The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-03-28

line Dull0er'S Iull OF SmOK0s
The barber's classic head is bald,
The medium Is broke.
When get wealth and time enough
I'll found school to teach
The inconsistent sons of men
To practice what they preach.
IN THE THREE CoRNERED LOT.
George, I've let him hev the ole
homestead farm, beip' he's the oldest
of the heap; Martha Ann, she's got
the blackjack holler strip; Columbus
an Jimmy, they've got the two twen-
ty acre lots, an they're to take keer
of me long es last, turn about"
Uncle Billy Bascom looked as lean,
cheerful and alert as grasshopper as
he sat on the top rail of the old fence.
can 1 reckon Rushy never got es
much as burdock patch"
Zeke Armstead looked hard at
Uncle Billy, who squirmed little.
Rusty got Jed Hooker. That
ought to satisfy her, seein' every
kin person she he'd was sot ag in him,
an eff he left her widder without so
much es the scrapin's of a mush kit
tie she had herself to thank. How
somuch, not to make it look too p'int-
ed, I've give her the three cornered
lot yonder at Buttermilk ridge"
Uncle Billy chuckled.
Zeke growled like an irritated mas
tiff.
"The three cornered 1ot-a little
ole scrap of ground in the tiff rock
country, not big enough fer a truck
patch an too pore to raise black eyed
peas That's a big slice fer your
youngest p
The young man started his team
along. He was on his way to town
with a load of cordwood. About
mile beyond Uncle Billy's he stopped,
hitched his team in the shade and fol-
lowed narrow. weed grown path
brought up at a tiny cabin. It's scrap
py little dooryard was full of that
cheerful common yellow flower
known as "butter and eggs" A
plump, fair young woman in a pink
calico sunbonnet was feeding a brood
of chickens out of a tin pan.
"Mornin', Rushy," said Zeke.
"Mornin', Zeke. How's every
thing?"
"Jest joggin'. 1 hear your paws
give you some land"
A rill of clear laughter rang from
under the pink bonnet.
eyes, the three cornered lot. It'll
make me rich, reckon"
want to sell it"
GO long, Zeke Whats the use
askin' foolish questions I'd most
sell it for two bits, an nobody would
not give that
Rushy's smile hadn't an atom of
bitterness in it, yet it went like a
lance through Zeke Armstead's heart.
He knew little of the sore poverty
endured by the girl he had wooed be-
for his rival won her.
Rusty, why won't you quit your
contrariness an take me an let me
do the supportin' 7"
The pink bonnet was shaken de-
cidedly.
"You know why, Zeke. Your
nav don't want me at her house.
She's never forgive me fer marryin'
pore Jed, though he did go an die.
An you amt able to support two
families"
81 will be. I'm a-goin' to be-
you'll see. An, Rushy, soon es 1
sell my wheat I'll hev $50. Efyou'll
take that fer the lot, it's trade.
''Why, ,Zeke, you're plumb crazy !''
Rushy's voice quivered little. "You
know es good es do 'tain't worth
the half of that. An what'd you do
with it anyway"
"Dig a WE'LL" said Zeke promptly.
I've got some land over that away
I'm 'lowin' to make a stock pasture
of, an II need well right there to
water EN-"
'Ef you're shore about the we'll,
Zeke, I'll take SIS fer the lot, an
you can go ahead an dig your well.
That's big price fer it, an l won't
take grain more, not eff you talk a
week"
Rushy sat down upon her doorstep
when Zeke had gone and wiped her
eyes with a corner of the pink sum
bonnet cape.
"Best friend I've got in the world"
said she, shifting little, an got to
be separated from him by that crab
bedy nav of his'n.'
Once, in the edge of a pink sum-
mer twilight, Zeke Armstead rode up
to Rushy Hooker's cabin. Rushy
had just come up to the door with a
tin bucketful of clear spring water,
which she set upon the rough step.
Mighty glad to see you, Zeke,"
she said, tanning herself with her
apron. What you been doin' with
that little old three cornered lot !?
The way things has been happenin'
fairly skeers me-"
whats to do?" asked Zeke.
'Well, honest, Zeke, sence you've
been over yonder a-diggin' your well
I could hev sold that scrap of land
forty-'leven times over. First come
Brother George, then Columbus, then
Marthy Ann an Jimmy, all a-wantin'
to trade their land for it or buy it. 1
told 'em they knowed good es 1 did
I'd sold il to YOU. but they lowed