The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-04-26
Four Acres of ThiStleS

BY CARL JENKINS

ISOLATED Literary Press.)
| title of gentleman jim" They hadn't
charged him with carrying a tooth
brush, but they had found out that he
combed his hair at least once In two
days, and no one had offered to "chum
up" with him!
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, and 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 big mastiff coming towards him
on the jump.
Mad dog" whispered the tramp
after watching for a moment.
Head held high-eyes fendlsh
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
|
! at him, but at the last moment
| swerved aside and passed on. He
was half-blind in his agony, and he
may have taken the man for a
shadow.
Gate open and girl in the ham,
mock!" whispered the tramp. will
he turn in? If he does she will scream,
and what then? mustn't take
! chances!"
The dog had forty rods to go by
the road, and the man. by leaptng the
fence and making a short cut had
only about twenty-five. One jump and
he was over the fence, and then he
struck cinder-track gait.
The dog stopped for 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.
F.. With full swing OF his stick the
tramp bowled the dog over, and three
or four more blows finished him.
"What-what is it," demanded the
| girl.
Just 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 mad dog"
And the tramp had reached the gate
when Judge Horton and his wife came
driving up, and the Judge leaped out
and seized the man by the collar and
exclaimed:
Hold on, here! 1 want to know
what's been going on"
Don't let him get away, father!"
cried Edith as she came running.
whats he done
why, he killed a big mad dog that
was after me-. l want to know his
name and make him accept thanks"
! Just mad dog" replied the tramp
with deprecating smile.
The Judge handed him $40 bill.
and when 1t was refused he cast
around to give reward In some other
way
| Look here" he said after bit,
there's four solid acres Of thlstles
over there belonging to me. want
em cut down and rooted out Ill give
you SO an acre to do 1t. and you can
get board with the farmer just below"
! The next day the tramp went to
work with scythe and spade, and 1t
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 we'll. On two occasions
Miss Edith called him to the roadside
fence to praise and pump, but all the
information she got made q brief re.
port to her father!
Say, papa. you know I studied
Creek"
1T was some folderol like that.
believe"
And can understand 1t quite we'll.
/ and what do you Think"
Il think you can't"
And yesterday when was passing
the thistle-feld l heard our tramp
swearing In Greek!"
did, Ell? Then I must warn him
that all 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 hour
later his honor and his visitor en-.
tered the field and walked up to the
weary and sunburned toiler.
"Ames. didn't think 1t was In you!"
said the visitor as he held out his
hand.
"Father!"
We've kept a little track of you
you see."
And Miss Edith? Well man has
only to save girl from a mad dog
and hydrophobia, and then excite he'll
curiosity and romance. and what's the
result? Not over a years courtshir
before marriage, and 1t is eminently
proper at that.