The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-08-04

The Break / | Of :, !. q. !: ).
/. flu!ng. Steer; |
BY c.. Il Go J0fIN.sToN.

-. By c.. C.EJV44NSTON.'% -
tcopyright, 1906. w. #=paily Story Pub. Co,
It was Uriah'sz last duty of the
day to personally conduct the
cows, and such ofstheir near rela-
tives as accompanied them IT,
the barnyard drihking:trough at
milking time; baclk;.to pasture:
Uriah was known, as one of
the most patient, noffensive of
mortals. This insitse]f was a Sc
rlous fault in thezeyes OF Lucy's
father, old Sylvester Graham.
81 amt got.2Eno complaint
'cause you're pd6r, Uriah," the
old man had saidthe evening be-
fore; "you're hdustrious; and
would be just the}}Ind Of feller
to take hold o. Hy little place,
but Pm 'fraid* to.risk you as a
:son.in-law. Somehow you don't
strike me as bein just human;
you're too goodI don't s'pose
you ever brokeahe O. the com.
mandments in yollr life. *'Tain't
natural, faint healthy for
young feller not No break loose
and cut a caper onee in awhile, in
the pride of hlsIyouth, as. the
Bible says: l knoW=you and Lucy
think heap O. each other, but I
got a parents anxiety that if
you didn't leave her a young wild
der you'd some day cause. her
sorrer~ by wina.Wild oats out
O. season. \ ##'
Uriah had taken his way home
I to the neighboring farm, where
he worked, in sadness of soul.
Even had he understood sylves-
ter's philosophy, 5he would have
been at loss hoWSto put it into
practice. JEnconseiously, how.
ever, he had been Influenced. He
had been pondefing the old
mans words all Iday, and to:
night, for the fi1r1 I'll time ,he felt.
an impatience with the tameness
of his existence. It affected his
usual gentleness. Letting down
only the upper bars, he seized a
club, and with some homely ex-
pletives foreign to his lips, ca.
joled the cattle into hurdling the
gap.
AS they were swallowed up in
the dusk of the field, Uriah
stood, pensively, gazing after
them. Suddenly he had a sense
of something rushing toward
him out of the darkness. The
next moment he was doing a
somersault. A half grown steer
dashed by. Uriah was not hurt,
but the incident :. seemed to
awake something within him.
Instead of anger he felt a wild
sympathy with the impulse that
had caused the steer to throw off
the restraint Of the pasture field.
The beat of it's hoofs,. as it flew;
up the lane thrilled him. Uriah
lay for long time. in deep
thought. After awhile. the steer,
evidently happy and satisfied,
returned to the gap of it's own
accord, and quietly permitted it.
self to be herded.. q riah re-
placed the bars and started for
the house. His mind was made
up. :. -
Midnight found him we'll on
toward the city. He had wa liked
Is miles. A :haystack served him
as a bed, and a pocketful of
cakes supplied his breakfast,
after which he caught a friendly
farmers wagon. s.. :: .
| Uriah had never been in. the
city before:* It's rushing life and
strange sights both bewildered
and intoxicated !: him. In his
pocket was $40,. his entire say.
ings: To his mind this sum pre-.
sented limitle tless}p ossibilities.t He
was ready to part with the last:
penny Of it il. his mad determine.
ton: 70 turn him Il loose. The
only porblem With him now was
howto begin. | ...= e..== . I. .=4 It. y !.
II Uriah was unacqu tainted
iths=the town, It might be: said
that the town was. = not So fam1,.il-
lar with Uria !, or the II pro. "a !:
nounced type gof rms tic he repre-. 'a[, \.
scented, to I rob . him 5offz move eltyj.j ltj
;.AeI1nll5s;aWkWard i q a oYerg grown yout th,5
Of#marked lSpeculi of S:feaa tnre.