The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-03-08

apparently forgetful Of their provoking
antics, they walked demurely ont.
Farmer Holbrook wiped his red, per
spring face The lower part of the
big field was apparently half:ruined
1t was sorrowful sight. Holbrook
looked at the trampled, broken corn
ruetully.
at beats me, Joe" he said, chow the
pesky creatures came to break out OF
the south pasture, where there S plenty
of feed and good spring-water and a
good strong fence, and get into the
creek pasture, especially just now
when we're drawing gravel and leaving
the fence next the corn open. 1t just
gets me, that does!'
Two red spots that were not caused
by his recent exertions showed through
the tan in the young fellows face, but
he looked at his father steadily. "They
didn't break out, father
The farmer looked up in sudden
comprehension, two dull sparks of
anger blazing in his eyes.
"Do you mean to say, Joe Holbrook,
that you went into one of those fgur-
ing, dawdling, dream fits of yours, and
deliberately turned those COWS into the
creek pasture this morning, when you
knew, and told you particularly be-
sides, that we were going to draw
gravel, and the pasture fence would be
open all day? Is that what you mean:''
The two red spots grew brighter in
Joe Holbrook's face. I'm awfully
sorry, father" he said eagerly, ''and |
don't see how | could have done it..
But | know how it was. I've been at
work long time on a principle for a
truss in bridge building, and l believe
I've found a real improvement. !
showed it to Mr.. Grant, the contractor
the minister's brother, you know
who is visiting there, and lie took a lot
of interest; asked me to finish it up,
and bring it to him this evening: and
said my idea was good one. | was
right in the midst Of it this morning
when l turned out the cows, and l
never thought about drawing the grav-
ell, and turned the COWS in the creek
pasture, the same as usual. I'm awful
sorry, father" lie said again.
Abel Holbrook did not in the least
understand his tall, stalwart, rapidly
growing son. His lines had not been
cast in pleasant places. Trained from
childhood to hard manual labor, he
could not, or at least did not, consider
that there might be other ways and
wider fields for himself or any member
of the family.
He ignored what was plain to many
others, his sons talent, one might
almost say, passion for mathematics
and applied mechanics. Instead Of
trying to develope the gift he had al
ways frowned upon it. The time spent
in study-for the boy would not give
it up-the father considered "frittered
away" and so much wasted and lost
from what might have been applied to
the routine Of heavy farm work. Not
that he meant to be unduly hard on
his son, for in his way he was really
proud of the strong young fellow, but
he had grown into the belief that get
ting ones living out of the soil lby hard
knocks was the one and only way, and
he wanted the boy to follow in his foot
steps, The culpable carelessness Of
Joe on the present occasion made his
father more angry than anything he
had done hitherto. He looked again
at the broad strip of ruined corn and
saw plainly the picture Of the wasted
energy, the long days of toilsome hoe
ing in the hot sun, the lost fertilizer,
the painstaking seeding come to
naught, and the sparks in the deep-set
gray eyes grew deeper. He did not
even notice the eager explanation.
Look you here, Joseph Holbrook!"
and the son had never heard before
such tones in the fathers voice "I've
put up with and overlooked just as
much of your dawdling foolishn SIS as
I'm going to. You've got 50 that you
don't know, half the time, whether
you re On the ground or on horseback
and tell you now, once for all, that
you can either quit it and mend your
ways from now on, or get out OF my
sight and stay there!''
The mans face showed white ev, n
through the sunburn as he slowly Ut
tered the last few words He turned
and walked slowly back in the drec-
ton OF the barn, without waiting for a
reply. The book which the boy had
dropped still lay in the path. He drew
back his foot halt savagely, as if to
kick It out of the way, then paused
suddenly and curiously and picked it
up carefully. 1t was a treatise on az
piled mechanics. Strangely enough he
did not throw it down.
For some time Joe Holbrook stood
quite still in the ruined corn, the last
sentence Of his irate father ringing
daily in his ears, and with q choked
sensation in his throat Then quite
slowly lie drove the now quiet herd
across the pasture. field let down the