, and it costs money to keep him.
We cannot afford it,"
ave must afford itr' exclaimed Eva.
"What will his keeping amount to? You
keep account Of every cent he costs and |
will pay you back"
How will you manage to do that?'
asked her father, smiling.
az will manage it somehow. have a
little money saved toward going to school.
I viii use that if necessary. | will find
some way Of paying you. He must he
spared! Think, father. how mother loved
him and she named him.
Tears snrang into Jonathan's eyes. He
brushed tham aside and said, huskiIg:
"Well, well, have your own way We
will open an account with old nobbin.
He shall he q boarder hereafter"
Two years passed and Dobbin's hoard
bill remained unpaid. His appetite was
unimpaired by this fact, however, and he
plaoid!y rluckcd the tender blades in the
pasture and grew sleek and fat His
hcavey bad almost wholly disappeared and
he seemed so he renewing his youth
Every morning and every evening he
came down to the pasture bars to receive
the carcsses Of Eva, who never forgot to
bring him some little relish from the
kitchen or garden, and even grass from
One day Mr.. Norris left home early in