Connecticut western news., 1899-11-02
HIS SEVEN SONS.

"Puts me in mind of old man Free man." said MT. Teakwood rehectively as he shaved a keener edge on the wooden sword he was making and sighted along the blade with discern ing eye.
 Old man Bolivar tilted his chair back at a more reassuring angle and clasped his hands about his knees in an easy attitude for listening. George Smith ceased the soft drawl which he had been droning into the ears of the store keeper. and Pendarvis brought in his buggy cushions and made himself com fortable on cracker box
 "Well, what about ole man Free mani" asked George Smith at last in an exasperated way.
 "Ole man Freeman, he's back on the ole place, the story teller finally be- gan, "an that boy O his'n that Jim. he's in the little cabin on the Hi Wat ters place. that cabin where the gal'ry's done fell in.
 "What made i'm movef'' asked George Smith, whose weakness it was to try to hslp along with fatuous ques- tions-
 "I been a-knowin old man Freeman for nigh on to real long time" pur- sued Mir. Teakwood meditatively, .'an it lookt to me like he could do mighty good job now if he could go back an bring up his boys over again. It's powerful pity, it seems like to me, that a man can't have but one chance to raise his children, an if they don't seem to pan out right that time there ain't no more show for him. reckon it was a mighty bad year when ole man Free mans boys begin to grow up.''
 ''They was a-plenty of 'em. sech as they was" remarked old man Bolivar with quite unusual and unexpected candor.
 ''The ole man had seven boys" Mir Teakwood went on, with dry inward chuckle at some memory, ian if the ole folks had a raised 'em right he could a set back in his easy cheer an never done no more work as long as he lived He did try the easy cheer game. but it was everlastin'ly too late. Them boys had grew up to think that the airth was pretty much made SO they could have good time an nothin to do.
 ''They ain't one O them seven boys that's worth killin today, an the ole man s workin harder today than he did 20 year ago.
 But reckon he thought Jim was goin to be somethin. Long last winter Jim began to shine up to one O them Forstan girls-the one with the turn up 4 t,b IL H. plum sick to have saw the way the ole man took on.
 {. I tell you, they's outcome to that boy O mine, that Jim,' he says to me, rubbin his hands together, pleased as pie You wouldn't "a thought they was that much spunk in Jim, would you I An there he is. sparkin up to that girl, an her gran pa was member O the legislaterl An shore as yer Twin Jim Il be in the legislator himeslf some day. fur he's got the nerve to try it.
 ''It pears like I come to know all about this Freeman business kinder ac- cidental like You see, long middlin airly las spring I got ole Nance one day an rode over to ole Freeman for to borrer his harrer. I was a-gittin my garden ready, an it was that grassy 1t was plum boun for to be harrered-
 "When I got over there, Squire Diggs an some more men was jes' ridin away, an the ole man met me in the gal'ry Iookin like he'd been a-cryin an says he :: I'm a-fxin for change. Lie, says he. 'Jim's a-goin to get married Sun day, an me an the old woman is jes deeded this place, an him an his wife is a-goin to take keer O us the balance O our days You don't know how happy it makes me feel I'm a-goin to have me big cheer an set out here in the gal'ry where kin watch the cows goin to paster, an Jim plowin in the fur field, an where the ole woman kin listen to Jim's wife potterin round tke house you know, an 1 kin 1nder oversee an tell him how .s do things. fur Jim don t :->>aSr =-. -.ss.l--- ,nuOh about arDlin