Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-06-07
A Couple of
ScarecrOwS
By PHILIP VERRuL MlCHELS
copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)


Leslie Forrest went to bed peaceful
nomad, and awoke rebellious farm
er. At first he knew nothing at all OF
the germ of war that slumbered under
the ample folds of his yellow pajamas.
He lay in his bed rejecting, a letter
in his hand, and his knees upheaving
the cOverlet to form two rival fugi-
yamas.
"Your uncle James is dead, and you
are his heir to the Black Oaks farrl-"
was all he had read of the letter.
Visions of meadow and stream, of
hillsides cool beneath majestic trees,
the gray of Aforementioned wall,
o'ergrown with berry brambles, the
wide-spreading house., outstretching
arms of hospitality, and the curvjng
path that skirted the ancient we'll on
its way to the veteran gate-that never
shut, but merely stood knee-deep in
the grass-came over his mind from
a barefoot" time of long ago.
This mood was merely reminiscent,
however, and not at all to be con-
strued as a consent to become the own
er of a farm:
''On the WHOLE he ruminated,
scratching at the bottom of his foot,
and thereby causing fearsome COM
motion among the coverlet fugiyamas,
'the place is good to have, if only
for home-a sort OF retreat. And then
If ever I should get married. Well,
let's see what the rest of it says"
He resumed his letter:
Heir to the Black Oak farm, includ-
in the Hilltop addition and legacy of
$4,000, provided you marry Abigail
Umatilla Smeethers, a much-remOved
family connection. In the event of your
refusal to wed the said Abigail, etc.,
you to inherit the Black Oaks and she
to have the Hilltop addition and leg
acy-
Nov, hang Abigail Utility Smither-
eens!" calculated Forrest, bounding
out of bed and sweeping the coverlet
fugiyamas into space in a tidal wave
of blankets and sheets. cts perfectly
idiotic It's the kind of stuff you read
about! Abigail Curlpapers Giddy-
green's! No, you don't, uncle Jeems,
not on your daguerrotype. She can
have the Hilltop addition, and Now
why in thunder did he have to give
her the whole bank? twenty-five
thou I think I'd like-but no!-not
with Abigail. No, Abby, go thy
Smeethers ways, in peace and curl
papers!"
He danced the prelude of marvel
Gus snakentine gyration, and sat him
down on the edge of the bed to scratch
at the bottom Of his foot again. The
rebellion was started and working
we'll.
"Heigho!" he unused, as with hands
on his knees, he looked with wink.ess
eyes on the common design of the car
pet. It's just the luck-it always goes
about that way-and just as a tel
low is actually taking an interest in
the loveliest girl in the universe, and
begins to think he'd like to settle
down.
Here he grew quite as sentimental
land retrospective as is possible to any
man in pajamas.
Wasn't she charming!" he ex-
claimed, in delight. "Such dear brown
eyes! Such hair-it looked like what ?
like raven-colored skeins of silk.
Such spirit and genius of expressing
herself. And yet a touch of sadness.
too. l wonder why she wouldn't
dance-she said she liked it. Well,
perhaps we made better progress at
getting acquainted as it was"
He was silent moment.
miss Observation-Disclosures fine l won.
der what her first name is? And I
don't know where she lives, or any
thing about her. That's the trouble
with a formal Introduction at a mop,
anyway"
Slowly investing himself in conven-
tional attire, and huctuating between
rhapsodies on his unknown queen, and
railleries on Abigail, Forrest went off
to his breakfast at last. Later he took
the boat for Cornfield' and the Black
Oaks farm.
''I'll look the place over for couple
of weeks" said he, land then I'm gCing
to hunt Miss Rockland up, or squande1
my youth and fortune in the effort
Three large crows were stalking
about and cawing in field that be.
longed to the Hilltop addition one
morning as Forrest came forth from
his farmhouse. He saw them out o.
the corner Of his eyes, the same way
that he saw the woman who walked
about the place from time to time
That Abigail would come to fetch him
away or, maybe, that he should mad
vertently wander down through lhe
vale into her possessions and there be
trapped and wed in spite of himself
was a constant fear with Forrest.
Abigail, he reflected, appeared ag
gressive, progressive and acquisitive
She walked about her acres on the op
posite hill with certain vigor ant
sure-footedness that were very sug
gestive, he thought.
On her head, she wore a bonnet tina
looked like section of blue stovepipe