Fort Wrangel news., 1898-10-26
: ACKsON SMITH bud hobby.

T JACKSON SMITH had a hobby.
 He would stand at the foot of his o table. carving knife in hand. while he enlarged upon the "soulless demo cratic times" emphasizing his sen tences by hrandlshing the carver In air,
 Ills next aversion to Democrat was au old maid. Indeed. the old maid was even more odious to hlm. The Demo crat he could forgive as being fool. but the old maid was beyond pardon on any grounds And yet, as lu very moekery of his pet antipathy, his only child. SaI7lh. had developed Into the hated ob- jeet. right in his own household.
 sarah was tall and angular like her father. but her face was pleasing and her disposition mild and amlable. She had never revolted against anything in her life-not even against the injustice of spending her youth In making pre- serves, apple butter or piecing quilts, while other girls were making merry. Sometimes Sarah wondered where her youth had gone but, while she was 32, she could not recall having been young.
 One day Jackson Smith received a hurt, and when Dr. Brown was called in he told Jackson his days were num- bered. Then 1t was that his hatred for old maids proved Itself.
 -I'll never leave this place to wom- an that cant get husband he said fiercely.
 ~But, father Sarah's never had no chance-we've always kept her down." remonstrated his weeping wife.
 He waved his hand to silence her. "Woman. no old maid shall inherit my place. I've sent by the doctor for Law yer Clarke, and he'll come tomorrow. There's money enough in bank for you. but I'll fix it so that at your death 1t will go with the farm Jackson Cog gan. my namesake, shall get it all.'
 Tearfully Mrs. Smith imparted the facts to Sarah.
 'rdother, would he turn you out of the old place Just because he hates meT' And Sarah looked incredulous.
 The elder woman nodded; then Sarah kissed the round. sunburnt face and said: "Mother. I never have revolted against father, but I'm going to save the place for you-I wouldn't mind so much, but you shall never leave your home. Tra going out now to think 1t over" And putting on her pink sun bonnet she went out the back door. When some distance from the house she sat down in the shade of q tree, and, while her heart beat loudly over her fathers contemplated injustice, she re- solved to outwit him.
 "rhere's Josh Mullin he might-but can't bear Josh he chews tobacco, and his mouth always looks dirty. Henry Hodge is home, but he drinks so that there's no dependence to be put in him. Sbe cast her eyes over the landscape, and on the next farm she saw the figure of a man in the field. Yes. there's John Howard, but and her face grew p4nh"I hate somehow to ask 1t of him" Then the tear-stained face of her mother passed before her mental vision, and giving jerk to her sunbonnet she started down the path across the meadow.
 John Howard was hoeing corn. When he saw Sarah approaching he stopped and leaned on his hoe, look of concern in his face.
 1Ts the old man worse, Sarah?' he asked.
 "Yes; pr. Brown says he can't live more'n two or three days, and-Oh, John, it's awful the way he is.'
 "'Yes, but you have been q good, sac raficing daughter. Sarah. and you can't blame yourself for anything, you-7
 ''Oh, you don't understand, John; he's going to leave everything toto Jack son Goggan, and mothern have to leave the place." she half sobbed.
 ~You can't mean It. Sarah? Why why, that would be outrageous. What makes him talk of such thingT'
 "Because-because -I am an old maid; he hates old maids" And her face grew pinker than the sunbonnet. John Howard shifted the hoe to the other arm and looked down.
 "John, I've come to ask you-Oh. John, don't think me brazen; it's for mothers sake. can't stand to see her turned out, and for my fault and if yon will only help me and-and-come