The Morris County chronicle., 1902-02-21
WHY WILKINS
HIRED MAN RAN AWAY
BY JOHN H. RAFTERY.


kins, in defiance of the social ethics
of Lake Hill, put on his overalls, and
rake in hand, attacked the carpet Of
dead leaves that covered his lawn. He
knew that his wife would make
scene if she caught him, and he knew
that his Sabbath breaking would fur
nish another argument against subur-
ban life, and he anticipated considera-
BILE guying from his male neighbors
and yet in spite OF all these misgiv-
ings, he raked the leaves into rustling
piles and watched with dogged salts
faction the columns of blue smoke
that rose among the oaks from his
unholy fires.
Wilkins had employed seven different
''hired men" since spring. None had
stayed more than a month and none
had carried away either the esteem or
good will of Mrs. Wilkins. Most of
them were worthless, some dishonest,
some lazy and some lacked that regard
for the proprieties which the woman of
the house insisted upon. So it came to
pass that Wilkins had a hard time
getting, to say nothing of keeping, a
serviceable hired man, and when the
leaves began to fall his lawns, gardens,
vines and orchard were in sad case, his
chicken house needed repairs, his coal
cellar was empty, his winter kindling
was unchopped and his loyalty to sub
urban life was tottering. Therefore
he had defied all precedent and on
Sunday morning attacked the work
with his own hands.
While he was bending over a russell
mound of leaves he heard a voice:
mister, I'll clean up that lawn for a
meal"
1t was low, strong voice, musical
of tone and so opportune that Wilkins
let his rake fall and looked about. The
stranger was a TALL lean young man,
dusty from long walk. but clean and
trim as to clothes and person.
"I'll just go you," said Wilkins, open
ing the gate. The big fellow walked
in, dropped his coat on the ground and
fell to work without word. After
getting back into his Sunday garments
the man of the house watched his res
cuer. The latter had laid aside his
round felt hat, disclosing bullet head
closely shaved. The workers clothes,
new cheap and coarse, i'll fit the wear
er, and as Wilkins watched him swift
ly and silently clearing away the dead
grass, weeds and leaves his heart mis-
gave him, and he murmured to him.
self:
can eX-convict, I'll bet"
Mrs. Wilkins soon came home with
Tommy and eyed the stranger askance.
When she had noticed him eating
heartily, but decorously, and had OBJ
served that he knew the purposes of
knife, fork and spoon, she darkly hint
ed to her husband that there was
something mysterious" about the
newcomer. When Wilkins felt sure
that his wife hadn't guessed the prob
able truth, he resolved to offer the man
a job and as the latter passed out the
walk toward the road the suburbanite
stopped him with:
"My friend. like the way you work
and like your looks, and if you'll stay
I'll GIVE you 81 week and your board
just TO keep up the place. tend the
chickens and the furnace"
"Thank you. sir. I'll try it." was
the answer. ''You don't keep horse,
and won't have to go to town?'
mo. Just stay here on the place and
do whatever you see necessary" ex-
planned Wilkins. fully understanding
the mans dislike to going into town.
"All right. sir My name is James
Green"
wilkins showed the tall. gaunt fell
low over the place and pointed out the
room over the carriage house where he
was to sleep. Tommy, who was ten
years old, trotted after them, deeply in
terested in the stranger.
Of course Mrs. wilkins didn't ap-
prove of her husbands choice. She
felt sure that there was something
wrong about Green. and as the days
went by and he proved a splendid
gardener and a most useful person IN
divers unexpected ways she was griev-
ously disappointed. What enraged her
most was Green's taciturnity. Every
effort of the cook and the house girl
prompted and encouraged by Mrs. Will
kins, failed to elicit a hint about him
self. AT meals he was as silent as the
tomb. During the day he kept busy
at the back of the two acre lot; at
night he sat in the barn doorway tell
Ing stories to Tommy and smoking his
pipe.
Between him and the boy there
sprang up an extraordinary compan-
ionship. The man, silent with all
others. began to tell his little comrade
the rarest and most extraordinary sto-
ries of shipwreck. of battle. of wild
beasts, birds and adventures of all
kinds. He knew the habits of birds
and insects. of reptiles and fishes, and
these he explained to Tommy with in
finite care until the boy came to dog
his footsteps and sit beside him at all
hours.
The carved wooden toys, plated
whips of horsehair and leather and
deftly fashioned bows and arrows that
Green made for Tommy were the won
der and envy of the boys of the neigh
borhood. but they convinced Wilkins
that his model hired man had spent
much time in some penitentiary. Mean
while, as day by day she failed to
penetrate the atmosphere of mystery
which surrounded him, Mrs. wilkins
grew more suspicious. When she