Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1902-12-19

VOhh AAdii bnt a. tiiC AOith Gnu vi
his granary and looked out over the
bare. brown fields. A hawk shifted
his flight over distant Usage orange
hedge. and puffs of wind lifted the
dust on the road which stretched
away to the town that lay beyond.
The weathercock on the barn roof
swayed and turned and the windmill
creaked drearily as the breezes
passed over. The sky was a leaden
gray, and in the fields the corn stood
In shocks into which the rabbits
twisted their way and ate of the corn
there. To the north lay the prairie;
to the south the timber line stood
black and menacing.
Hall was a man of thirty-dve, tall,
strong and burned to a dull brown
by wind and sun. His farm was a
good one, the house comfortable and
roomy. Rumor had 1t that he was
going to bring wife there when he
first bought Johnstons place, ten
years before. But the years had
slipped by: John Hall had grown
older and sterner, and still there was
no woman at the door of the house
on the hill. He had worked hard and
prospered. His farm was a model
for neatness and order. He was in.
ventive. energetic and Industrious.
Except for hired hand there was
neither chick nor child on his farm.
He lived by himself and kept by him
self, and the neighbors seldom found
him more communicative than was
necessary for the ordinary salutations
of the road.
Gossip found it easy to dilate on
his steadily increasing store of the
worlds goods, and because he spent
so little Of the money which he made
the people round him called him
"Miser john" He attended none of
the dances, barn-raisings, corn-shuck-
ing bees or any other of the country
festivities, but remained on his place |
working regularly during the time the
other farmers worked and tinkering
at his machinery and mending fences
at odd times.
He stroked his brown beard re.
aectively as he sat at the granary
door, and rose to his feet as his hired
hand called from the house. 1t was
Thanksgiving week and he had been
thinking rather gloomily of the ap.
preaching holiday. For it was on
Thanksgiving day that he had come
% the farm.
Reckon I'll go home Thanksgivin',"
'aid the hand as Hall stepped onto
he back porch. Got a letter from
Nam, an she lowed all the folks was
an I'm elected to come
long"
"All right" replied John Hall as he
rev his chair to the table and pre-.
AIRED to eat his breakfast.
Got a letter for you," said the
and. whose name had been simpli.
led to "Hick'ry Bill" as he handed a
lue envelope over to his employer.
Hall took the letter mechanically
nd thrust it into his pocket without
word.
didn't take no more notice of 1t AN
It was a shoestring," as Hick'ry
Ill afterwards remarked.
After the meal the hand went
own into the creek bottom for load
I wood and Hall accompanied him
vithout reading or referring to the
,tter in his pocket. But he had
or believed he recognized
he handwriting, and the letter burned
4 his coat like ball Of fire.
what did 1t mean. what did 1t
iean?" he kept thinking over and
yer to himself as he swung the
eavy ak in the timber But the
,an's habitual self-control and pride
TODD him so well in stead that the
hired man forgot about the
stter and busted himself with the
FORK in hand. That night when the
omforters were folded around
Iick'ry Bill and that gentleman was
loored in the harbor of dreams, John
TALL drew out his letter and turned
M W. ahs .uIl !,