The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-06-15
A Couple of
ScarecrOWS
By PHILIP VERRILL MICHELS
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles. J


the germ of war that slumbered unde
the ample folds of his yellow pajamas
He lay in his bed rejecting, lelte
in his hand, and his knees upheavinl
the coverlet to form two rival fugi
yamas.
Your uncle James is dead, and yol
are his heir to the Black Oaks farrl--
was ali he had read of the letter.
Visions of meadow and stream, o
hillsides cool beneath majestic trees
the gray of lichen-feathered wall
o'ergrown with berry brambles, Tn,
wide-spreading house, outstretchin,
arms of hospitality, and the curvjn,
path that skirted the ancient we'll OIL
its way to the veteran gate-that neve
shut, but merely stood knee-deep il
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 consent to become the own
er of a farm.
ION the whole" he ruminated
and thereby causing fearsome com
motion among the coverlet fugiyamas
1.-The place is good to have, if onl.
for home-a sort of retreat. And ther
if ever l 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, much-remove1
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-
Now, hang Abigail Utility Smither-
cens!" calculated Forrest, bounding
out of bed and sweeping the coverlet
fugiyamas into space in tidal wave
of blankets and sheets. tits 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 / 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
well.
''Heigho!" he unused, as with hands
on his knees, he looked with wink.ess
eyes on the common design of the csr-
pet. It's just the luck-it always goes
about that way-and just as fell
low is actually taking an interest in
begins to think he'd like to settle
down.
Here he grew quite as sentimental
and retrospective as is possible to any
man in pajamas.
Wasn't she charming" he ex-
claimed, in delight. "Such dear brown
eyesl Such hair-it looked like what
like raven-colored skeins of silk
Such spirit and genius of expressing
herself. And yet touch of sadness
too. 1 wonder why she wouldn'!
dance-she said she liked it. Well
perhaps we made better progress al
getting acquainted as it was"
He was silent moment.
miss Rockland-rather fine. won.
der what her first name is? And
don't know where she lives, or any
thing about her That's the trouble
with formal Introduction at a mop
anyway"
Slowly investing himself in conven-
tional attire, and fiuctuating between
rhapsodies on his unknown queen, and
railleries ON Abigail, Forrest went of
to his breakfast at last. Later he TOOK
the boat for Cornfield and the Black
Oaks farm.
'Ill look the place over for a couple
of weeks" said he, "and then I'm scine
to hunt Miss Rockland up, or squandel
my youth and fortune in the effort
Three large crows were stalking
about and cawing in field that De-
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 The
vale into her possessions and there be
trapped and wed in spite of himself
was 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 slg
gestive, he thought.
On her head, she wore a bonnet tha
looked like a section of blue stovepipe
and. hid her face as If it were deep IN
tunnel and peering forth. This, and tht
calico dress, secured at the wais
loosely, were "ear-marks" of an Abb
gail every time, the young man assert
ed.
AS he glanced at the crows this par