The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-07-27

he had decided to Jake a hand in this
affair at any rate. and as he threw
his last apple at the last hen in sight
he closed the interview by saying:
I'm going TO give Joel surprise
party, and you just tend right to your
business, same as usual l shan't
break his heart or cripple him for life,
but he's got to toe the mark or jump
rail fences"
Farmer Johnson was :, SLOW going
man who never mixed up IN politics.
love or school district disputes, and he
was left ont of the conspiracy. His
wife, Sarah, entered into the matter
with good deal of zeal, however, and
three or four days later there was an
arrival at the farmhouse, Uncle VIII
liam had sent for three of his nephews,
who We're generally referred to in their
own community as those Peckham
boys" The youngest was eighteen
and the eldest twenty-four, and the OBJ
ject was to make joel Hastings jeai-
Gus. Betty had her suspicious and de-
sired to be loyal, but the four men and
a mother leagued against her were too
strong. She rode out with Will, pick
ed daisies with Tom and went fishing
with Jim, and of course Joel heard of
it. That they were her cousins made
no difference. 1t might have done so
but for Uncle William. who took care
to throw himself in the young mans
way and observe:
Mighty nice gal, my niece, and one
of them boys is sure to snap her up
afore the summer is over. I've got
thousand dollars to give to the one who
gets her. l heard you'd been spooning
around, but of course she wouldn't look
at you. She sets her cap a good deal
higher. Her ma and pa and ne are set
on her marrying one Of the Peckhams."
The green eyed monster came to Joel
Hastings as planned for. It took away
his appetite. 1t caused his plOw to
wabble among the cornstalks. 1t sat
him out under the pear trees O nights
with his head in his hands and his back
bumped up. 1t did more. 1t kept him
away from Betty That was something
Uncle William had not planned for,
and lie didn't know what to make of it,
though he consoled himself by Offering
to bet his bottom dollar that some
thing would bust within a fortnight.
Don't you worry, gal; don't you
worry he said to Betty when a Sun
day and Wednesday evening had
passed without bringing Joel. THAT
Teller Of yours is either getting ready to
break for the woods or he's putting
grease on his hair and lampblack on
his boots and making up his mind to
pop the question"
Ton days and nights had gone by.
and no Joel. when there was Il family
gathering on the lawn after supper
Uncle William and Farmer Johnson sat
on the grass, Mrs. johnson rocked to
and fro in her chair, while Betty reclln-
ed in a hammock ana those Peckham
boys leaned against the cherry trees
and smoked cigarettes and talked golf.
The robins were singing the sun to rest
when Il great clattcr down the road
drew the attention of ali. First there
came an Old white horse on a lumber
ing gallop and following him, because
attached to it, was a rattle wheeled old
buggy. Standing up in the buggy and
putting on the whip at every jump was
a hatless young man with his face a
fiery red. Even had Farmer Johnson's
family party failed to recognize the
horse or the buggy they must have
identified the young man as the long
absent Joel.
There was no time for guessing ana
wondering. The cloud Of dust and the
old horse and Joel came on like cy-
clone and stopped with a snort and a
whoop at the gate. The next moment
Joel was inside on the lawn. He had
brought the green eyed monster with
him even if be had left his straw hat