The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-04-12
Four Acres of ThiStleS


Ry CARL JENKINS


title OF Gentleman jim" They hadn't
charged him with carrying a tooth.
brush, but they had found out that he
oombed his hair at least once IN two
days and no one had offered 20 "chum
up With himl
Forty rods beyond the residence OF
Judge Horton for this the big house
was and 1t was his daughter Edith IN
the hammock, the tramp sat down
again. There was no hurry. On his
left was a four-acre lot grown up TO
thistles, ami It was a bit OF scenery
for the wayfarer. His eyes had
roamed over the field when they were
brought back to the highway TO rest
on a big mastiff coming towards him
on the jump.
Mad dogl" whispered the tramp
after watching for a moment
Head held high-eyes q hendish
green-slavering at the mouth. Those
were the true signs The tramp stood
up and grasped the stout stick by
which he carried his old satchel over
his shoulder The dog came straight
at him, but at the last moment
swerved aside and passed on. lie
was half-blind in his agony, and he
may have taken the man tor
shadow.
Gate open and girl in the ham
mock!" whispered the tramp. "WiA
he turn In? II he does she viii scream,
and what then? mustn't take
chances!"
The dog had forty rods 70 so by
the road, and the man, by leaplng the
fence and making a short cut had
only about twenty-five. One jump and
he was over the fence, and then he
struck q cindCr-track gait.
The dog stopped for a few seconds
at the gate and then turned in. Just
then the girl sat up in the hammock,
and seeing both tramp and dog she
screamed The tramp let out another
link. and he was at the foot Of the
steps when the mad beast came racing
up with growls OF agony or anger.
With a fun swing Of his stick the
tramp bowled the dog over, and three
OF four more blows finished him.
"What-what is it," demanded the
girl.
Just a mad dog, miss" was the re
ply as the dusty outing cap was lifted.
He's dead and there's nothing to
fear"
But ] want to know"
Just a mad dog"
And the tramp had reached the cato
when Judge Horton and his vile came
driving up, and the judge leaped out
and seized the man by the collar and
exclaimed:
Hold on, here! l want to know
what's been going on!"
Don't let him get away, father!"
cried Edith as she came running.
What's he done 3"
why, he killed big mad dog that
was after me! | want to know his
name and make him accept thanks"
Just a mad dog, replied the tramp
with a deprecating smile.
The judge handed him $40 bill,
and when it was refused he cast
around to give a reward in some other
way
Look here" he said after a bit,
there's four solid acres of thistles
over there belonging to me. want
EN- cut down and rooted out I'll give
you $40 an acre to do it. and you can
get board with the farmer just below"
The next day the tramp went to
work with scythe and spade, and it
was a tWenty-days' job he had. Three
or four times in that stretch Judge
Horner visited the field and tried to
draw the worker out, but he did not
succeed very Well On two occasions
Miss Edith called him to the roadside
fence to praise and pump but all the
information she got made brief re-
port to her father!
Say, papa you know l studied
Greek?"
1T was some folderOl like that,
believe"
And I can understand it quite well
and what do you think?"
81 think you can't
And yesterday when l was passing
the thistle-feld l heard our tramp
swearing in Greek!"
Did, Ell? Then l must warn him
that ali swearing around here must be
done in English"
It was the tramp's last day on his
lob when a strange auto rolled up tc
Judge Horizons mansion, and an hou
later his honor and his visitor en-
tered the field and walked up to the
weary and sunburned toiler.
"Ames, I didn't think it was In you'll"
said the visitor as he held out his
hand.
Father"
we've kept a little track of you,
you see."
And Miss Edith7 Well a man has
only to save a girl from a mad dog
and hydrophobia, and then excite her
curiosity and romance, and what's the
result? Not over years courtship
before marriage, and it is eminently
proper at that.