Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1900-09-27
: A Cessation Of Hosti!itieS

VI LIE tramp was dl1ferent from the
accepted type. inasmuch as his
clothes We're fairly respectable and
whole, although they had been in
tended for large man, and he was
understood and slightly built. He had
evidently been shaved within the last
three days. Not only had he been
shaved, but his hair had been cut
very closely. indeed, and his face was
lean and pale.
But With ali this he was not much
more pleasant to look at than any
bearded, tattered and bulky member
of the wandering fraternity would
have been. His face had hard lines
in it, and he was thin-lipped and
snaky-eyed, downlooking man, with
the true trampish shamble in his gait
and sneakipg shoulders. Apparently
he had been passing the night in the
lee of hay stack, for there We're
spears of timothy clinging to his coat
and in the rolled fold of his trousers,
and the sun was not yet high. Yet
he already limped, and presently Went
over to the ditch in the shade of the
Usage hedge and sat down with his
back to the road.
First he pulled fiat bottle from
his pocket and swore, seeing that it
was empty. Then he slowly took Off
his shoes and examined a blister that
one of them had chafed on his heel.
Its condition was evidently unsa1is-
factory, for he swore again, and then,
feeling in his pocket, drew forth a
dirty rag. which he tore into strips
and bound on the afflicted foot. At
last he rose slowly and reluctantly
and slouched On. There was hill to
climb and as he reached its crest he
saw short distance away Il little
farmhouse, with the smoke curling
from the kitchen chimney in graceful
Wreaths.
The wanderer stopped and made a
careful reconnaissance. lie saw two
or three fields away a man blowing
corn, and still farther away another
man hoeing Il row OF something. lie
reasoned that two men We're about
all that were necessary to run q farm
OF that size. and the smoke seemed tc
promise a meal. so he cut a stick from
the hedge and advanced to the gate.
Here he stopped a moment and ex-
amined the gate posts. and something
he saw there induced him to turn
back for Il few steps, but hunger WAS
gnaw;n@ at his inwar(s, and he NUT
tered I'll risk it,
Mrs. Sim LeacoN was known
throughout that neighborhood as a
real good manager and a terror She
could get up such Il thrashing good
dinner that her fame as a cook had
spread through three counties. Her
pies, cakes, doughnuts and preserves
were the envy of all the housewives
far and near; her energy was super
natural. and her tongue was sharp
and bitter, as Sam LeacoN knew to
his cost. and as the hired man knew
almost as we'll. Mrs. LeacoN was
nearly six feet tall, muscular and long
around. If Sim had ever shown any
signs of INSTRUMENTATION she would
have been perfectly capable of spank,
ing him-;lnd quite likely to have
done so. 1t was Sims thorough re
alization of this that kept his home
peaceful TO a certain extent There
was another thing about Mrs. Lea
cox-she hated tramps.
The most masculine minded and
muscled women have their little fem
mime Weaknesses however. and Mrs
LeacoN was a firm believer in ghosts
and signs and omens and dreams
more particularly dreams-bccause
she usually slept too soundly and hel
digestion was TOO good for her to be
bothered in that way very often. She
generally went to bed at nine o'clock
and snored generously until four il
the summer, or six in the winter
and, as she expressed it, she never
knowed nothin' from the time hel
head hit the pillar" But good Ciges
ton Will not prevent the falling O
Z dishrags or the thousand and on,
: other little warnings vouchsafed b,
!, the powers of the middle air to ap
. prise initiated mortals of coming goo,
9 or evil fortune. On the same morn
!! ing that the tramp crawled out O
: his nest by the timothy haystacl
!. something uncanny happened to Mrs
LeacoN's stove-lid LITTER
= For the interpret of signs Mrs
!. LeacoN relied upon the "Gipsy Queen
Dream Book green-paper- covered
brochure that she reverenceG next t,
the family Bible and consulted ia
oftenel'. it is to be feared. When tn
stove-lid litter misconducted itsel
Mrs. LeacoN HE'D in perturbation o
spirit to her dream look, and foun,
that her worst forebodings We're NOR
than confirmed. 1t betokened. tn
gypsy queen said, sudden death ant
loss of fortune, with the making O
a powerful enemy, although she neg
lected to state in what order thes
u isfortuEes We're to come. But ther