The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-30

| again with yet more difficulty. took up a
plateful of dry toast and proffered 1t TO the
old man.
''There!'' she said 81 made ye that for
so clear an nice, jist thought I'd do it
| Twill be nice change for zee. Joseph
'tw..l sure
She spoke in a high. quavering voice,
peering snxiously the while ct her spouse
| He took a piece of toast and turned it
over: then broke off bit and flung it on
| the table.
Its as harI as flint, woman" ne said,
| Indignantly. Where dye think can find
teeth to bite en?"
Nay. now, it's not so hard as that comes
| to-" urged she. Il can bite en-, an hain't
| got a single tooth left. Sop it in yer tea,
! do zee now, an it'll slip down nice"
slip down. indeed, 1t 'ud want a bit O.
| butter, or a bit o. graise, for that. But
here us be-two old ancient folks as has
| lived in this parish, man an wife for fifty
| two year. an they'll rot SO much as gle US
a tater''
YES. later I'D be nice. sure" quaver-
ed the old woman; at 'ud be very NICE
or bit O. green stuff 'ud be nice"
went on Frisby, emphaticalfy. Il could
| eat this bread If they'd gle / bit @ green
to put tot But no, tits Ga away, I've
nothin' for 'ee.' all round. There's every
man an bwoy in the place workin' up at
| the 'lotments gettin' the taters into the
| ground as fast as ever they can stick EN-.
| Ii they was to gle US half a dozen each
! they'd never miss 1t, an l could get my
bit o. ground planted up. But no, they
| be all took up wi theirselves-never
thought for We"
Mrs. Frisby rubbed her shriyeled hands
! together and sighed.
"Ah, it's hard she said; It's hard,
sure
and then silence fell, between the old
couple, and each consumed the meagre
fare without any great appearance of APP
petite.
Presently Joseph set down his cup, push
ed back his chair. and stood up
Where be We goin'?" asked his wife,
1 enormously. Il never seed such a fGget
I of man.
I'm goin up to the 1otments," he re-
! sponded, CURLY.
Lave me a pail o water first. DO, so as
can be washin' up. l reckoned ye'd ha'
I helped me a bit EMBELLISHMENTS is
| terrible bad"
Joseph took up the pail without word
and went out. Presently an eXcruciatinG
/ creaking and squeaking was heard as he
/ turned the rusty handle Of the windlass.
/ After some time he hObbled back the wa
/ ter splashing from the overlooking bucket
at every step.
"Deari what a mess the man d make,"
| groaned Mrs. Frisby. Garry it study, for
! the Lords sake. Now sit down, do zee, an
| gle me hand
Nay, I'm off, responded her lord, in
! surly tones; and in another moment the
garden gate creaked on its hinges, and his
departing steps fell heavily on the lane
I outside.
This somewhat circuitous path led first
past a horse pond, then skirted the beauti-
: -
ivy grown edifice in the centre. Then it
darted off at an abrupt angle, apparent.
to avoid encroaching on the farm premises
in the rear of the church, where the pic
turesque building which had once been a
( tithe-barn was now devoted to humber
purposes. The lane ceased at its junction
with the high road, but crossing the latter,
and following the footpath for little way,
Joseph came TO another lane which, after
a few hundred yards, became steep as
cent.
The blackthorn was still in flower here
and there in the hedges, which accounted,
I as the country folk would have said for
the peculiarly keen and chilly quality of
the evening blast; but the twisted twigs
Of the more genial hawthorn were pow
dered, as II were. with delicate dust Of
green. Trailing tendrils OF houeysuckle
were always in full leaf, and young sap
limbs tufted at the ends with crimson.
Downy catkins. moreover, on many a viii
low bough gave further promise of the
rapid approach of the Sweet o. the Year"
and there were violets on the banks, and
here and there patch OF primroses, and
glory of dandelions all around.
But poor old Joe Frisby. as he toiled
painfully up the stony incline, had no
eye for any of these trivalities; his mind
cns arr~f,t,
he was bent. indeed, upon nothing less
important than an appeal to the COM
munity at large. Singly the neighbors
had rejected and despised his petition:
/ taken collectively they might, for very
shame's sake, be moved to grant 1t. No
men, as Joseph dimly felt. likes his in
dividual generosity to be overmuch
counted upon; but a whole community
each member making quite sure that his
neighbor does as much as he-may
sometimes be persuaded to accede to a
claim which all alike acknowledge.
Now voices fell upon his ear, accom-
panied by the sound of spades at work
An opening in the hedge revealed a gate
toward which Joseph made his way On
the other side lay the allotments, mar
row strips OF ground, NEST of which
were already broken up into brown
ridges of ground. while few were still
encountered with the lingering stalks of
last years cabbages. or an untidy
growth OF weeds. On~this propitious
evening the place seemed alive with
men and women: some delving some
| hoeing, some cutting up the SETS
not patch Of ground but had its occu-
pant. Every one was busy and every
one seemed merry. Jan Domeny. with
coat flung of and shirt sleeves rolled
high, was Justify chanting a three year
old music-hall ditty, which had Just
found its way to DoTsetshire Further
away the bent back OF Jim Cross formed
moving arch against the skyline: a
grandchild had poined him, and was
trotting along beside him, carrying a
basket of potatoes.
Joseph stood leaning over the gate for
a little while. his eyes travelling slowly
from one group to another: after long
hesitation he passed in and walked de-
liberately up the grassy track which di-
vided two patches OF the alIotments
| Many Of the workers looked up a mo-
ment with a word or nod of recognition
and Joseph nodded back paused 6 s If TO
! speak, hesitated, and then went On At
last he reached the centre Of the ground
ard there came to halt. He took eff
| his battered hat, hourished II to at
| tract attention. and began. pitching his
| quavering voice as high as he could:
''Noighbors all, I've summat to say 10
ZEE"
'fieiioi' cried the man nearest to him.
STRENGTHENING himself and staring. Here's
old Joe Frisby turned Methody preacher"
Nay, he'Ye AHMED the Salvation Army.
sure" cried another. who was himself a
regular subscriber to the War Cry"
81 know what he's after" muttered Jan,
working away very diligently. Don't
you take no heed, none of you"