The Dickinson press., 1910-07-23
SARAH'S FIVE ACRES,
By N. QUAD.

!sta1d 1armes, whose sister kept house
for hina.s1n q farmhouse. almost across
ths highway from tie smith place
lived Sarah White. Sarah VA IN old
maid and lived with hss father and
mQther.
l.. One day Zeph lounged over to the
other house and found Sarah sewing
rags for q new carpet.
Sarah, I think mem you had bet
ter get married." he said.
1t was sudden, and Sarah lost her
needle. It was sudden, and Sarah
blushed. Then she recovered her lost
needle and looked up to reply:
well. Zeph, II you think best"
When Zeph went home and told hiA
sister that he. was to be married and
she asked him when he carelessly re-
Piled:
"Oh, l can't say as to that, but 1t
will come about some time"
After a year Or 30 and after the
neighbors had decided that there
would be no match Zeph went. over tc
spend an evening with his fancee. 1t
was popcorn night, and as they popped
and ate he casually inquired:
Sarah, nj m you r going to get
married some day, amt weY'
II dunno" she replied.
"But Of course we are. I asked you
q whole year ago, and you said yes,
and I shall hold you to 1t. By Jimmy,
Sarah, but I think a heap Of you"
At the end Of another year about
the same performance was gone
through with. Zeph didn't intend to
be meal about it. 1t was just his
way. If Sarah had got right up and
said they must be married within two
weeks or he could go to Texas they
would have been wed. AS long as
she didn't, why hurry things up?
Three years had almost passed away
when the matter was taken out Of
their hands. Cupid was replaced by 4
tin peddler, and the latter proved that
he could give the little god Of love
spades and cards and then win the
game.
At the age Of twenty Sarah had
been left five acres Of land bordering
on Long Island sound. It was rocky
and sandy and sterile.
One day the tin peddler heard Of the
a Of Zeph and Sarah from a cus
toner. He criticised Zeph and felt
sorry for Sarah, and he determined to
right things. Perhaps, he thought,
that one good deed toward the end of
his career would Offset all the little
tricks he had worked. He heard Of
the land ut the same time he heard of
the long and lingering engagement,
and he wasn't half an hour laying
plans. A week later he put up at q
farmhouse q mile away, but near the
Ave acres. Under the pretense Of not
feeling well he made a stay Of two
days. Then he drove to the house q
zeph Smith and was told by the sister
In what field to find him. Zeph loved
and admired tin peddlers. They were
never in q hurry aud they had trav.
eled and seen the world. He stopped
his blowing to greet: this one, and they
were soon seated In the shade Of q.
tree. The peddler was looking mystic.
r3ous. He was looking around to e
Il anybody. but the 'plow horses was
present.
"Do you want money! he finally
whispered.
zeph replied that he did.
slave you ever heard Of Captain
Kidda'
Heph acknowledged his guilt.
do you know that he buried thou
sands of dollars within two miles Of
Jour
Zeph's mouth opened wide, and his
eyes hung out.
"And rye got some Of the coinsl
Look at these!". s
He stretched out his hand, and on
the palm rested three or four ancient
coins.
"And-and whatT' gasped the farm
or after a long look.
"VVe'll dig them up together and
divide even up. I might have done it
alone, but you see I must have the con-
sent Of the owner Of the land. / In
derstand that You know her-Miss Sa-
rah Winter"
"Why, Pm going to marry her!'
Gee, but that's fine! When is it to
come onY
"Oh. some time OF otherl, No hurry
about it, ss
There isn't, eh? No hurry when I
picked up these coins beside a big rock
just above high water and feel sure
there are boxes Of them under the
rock! No hurry when the next man
may grab the whole thingi Why, I'll
60 over and buy the land from the wo-
man myselfy'
"say, say. you hold on" put in.
Zeph. "Iswon't let you buy It Of her.
] say I'm going to marry herr'
*But you can't wait a year or q
month. You can't wait another day.
Parties may land by that big rock any
hour, and II they do #s6SS
But .Zeph was taking the horses from
the. plow. He mounted one and rode
forthe barn. Blythe time the psddlsrs.
reached the house one had been hitch
. buggy Sudatheg6 farmer Was IN