Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1904-07-29
E. MARYLAND. FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 80. 1904.

When Farmer James Thompson mort
gagged his farm to old John Doan that
he might raise money to 20 into the
dairy business he could figure out that
he had twenty chances of success
against one of failure. Inside of three
years, however, misfortune had come
to him In half a dozen different direc-
lions. Most Of his herd had persisted
when his barn had been struck by
thunderbolt, and following that his wife
had died and he had fallen and broken
leg. There could be only one more
calamity In store for him, and that put
in an appearance in due time. One day
when letter had come for him he call
ed his daughter Bessie in and SAID.
"Well 1t has come. Old John Doan
IL going to foreclose the mortgage on
me, and In a few weeks we shall be
homeless. Here's the notice from his
man of business"
Bessie Thompson was a girl of TWEEN
ty. In addition to being good look
ing and having a good education, her
acquaintance called her brick"
They said 30 because she had faced
misfortune with drawer heart than
her father and had displayed a level
head and much shrewdness In trying
to stem the tide and extricate him
from his unfortunate situation. She
had even taken a trip OF fifty miles to
see old John Doan In person and try
to soften his heart, but had only found
his agent and been grufiy told that
her father must pay up or go. She had
expected the blow, and her answer to
her father was
wei, II we can't pay wen nave
to go, OF course, but we shall be allow
ed few weeks grace, and who knows
what may happen In that timer
Something did happen, but 1t came
about In queer way. Two weeks had
passed, and Miss Bessie had started TO
make soft soap In big Kettle In the
back yard. Farmer folks would make
sort soap In the spring even though as
sured that the world would be no
more by midsummer. The big kettle
had been filled with I've from the beach
ana hre started under IL, ana the
hour was 2 o'clock In the afternoon,
when Miss Bessie sat down on the
back doorstep out OF the smoke to
think ana plan Tor the future. In the
course OF quarter OF an hour she was
no lost In her thoughts that she was
oblivious OF her surroundings and was
Jumped to her feet by hearing harsh
voice saying:
"Young woman, don't you know that
kettle Ii boiling over and wasting the
| lyeT
Ii was man Of sixty who had en-
tered the front gate and passed around
the house He was decentiy dressed,
but he was bowbacked and lame, and
his snarling, stingy disposition could
be read In his face.
II say that the kettle Is boiling over"
he repeated AZ she stared at him and
wondered who he could be. ut seems
to me that girl or your age ought TO
know enough to put stick across It.
ferhaps, though' you've got I'VE 10
throw away or you had rather think
of marrying some prince than OF max
Ing soft soapT
II was thinking she stammered.
Yes; | know, but II wasn't about
the soap. Young woman, when you
have anything on hand attend to II
and let castle building alone. Thinking
won't bring bread and butter"
Miss Bessie walked down to the fire
and rearranged It u bit and then laid
stick across the top OF the kettle to pre-
vent another accident. While she was
doing this the old man sat down on
the steps. with grunt, and looked
around and muttered TO himself. Pres
emily he called to her:
young woman, Is your father at
work anywheres about the farm
mo, sir. Father IL In bed with
broken leg"
81 s'pose he was doing some fool
thing when he broke III"
ne was drawing up wood last Feb
ruary."
"Irr,t UUbere,a vour motherY