The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-02-28

#T2 OR the first time in life he
Ea' found himself in the country.
The express train from which
he had just alighted dwindled
into mere specl1 on the horizon. leav-
ing hitl surrounded by a vast wilder
mess.
Jones was city man: he worked on
a high stool in Il counting house. He
had gathered his IDEAS of the woods
from tile trees in Central Park; but no
one would have ever guessed by his
cor versation that Jones was not truly
rural, for he always took care TO men.
tion rotation of crops and new farm
machinery and other topics pertaining
TO the gentle art. From the pages of
an agricultural weekly he stocked his
mind with rich stores of information,
out of which his Imagination construct
ed alluring pictures OF rural bliss.
W Sometimes he strolled through the
commission markets, regaling his eyes
with the sight OF prize pumpkins and
inhallng the fragrance from the newly
h opened barrels # apples. Sometimes
he attended the theatre, whore domes-
q.
in which the old folks gather in the
< front yard, and the prodlgal son re-
W turns from the Klondike and pays off
the mortgage to slow music and i'm
mense applause.
Sometimes he slipped away to an
agricultural fair to catch sight of
: blue-ribbon cattle and 10 chat with the
= rustics, If occasion offered about the
newest thing in labor saving machin-
N cry, of which they happened to
know nothing. All this time Jones
knew nothing of the country at first
hand and it looked like a great waste
of energy to his friends to see him con.
tinually dreaming of what might new
er be his; but they did not know what
pleasant fancies of plowed fields and
homegrown vegetables begulled away
s the long hours at the ledger. They did
8 not know the satisfaction he took in
walking out into the middle of the
paved street and looking up between
the tall buildings at the blue sky--the
only natural object in sight.
M But least of all did they know that
Jones had a wife with vast social am.
bitions. Mrs. Frances Fleweller-
Jones, as she styled herself. longed to
out-do people of ten times their means;
their two daughters were figuring on
couple of noblemen already. Papa
Jones had only one way of suppressing
these unnatural and dangerous long
ings, and that was TO threaten to pull
snup stakes and move the entire estab-
iishment to the woods.
At the mere mention of farming.
catalogues of cheap European tours
&and invitations to swell social func-
tions disappeared like magic. The
household resumed the even tenor of
tits way, and endeayored to look de-
GENTLY happy over one thousand year.
Not that Jones was q brute; for he
was very passive, obedient sort of
Ftwentieth century husband, acqulesc-
Ing in everything reasonable, and per-
fectly willing to walk while his wife
rode in an automobile if it could be
arranged
But one Saturday afternoon Jones
+ came home and found the house turned
topsy-turvy. His wife was waiting
"Philander, dearr She used this
& name exclusively for raising money;
Phil was sufficient for all other occa-
s sions. "Philander, you'll have to rake
together enough to buy something new
= Tor Evelina; she's fretted herself sick
n over her old ball dress, and the two
w young noblemen arrive tomorrow"
III that's the case i guess III have
"a to look at some farm property, moth
err Jones observed very seriously.
81 Never mind the farm Just now,
Philander! we need your help; I've
4 almost completed arrangements for the
automobile, and as for the yachts"
Il don't feel equal to it at ALL" said
Jones, examining his empty pockets.
/" you must really excuse me this time"
M 'Philander" cried his wife. bringing
down her foot somewhat emphatically.
But 1t was too late; Jones was hur-
riediy jamming few things into
yalise
M He notified his family of his future
whereabouts and then struck out for
lhe station, expecting to reach In two
hours the farm he had seen advertised
ID the morning paper.
Heretofore Jones had always soothed
# their unquiet iongings by merely sub
scriping to an additional farm paper
OF writing to the secretary of agricul-
ture Tor Information relative to early
garden truck. He was sorry his little
ruse was played out, having doubtless
intended to go on dreaming of the I'M
tanned Joys Of country living to the end
OF the chapter.
Now that he found himself In the
lanu OF his dreams. he hardly knew
whether to be disappointed or not. The
Drac'ng air was laden with the dried
fruits OF autumn. 1t had been smoky
IN the city the afternoon he left. Here
al was very quiet and peaceful, with
nothing to break the stiffness hut an
ocfeslonai chirp or the sound Of falling