St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-09-19
Tillie, the bleached blonde who

Title. the bleached blonde who
stood next to Katie, began to litter
and nudge her other neighbor, and
the farmer lad suddenly straight
ened up and lunged away. while
Katie, never lifting her dark eye
lashes, demurely folded and arranged
the pieces of crepe in their boxes.
Silas Stern walked rapidly west
ward, against the rising wind, in the
flying snow, to his team and empty
hay-rack wagon in the stableyard
near the market place, and began his
drive over the rough roads to his
farm, 16 miles away. And as he
walked in the lighted town or drove
over the pitch-black country roads he
ever saw pair of serene, honest,
grey eyes, with a look of sympathy
in them, and pair of small, work
worn hands arranging the crepe
band around his hat crown. How
modest she looked in her black wool
dress, and with her brown hair braid
ed and tied SO carefully. How young
she was. yet how thoughtful and
kind! More than ever, when he
drove up to the silent, dark old
farm house, he missed the mother
who had just died and left him alone,
for he could not remember his father,
dead long ago, and had neither
brother nor sister.
Silas stabbed his horse and went in
to the supper that had been made
ready for him by his hired mans
German wife. He choked over the
black, sour bread, the bitter coffee
and ha1f-cooked ham, but in his hun
cry loneliness he 'saw visions and
dreamed dreams" even such as young
men have seen and dreamed time out
of mind.
And SO no one need be surprised
nor scandalized to hear that as the
winter wore on, a tall, athletic form
was often seen waiting, at o'clock
in the afternoon, near the door of
the great store where Katie worked,
and that, mutely watching the girl
ish figure as it moved along the
street, the man sometimes followed
tat respectful distance-until it
disappeared in a crowded street car,
bound for the tenement district.
Katie saw Silas, and he knew that
she saw him, at such times-they did
not occur too often-and something
sweet and warm began to stir in both
young hearts. and yet no word was
spoken from the day of the famous
hatband.
One April evening Silas made call
upon the pastor in the village near
his farm. He asked the minister for
certificate of good character, much
to the worthy clergyman's surprise,
for Silas, being an independent
farmer, could need no recommends
ton for work.
make it as strong as you can, con-
scientiously," silas begged, 'and
please say I have no bad habits, for
you know I haven't-It's for a-a-a
lady!"
The great fellow stammered and
the Rev. Jonah Harlow saw a great
light. The certificate was made
strong" for silas was, to use the
minister's own language, "of the salt
of the EARTH" And the young man
did not go away from the good mans
door without word of counsel and
Armed with the parsons letter, and
further sustained by one he had writ |
ten himself, Silas walked boldly into
the great store one spring afternoon
at half past S o'clock. He stood
again before little Katie Hamilton's |
station at the counter. The other |
girls were busy putting their wares
away for the day and Katie stood I'M
occupied, as Silas leaned down to
speak to her:
Here are two letters, both direct
ed, TO whom it may concern but
that means you. Please read them
when you are alone-and don't be
hard on me! I've thought of you
ever since saw you!"
He gave her one look, and noted
the beautiful pink color in her
cheeks; then he hurried out of the
building.
silas neglected his spring work
little and hung around the village
postoffice the next two days, for he
had asked the girl lit concerned to
write to him. On the morning of the
third day of suspense her letter
came, and surely no small white
packet ever before gave a big, brown
nan such comfort. It did not take
ong now to bring the wooing of
silas to an end.
One day, with their marriage IL
,ense in his pocket. Silas brought
Katie from the loveless city to the
,illage parsonage, and there the min.
ster made the twain one. And ON
he old farm was again home in
he big house, surrounded by its
lcres of apple trees.
There is the best of authority-that
# Silas and Katie themselves-for
declaring that the two were happy
.ver after.