The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-06-07

of this he posted off to town himself
and retained another attorney. The
lawyers heard him through, and after
they had gone put their heads together.
1T is shame to separate those good
people, when their tempers have been
kept under so long" said Lawyer Can
field. 81 could see by the very way
she accused him that she loved him.
And did you Lear him call her Betty"
1t was tender from mere habit. Let's
fix it up" And they did. To make
the reconciliation more sure they got
them to sign an agreement that if they
ever quarreled again they would sepa-
rate and sell all of their household
goods, the money to be divided evenly.
This was signed the more readily be-
cause both Betty and Joe thought that
it would serve as a check to their
tempers.
But two weeks before the scene at
the farm there had been more de-
termiped falling out than ever. 1t
was so trivial matter that afterwards
neither could remember just what it
was about. They had slept two nights
at the houses of neighbors, and then
had called in the attorneys to carry
out the agreement. Lawyer Cainfield
who was too soft hearted to be sue
cessful attorney, had done all in his
power to reconcile The couple. He had
failed completely. Though he was
sure that there was love between them,
the utmost he could do would not
bring it to the surface. When he got
them together they fell to accusing
each other, and threshed over the old
straw till his head reeled. The chill
dren had refused utterly to say word.
They loved both the old folks and
pitied them so much that they knew
the safest way to show no partiality.
They stood ready to give homes TO
them when they wanted to forsake the
homestead up on the mountain side.
Discouraged at their obstinacy, Mr..
Garfield and the other lawyer set the
date for the auction. The farm and
all its belongings would not bring
over fifteen hundred dollars. The
attorneys were men who seldom stoop-
ed to things so small in their practice.
This time they were doing it out Of
charity for the old people, who, in
spite Of their folly, were OF cul-
tivatcd tastes and had been of con-
sequence in the neighborhood. To
ensure good prices, and to be handy
in case of possible reconciliation at
the eleventh hour, the lawyers them
selves rode up to the mountain farm
to do the auctioneering.
That morning 10th Joe and Betty
had arrived early. He had gone from
shed to shed looking over the tools
that he had collected during his years
of hard work. Here was a short
handled hoe that he had made for
Betty to dig around her pansy bed.
There was the top of the old buggy
that they had ridden home from church
in for so many years. Up in the barn
shed was the little old baby carriage
that John and Mary and Betsey had
all been trundIed in. Silently, and
with aching heart, he took farewell of
each article. Slowed in the attic of
the barn was a wooden sled that he
had made for the children to slide on
the crust. He remembered now how
mas eyes had warmed and sottcned
with love when he had taken it into
the kitchen to show her the night be-
fore Christmas. She had pat her arms
around his neck and kissed him, say
ing, "Joey, you can make anything
that you try to-" The carcss and her
appreciation had more than paid him
But now that was all over. How hard
they had worked all these years! They
used to say, as the weary days Of toll
wore away, that they would sometime
enjoy calm and peaceful old age.
That after the children were all gone,
and they had saved a thousand dollars,
they would live the last twenty years
of their lives in peace and comfort.
Joe gulped down great sob as he
thought oft. He involuntarily started
for the house to put his old arm around
her and heg her pardon and forgiveness.
Betty had been looking through the
boxes of baby clothes in the attic with
much the same feeling. Her tears had
fallen on the broken toys that the
children had played with. The dirty
little doll, that Betsey had held in her
hands the last night before she went
back TO the land of Eternal Youthful
ness, quite broke her heart. She had
not brought them down from the attic
for several years. She wished now
that IN their old age she and Joe had
looked more at these things. Perhaps
both their hearts would have been ten
derer and more gentle for the looking.
She heard him coming in through the
shed door and went down, determined
to kiss him once more before the neigh