Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-09-05

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u.s tie nttIe smoky Iamp 81 the kttcn-
0. where tie cook was washing the
dishes Bishop sat near his wife. III.
coat OF and vest unbuttoned. his chair
tilted back against the weatherboard-
ing Abner Daniel, who had been try
ing ever since supper to cheer them nd
n regard to their financial misfortune.
sat smoking In his favorite chair near
The banisters, on top of which he now
and then placed his stoekiuged feet.
You needn't talk that away, Broth
e Alb" sighed ME- Bishop 'Yo're
Jest dotn' It out q goodness O heart.
We might Is well face the truth.
We've got to step down from the posi-
t3oa We now hold, an present way q
Hv11. an thar's Adele Pore childt
She said In 'e last letter that she'd
cry '9 eyes out. She was bent on
comm, home, but 'e Uncle William
won't let 'er. He said she'd not do any
good"
AN she wouldn't" put in Bishop
grumy. The sight q you an Alan be-
fore me ali the time is enough to show
me what J fool I've BEEN"
You are both crossin' bridges fore
you git to EN-" said Abner. "A lots o.
folks has come out'u scrapes wuss'n
what you are in, ten to one I amt
never mentioned It, but my land hain't
got no mortgage on it, an I could raise
q few scads to hep keep up yore In
trust an taxes till you could see yore
way ahead
"Huh!' snorted his brother-in-law.
DO you reckon I'd let as old man
as you are, an no blood kin, stake his
little all to help me out OF hole that
to g1ttin deeper an wider all the time
hole deliberately got myse'r into?
Well, not muchv'
Il wouldn't listen to that nuther,"
declared Mrs Bishop, but not many
men would offer it."
They heard a horse trotting down
the road, and all bent their heads to
listen Its Alan," said Abner Il was
thinkin' it was time be was shown
up"
Mrs. Bishop rose YEARLY to order the
cook to get his supper ready. and re-
turned to the veranda just as Alan was
coming from the stable. He sat down
on the steps, lashing the legs Of his
dusty trousers with his riding whip.
1t was plain that he had something
| of Importance to say, and they all
waited in impatient silence.
with Rayburn Miller about your land.
he and l have lately been working on
little idea Of mine. You know there
are people who will lend money on real
estate. How would it suit you to bor-
row $4,000 on that land, giving that
! alone as security?''
There was a startled silence, and
Bishop broke it in a tone Of great irri-
tation
DO you take me fer a plumb fool?"
he asked. When | want you an Mil
Ter to dabble in my business. I'll call
on you. twenty-five thousand, I say!
If | could exchange every acre Of it
fer enough to lift the mortgage on this
farm an keep a roof over our beads,
I'd do it gladly. Pshawv'
There was another silence. and then
Alan began to explain.
While he talked Mrs. Bishop sat like
a figure cut from stone and Bishop
leaned forward, his elbows on his
knees, his big face in his hands. It
was as If tornado of hope had blown
over him, shaking him through and
through.
You been dom this to hep me out"
he gasped, IAN I never so mnch as
axed yore opinion one way or another"
I'D rather see you make money out
Of that purchase than anything in the
world" said his son. with feeling
"People have made fun of you in your
old age, but if we can build the road
and you can get your hundred thou
sand dollars some of these folks will
laugh on the other side Of their faces"
Bishop was so full of excitement and
emotion that he dared not trust his
voice to utterance, He leaned back
against the wall and closed his eyes,
pretending to be calm, though his alert
wife saw that he was quivering in ev-
| cry limb.
''Oh. Alan" she cried, don't you see
how excited your pa is? You ought
not to raise his hopes this way on such
an uncert: MY. As Mr.. Miller said,
there may be some slip, and we'd be
right back where we was and feel
wuss than ever"
Bishop rose from his chair and be-
gan to walk to and fro on the veranda
Ut amt possible they heard him say
ing. Il won't git out as easy as that
l jest cayn'tr'
Perhaps it would be wrong to ex-
pect too much" said Alan, but I was
| obliged to tell You what we are going
in town for tomorrow"
Bishop wheeled and paused before
them Ell Wilson puts up the money,
I'd have enough to lift the mortgage
an clean $4,000 Besides to put in
some good investment"
Aunt Maria, the colored cook, came
out and timidIy announced that Alan's
supper was on the table. but no one