The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-01-09

The oxen, lean and rough.haired.
one of them carrOty red. the other
brindle and white, were slouchiug
inertly along the narrow hackwoods
road. From habit they saggcd heav-
lily on the yoke. and groaued huge
windy sighs, although the vehicle
they were hauling held no load
This structure, the mere skeleton
of a cart, consisted of two pairs of
clumsy. broad-tired wheels, united
by long tongue of ash, whose tip
was tied with a rope to the middle OF
the forward axle. The road looked
innocent of even the least of the
country road-masters welLmeaning
attempts at repair-a circumstance,
indeed, which should perhaps be set
to it's credit 1t was made up of
four deep. parallel ruts. the two out
ermoSt eroded by years of journey
ing cart wheels, the inner ones worn
by the COmpanioning houfs OF many a
yoke of oxen. Down the center ran
4 high and grassy ridge, intOlcrablC to
the country parson and the country
doctor compelled to traverse this
highway in their one-hursG wagons.
From ruts and ridges alike protruded
the imperishablc granite bowlder.
which wheels and feet might polish
but never efface. On either side of
the roadway was traced an erratiC
furrow, protesting to do duty for a
drain, and at intervals emptying a
playful current across the track to
wander down the ruts.
Along beside the slouching team
SlOuchcd a tall, lank, stOop.shoul-
dered youth. the white down jnst
beginning TO stifren into bristIcs on
his long upper lip. His pale eyes
and pale hair looked yet paler by con-
trast with his thin, red, wind-rough-
Cned face. In his hand he carried Il
long-handlcd oX-whip, with short
goad in the butt of it.
Gee, Buck" he drawled, prod
ding the near OK lightly in the ribs.
And the team lurched to the right to
avoid markedly ObuuSivc bOwder.
'IEaw, Bright" he calculated min
ute later, Ticking with his whip
the off shoulder of the farthrsl OK.
And with sprawling legs and sway
ing of hind-quarters the team swCrVed
ObCdiCntly to the left, stunning a
mire,hole that would have taken in
The wheel to the hub. Presently, com.
ing to a swampy spot that stretched
all the way across the road. the youth
seated himself sidewise on the narrow
tongue connecting the fore and hind
aXles, and drove his team dry-Shod.
1t was a slow and creaking prog
Tcss; but there seemed To be no
hurry. and the youth dreamed gloom.
lily on his iolting perch. His eyes
took no note Of the dlrkmOssrd
sCrubby hilloCkS, the rough CleaIings
hlackened with fire, the confused and
ragged woods. as they crrpt past in
somber procession. But suddenly
as the cart rounded turn in the road,
thcre came into view the figure Of Il
girl travelling in the same direction.
Tho young man Slipped from his
perch and prodded up the oxen to IA
brisk walk
As the noise of the team approached
her, the girl looked around She
was good TO see. with her straight
vigorous yohng figure in its blue
gray homcSpun gown Her hAir, in
color not far from that OF the red OK,
was rich and abundant and lay i'll
a coil so GrAcionS that not even
tho tawdry millinery of her cheap
store" hat could make her head
look quite commonplace. Her face
was frecklrh, hut wholesome and
Cumely. \ shade Of diSpIcaSIre
naEsed over il as she saw who was be-
hind her. and she haStcucd her steps
pcrceptihly But presently she re-
memhprcd that she had Il good five
miles to 60 ore she would reach
her destination; and she realized
that she cruld not hope to escape by
flight. With pout of ve&atiQn
ahc resigned herself tO the inevitable.
and dropped back into her former
pace. immediately the UNtram over
took her.
AS the oxen slowed up she stepped
TO the right to let them pass, and