Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-03-06
HIS SEVEN SONS.

'fPuts me in mind of old man Free
man," said Mr. Teakwood refectively
as he shaved a keener edge on the
wooden sword he was making and
sighted along the blade with a 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
Portable on a cracker box.
''Well, what about ole man Free
MANI" asked George Smith at last in
an exasperated way.
sole 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
tiers place, that cabin where the gal'r s
done fell in. -
''What made i'm mover" asked
George Smith, whose weakness it was
to try to help along with fatuous ques
tions.
ST been a-knowin old man Freeman
for nigh on to a real long time, pur
sued Mr.. lockwood 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 a
powerful pity, it seems like to me, that
a man can't have but one chance to
raise his children, an if they don 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
F'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" Mr..
Teakwood went on, with a dry inward
chuckle at some memory, ''an 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 SOS they could
have good time an nothin to do.
''They amt one O them seven boys
that's worth KILN today, an the ole
mans workin harder today than he did
% year ago.
''But 1 reckon he thought Jim was
goin to be somethin. Long last winter
Jim began to shine up to one O. them
Forstall girls-the one with the turn up
nose-an it would "a made anybody
plum sick to have saw the way the ole
man took on.
g L tell you, they's outcome to that
boy O. mine, that Jim,' he says to me,
rubin his hands together, pleased as
pie. You wouldn't "a thought they
was that much spunk in Jim, would you
An there he is, sparkin up to that girl,
an her gran pa was a member O. the
legislator An shore as yer Twin Jim II
be in the legislator himeslf some day,
fur he's got the nerve to try it,
cit 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's for
to borrer his harrer. I was a-gittin my
garden ready, an it was that grassy it
was plum boun for to be harrered
''When got over there, Squire Diggs
an some more men was jes' ridin away,
an the ole man met me in the gal'ry
lookin like he'd been a-cryin an says he !:
Sc 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'
decided 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 the house,
you know, an kin kinder oversee an
tell him how to do things, fur Jim don t
know so pesky much about armin.
60 You better hol' on to that deed till
you die, says in a warnin voice, 'and
let the takin keer come first, an, gra-
cious, the ole man was SO mad he come
mighty nigh not lettin me have the
harrer.
''Well, shore enough, Jim he married
an brung his wife home an got his deed
safe an SCUM, an for a good while
ever thing was as nice as pie. Ever time
/ passed there the ole man an ole wom-
an 'u'd be settin up in the gal'ry in two
hg cheers, lookin like they owned the
earth an a good sized chunk O the
moon.
"'Stid O. fadin away an dyin as any
body'd "a thought they'd "a done, the