St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-12-16
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
WHAT JACK LOST
0y Floroneo B. NallowslL, !
DA1A.0n.oA0AaA1A0A0nS

JACK HAWLEY was a handsome
u young fellow, intelligent, mani
and good-tempered. Everyone like,
him, and he had dozens of warm friends
But he had one serious fault, whicl
often brought trouble, not only on him
self, but on others as well. He wa
needless to the last degree.
Somehow or other Jack always man
ages to forget every commission Civ,
him. said his sister Kate one day. H,
listens to me. mods understandings
goes off whistling and-that's the las
of it."
"He listens, but he doesn't pay atten
tion," said Mrs. Hawley. '.What yo,
say makes no impression upon him. H,
is irredeemably needless"
Perhaps he is thinking all the time
OF how he can get to college" said little
Fan. He wants to go to college awful
". mamma. He told me the other day
that it was the dream of his life.'
TT seems hard that his dream cannot
be realized and Mrs. Hawley sighed.
But it is all / can do to meet our pres
ent expenses, and dare not mortgage
the farm. l must keep a roof over our
heads. at all events"
Neither of the girls spoke in reply.
Fan was thinking of the long illness
from which she had only just recovered,
and mentally bemoaning the money
which had been spent in medicines and
in paying doctors bills.
Hates thoughts ran in a different
channel. From childhood she had had
a passion for music. and her indulgeEt
father had made many sacrifices to cul
tivate it. His best horse had been sold
to pay her music bills at Nine. Hopper's
select seminary. and 40 acres of the
farm had passed into a strangers hands
that she might attend first-class con-
servatory for three years. He had
planned to send her to Europe. too, for
a year, at least; bat his death had ended
all;thoughts of that.
Kate had come home at 81 years OF
age a proficient musician. with con-
servatory diploma in the tray of her
trnnk. but she had not thought of turn
ing her skill into dollars and cents. She
had had enough to do in helping to
nurse and amuse Fan and i'm attending
TO the housekeeping and dairy.
But now Fan was getting well. and
could amuse herself. and Mrs. Hawley
had taken the household reins into her
own hands again, leaving Kate at lib
crty to sit at her dear old piano from
morning TO night if she so desired. And
she practiced great deal.
Jack declared that even i'm his dreams
he heard the sound of that piano, and |
that if Kate would put half as much |
energy and perseverance into raising |
onions as she did into her parcticiny |
hey would soon be in indepe ndent cir |
MY hands wouldn't be fit for the |
PIANO if | weeded onions" said Kate.
but what is the use of it all?" asked |
Jack. sit seems a reckless waste of /
lime to me. If had only half as much
money to spend in going to college as
rou have spent in learning how to run
scales I'd make something of myself.
Is it is. suppose I'll have to be farm
r to the end Of the chapter"
Jack didn't like farming. He wanted
o be lawyer, and thought he had
special talent for oratory. But the farm
vas small. and just paid expenses now.
sringing enough from it to pay for
curse at college was out of the ques-
ion.
But this morning plan was shaping
sself in Hates mind by which her
'rother's darling ambition might be
She thought it all out and then con-
lded il to her mother. |;
IF you only could, Kate" said Mrs.
iawley, "how pleased Jack would be.
md can spare you now as well as not,
hough of course Fan and would miss |
ou very much"
IL try IT. anyhow said Kate.
Nothing venture, nothing have YOU I
how' and it only succeed Jack won't !
ay again that my practicing is a reck- y
ess waste of time.'' In
And on she ran to her own room y
nging like bird.
one spent ten minutes in writing |
ostai card, and then ran downstairs '
nd out 10 the gate to watch for a team o
a the way to town. Jack was roinp o
that afternoon. but for very particu. c
ar reasons she didn't want him IN 60.
hat card.
It was intrusted to Mr.. pilinp. a near
eighhor. who was the first to pass. and "a
e was cautioned to ''be sure not to for ),
Ct to post it, for 1t was very i'm u
Ortant.' -
\ week later Kate received some cir :
ulars. and was busy over them for an =
our, filling out the answers to the i