The Jennings daily record., 1902-12-31

his graDary and looked out over the
hare. brown fields. A hawk shifted
his nixht over distant Usage orange
hsaG9. and puffs Of wind lifted the
dun on the road which stretched
- to the town that lay beyond.
- weathercock on the barn roof
ayod and turned and the windmill
oaked drearily as the breezes
I'd over. The sky was leaden
lefiU. 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 man of thirty-fve. tall.
strong and burned to a dull brown
by wind and sun. His farm was
good one. the house comfortable and
r0omy. Rumor had 1t that he was
going to bring wife there when he
first bought Johnston's 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 Eeatness and order. He was in
ventive. energetic and Industrious.
Except for a 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-
Ilectiyely 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 a
Thanksgiving day that he had come
tp the farm.
"Reckon I'll go home Tnanhsgivin'."
said the hand as Hall stepped onto
the back porch. "Got letter from
Nam, an she lowed all the folks was
expected, an I'm elected to come
along"
Call right" replied John Halt as he
drew his chair to the table and pre-
pared to eat his breakfast.
Got letter for you," said the
hand, whose name had been simpli-
fed to "Hick'ry Bill" as he handed a
blue envelope over to his employer.
Hall took the letter mechanically
and thrust it into his pocket without
word.
"Didnt take no mere notice OF 1t ar
If it was a shoostring," as Hick'r5
Bill afterwards remarked.
After the meal the hand wen
down into the creek bottom for a Loaf
of wood and Hall accompanied HIN
without reading or referring to th'
letter in his pocket. But he hat
recognized, or believed he recognizes
the handwriting. and the letter burne
in his coat like a ball Of fire.
What did it mean. what did
mean?" he kept thinking over an
over to himself as he swung tn
heavy ak in the timber. But til
mans habitual self-control and 'prid
stood him SO we'll in stead that tn
easy-going hired man forgot about II
letter and busted himself with tf
work in hand. That night when II
comforters were folded arour
Hick'ry Bill and that gentleman WI
moored in the harbor of dreams. Jof
Hall drew out his letter ana 'urh'