The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-31
MRS. BUCKEYES aoARDERs.

per He admitted that he didn't Xix,
| their ways, and one OF them, 4 dappel
young clerk from the city. had Tiled
him one evening while he was milking
the COWS by asking him if he had evel
, MIXED any ducks. Jasper WASH ASHAMED
OF being farmer. but he resented belns
treated as the hired man of people whS
seemed 10 think they owned the place be
cause they paid s. a week board Oi
course. these fussy people from tcwr
made lot OF extra work for him, but
he didn't mind that.
She came IN June with her mother. JAS
per never forgot the morning or the man
rer she got or the boat loaded with hei
own and her mothers luggage. nor how
she thanked him when he took the traps
from her and helped her old mother ten
derry into the surrey. II wasn't what she
| said-only How kind you are, Mr.
I Buckley the way she said it and the
smile she gave him as she hoped into
the front seat and. putting back her
veil, looked into his eyes quail fashion
and said: You won't mind IL l ride in
front, viii you. Mr.. Buckley You see,
/ n just town greenhorn and / want TO
be near the horses and-and you, so
can watch you drive" He blushed furi-
ously, said Much obliged and then Won
dered whether that wasn't foolish
thing 10 say.
~ 44ct- ne DdQ Carried every 4Iilu
the house for them and asked II there
was anything more she could do and she
had smiled at him again in that extraor-
| binary way. he went back TO the barn
| with a proud but troubled soul and I'M
/ hitched his team. Mister Buckley" he
! murmured TO himself. smiling, but Toney,
the hired help, came in just then and,
seeing Jasper smiling, said: 'Musta got
| a letter from Tidy, Jasper" Tidy was
the hired girl UP to Jenkinses." and
Jasper had been going with her" but
| now the sound of her name did not
please him, and he frowned silently. Jas
per left his collar and tie on and wore his
coat TO dinner that day. and when even
| ing came and he saw her sitting in the
rustic bench on the lawn with her mother,
! somehow his heart revolted against the
old familiar task OF feeding the pigs.
and he told Toney 10 carry out the pals
Of slOp. Then he sat in a shadowy corner
/ Of the barn, whence he could watch her
worshiping from afar. When Toney
came out and the squealing porkers clat-
/ tered to their supper she ran across the
/ lawn to watch them, and Jasper wished
/ he had done mis- own chores. He went
and leaned against the fence so near her
that he could catch the perfume of her
hair, and she smiled at him again and
said, Good evening. Mr.. Buckley" and
Aren't they fat monsters?" He thought
a moment and Then, Yes miss. tolera-
1 bic fat, but we haven't fed EN- any corn
yet" he said, and he lapsed into con-
| fused but admiring silence.
| When she was gone into the house he
regretted that ne hadn't asked her TO
have a look at the calves. He was sure
she'd like them, they were so much
| reater he reflected, than pigs. And there
were the sheep with their lambs over in
the meadow by the river. Why hadn't
he thought Of them? And that night he
lay awake wondering # farming made
man slow witted, or 1t was just his tongue
and not his heart and brain that made
him seem duller than these people from
the cities. He began to speculate on the
change that might come over him IL he
were to leave the farm and 60 TO live in
town; whether his hands would become
soft and white, and if he would ever be
"at home with women folks. And when
he slept + dreamed that she had fallen
into the river. that he dived in after her
and when he bore her safely TO the shore.
wished that it was mile further so that
he might hold her in his arms the
longer.
One day as he was rowing up the river
he saw her standing alone at the ferry
landing and she waved her hat at him
like child and cried, Give me a rider
And when she sat opposite him in the
eddy about the rushing PROV she looked
admiringly at his mighty muscled arms
and said: How strong you are.'
I'm kinda out of practice, he an
swered, intending to go on and ask her If
she liked boating, but the words would
not come, and he tugged away. his heart
singing, though his lips were dumb. She
asked him If he liked to farm, and II the
5oarders weren't a nuisance, and said
that she had a friend-a iawyer-who was
always wishing that he could live and
die in the country.
Il might take notion for town some
day" he said
do you think you'd like it? What
would you like TO he? What profession or
business would you take up?'
Horse trading or cattle" were the
words that sprung 10 his lips. but ~
didn't utter them. He coughed and look
ed hard at her in the deepening twilight
and said: What would you advise a fell
low TO take up?"
"Oh. hardly know" she laughed. look
ing up at the stars. If l were man
l believe I'd be a doctor"
Then and there. deep IN his burning
heart, poor Jasper swore that he'd be a
doctor If he had TO sell the farm TO do ii.
But he said nothing. listening 10 the
music Of her voice and thinking that he
had never before noticed the distant,
harplike melody of the old river at night.
On Sunday Jasper. looking very solemn
and very determined. drove over 70
Briggsville. sixteen miles, to ask Dr. Tif-
lUns' advice about getting 10 be a doc
tor" DR.. Tifl1ins told him that the best
way 10 do was TO marry a rich girl
and hang out a shingle in the Lake
Shore drive, but he loaned Jasper a big.
black book called Surgery and Thera
peutics. and all the way home the
young farmer thumbed and pored over its
mystic and unintelIigible pages. IN the
days that followed he showed her the
lambs and the calves, he wsded In the
lagoon TO get her the water lilies, he
passed and re-passed beneath her win
dow. hoping that fate wssIid send some
errand from her some threatened danger.
some eXcEse-anyihing that might give
him a chance to serve her, 70 save. 70
please her. He subscribed for city
ne Wspaper and began TO read up on
CITY WAYS. as he said u himself Then
~ fell 70 reading the Rooms and |
Board advertisements. and when he
found that somebody who signed him
self X III wanted 3 roommate, neoi-
cal student preferred. he CIT crt the |
advertisement and determined 70 write
. the advertiser as soon as be saw MS
way clear 10 joining college
But all hts castles II spain were buiided /
for and about her. He knew that he s
could be a great physician. famous iaw- 4
yer. a PROSPEROUS merchsnt--if she would /
but smile upoa him she had helped him {
already. lis mother had ccmrllmented I
him on his improved manner = dress ana (.
department. Already he walked ~ita I
more erect port. He wore gloves when 4
driving and 4 white lawn bow - pref /
ersnce &c the uauy-coiored scarfs q MS 4
- tf-,,- 49, re nrs <n~grrte1 Tidy I