Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-12-09

who had grumbled at and insuited his
wife whilst she was alive, could not
keep his tongue from the subject that
still ranked in his heart. This oc-
casioned quarrels; the boy took his
mothers side, and refused to hear his
fathers gibes at her memory. He
was passionately attached to his
brother Martin. The mother had
brought warm, loving spirit into the
family and Jasper had inherited much
of it. He stood as a screen between
his brother and his father, warding
off from the former many blow and
angry reprimand. He did Martins
school tasks for him; he excused his
faults; he admired him for his beauty,
his spirit, his bearing, his lively talk.
There was no lad, in his opinion, who
could equal Martin; Watt was right
when he said that Jasper had contrib
uted to his ruin by humoring him, but
Jasper humored him because he loved
him, and pitied him for the uncon-
geniality of his home. Martin dis
played a talent for music, and there
was an old musician at Ashburton, the
organist of the parish church, who de-
veloped and cultivated his talent, and
| taught him both to play and sing. JAS
per had also an instructive love OF
music, and he also learned the violin
and surpassed his brother, who had
not the patience to master the first
difficulties, and who preferred to sing.
The father, perhaps, saw in Martin
| a recrudescence of the old proclivities
of his mother; he tried hard to inter
fere with his visits to the musician,
and only made Martin more set on his
studies with him. But the most i'm
| placable, incessant state Of war was
that which ragged between the old IA
Their and the youngest son, Walter, or
Watt as his brothers called him. This
boy had no reverence In him. He
secuted the authority of his father and
of Jasper He scoffed at everything the
old man held sacred. He absolutely
refused to go to the Baptist chapel fire.
quented by his father, he stopped his
ears and made grimances at his
brothers and the servants during fam
lily worship, and the devotions were
not unfrequently concluded with
rush of the old man at his youngest
son and the administration of resound-
ing clouts on the ears
At last quarrel broke out between
them of so fierce nature that Watt
was expelled from the house. Then
Martin left to follow Watt, who had
| joined a travelling dramatic company
After a year, however, Martin re-
turned, very thin and woe-begone, and
tried to accommodate himself to home
! life once more. But it was not poss
| ible; he had tasted of the sort of life
that suited him-one rambling, desul
tory, artistic. He robbed his fathers
bureau and ran away
Then it was that he was taken, and
in the same week sent to the assizes,
and condemned to seven years penal
labor in the convict establishment
at Princes Town. Thence he had es-
capped, assisted by Jasper and Watt,
whilst the former was on his way to
| Morwell with the remnant of the
money recovered from Martin.
The rest is known to the reader.
Whilst Jasper ate the mean meal
provided for him, his father watched
him.
So said the old man, with the
| twinkle in hic GINNING ewes $50
you have hired yourself to Mr.. Igna-
thus Jordan at Morwe.l as his stew
ard?'
Yes, father. | remain there as a
pledge to him that he shall be repaid,
and I am doing there all 1 can to put
the estate into good order. 1t has been
| shockingly neglected