The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-24
Bidding OF of Maria Fiirchild.

1t. ! turned over more n a million
plans in my mind, til my head felt
like a Windmill in Il stin breeze. ana
thercwa'n't uuthin' that seemed to
kinder stand out before my dizzy eyes.
cept an auction. and Just
thought the sooner ! had il.
he better. Pas been dead nigh
onto a year, and there's all them farm
tools goin' TO waste for want " bein'
used. | shan't never undertake to hire
my farm run ag'ln. and | can't run
II alone. Yes, sir, III jest sell all but
the house, and garden patch, and one
COW. and my bay horse, and have an
auction Of the farm tools and lots of
oid furniture and stuff | don't need.
Then, Loretty Smith Wilkinson, | shall
begin to feel as though | was Twin
and had room TO breathe. and Oppcr-
innity TO breathe, without bein' all
cluttercd up with that mess of stun
all the time"
You don't mean to say that you're
eoin' TO keep right on Twin here all
alone, Maria Fairchild, Whatll you
do in tramp time, a quarter of a mile
away from the nearest house. and
them big dark woods t'other side Of
you? You're fiyin' in the face OF Prov
idenCe!"
How can be nyin' if I'm jest stay
in, Loretty? Now don't you go to
work and worry bout me. for after
the auction, I've no doubt, III be jest
as comfortably fixed as you be, and
probly Il great deal better"
We'll don't get huity, Maria. |
didn't intend to hurt your feeiin's any,
but | couldn't bear to think OF you
Twin all alone where noDody'd know
II you was TOOK sick or wanted my
thin. Have you decided when your
auctions goin' TO be?'
Yes, Pm goin' to have it the six
teenth Of February, and thatll be two
weeks from next Friday. Ebeneezer
Fishers jest taken notices TO the viii
lage, for me, and his brother Abe'S
roin TO be auctioneer. I'm powerful
sorry ! cant ask you 10 stay this after
oCn but I've got such an awful lot
of work ahead Of me to git my house
in order for folks as probly will be
UNI III " Wal III lltAIlstlNtS II IL .
too cold to stand outside all day, that
I'm too drove TO spend many minutes
visitin' Jest now Then I've got 10
kinder fresh up a good share OF the
stuff, SOS it'll bring as big a price as
possible, and altogether, I've got my
hands full. But | hope to see you at
the auction, even il ! amt got nothin'
you're likely to want to bid off, and
say-I've just thought! If faint too
much trouble, I'd be real obliged "a
you If you could stay all day on the
sixteenth, and help me make coffee
for them as wants it. I'm goin' to
make a lot of doughnuts too, for there
amt nobody goin' to say Maria Fair
child's stingy, If she is an old maid
and | guess there's lots will be thank
full for somethin' hot, and somethin
20 stay their stomachs, after standin
around in the cold"
I'm be more'n glad TO come and hell
you, Maria, and | can as well as not
If there's anythin' else | can do foi
you beforehand, you let me know"
Yes, | will, thankye, Loretty; good
bye"
After the departure Of her visitor
Maria FaIrchild went back into thu
kitchen Of the large, old home, ant
began her task Of re-varnishing
massive table that until lately hat
adorned the parlor.
In Squire Fairchild's prime, TIT
house had been considered little les
than a mansion in those parts, ant
his extensive farm lands were tn
pride Of the country. Ethan Fairchil'
had managed well, and, therefore
must be a rich man, concluded hi
%neighbors; but after the death OF hi
wife, the squire took little interest II
anything. He rarely left the door
YARD during his latter years. and I'm
der the slack attentions Of his farn
hands, his crops ceased to yield s.
abundantly as in former times, an
showed plainly the want OF the effort
of the master of the place, Even tn
house, and the well kept barns an
stables began to look forlorn and d.
lapidated, and the general appearance
of shabbiness extended to the animal
as well. With rough, unkempt coats
the once sleek horses ambled alon
with downcast heads, meekly giyin
up TO the spirit Of gradual decline
which seemed to prevail. When Mari
demonstrated, calling her fathers al
tention to some new evidence OF nei
lect on the part of the hired men, IN
squire would say, merely:
There, there, Maria, I'll speak
Joe about il. Don't go to fussin' owe
nothin'. Things will come out straigi
in the end"
But the result was that things b.
came crooked rather than straigh
The fences sagged, posts leane
scraggly branches drooped-in fac
everything seemed TO have becoH
tired and TO have settled down for
rest. This feeling likewise seized Il
squire himself, and one day he Il
sank into a peaceful slumber fro
which he never woke.
People said that now Maria Fai
child would likely spunk up n mar
lad Tompkins whom the squire M