Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-08

| ferrpu traVeilnR bDout. Sc1IunS tue ue-
| tnils of small cases, collecting rents
and bad bills. to any form OF work on
a farm This sort of life. stage
coaches and railway trains or on long
, driving trips with his own fast 'trot-
| ter" suited his adventurous DISPOSE
, ton and gave. him a sense of impor-
| lance that WINS very necessary TO his
peace of mind. He was not especially
/ intimate with Ivory Boynton, who
! studied law with bis father during all
vacations and in. every available hour
! of leisure during term time. as did
! many another young New England
schoolmaster.
Marks fathers praise of 1vory's
! legal ability was A little too warm to
! please his son, as was the commenda-
ton of one of the county court judges
on Ivory's preparation of a brief in
certain case in the Wilson Office.
! Ivory had drawn it up at Mr.. wilson's
request merely to show how far he I'M
| derstood the books and cases he was
studying. and he had no idea that it
differed In any way from the work of
| any other student All the same.
| Marks own efforts in like direction
| had never received any special men,
! ton.
When lie was in the bayfield, he also
kept as far as possible from Ivory. be-
| cause there. too. he felt superiority
| that made him for the moment tride
| disconnected. 1t was no particular
| pleasure for him to see Ivory plunge
| his fork deep into the heart OF a hay
cock. take firm grasp of the handle,
thrust forward his foot to steady him
self and then raise the great fra grant
heap slowly and swing it I'D to the
waiting hay cart amid the applause OF
the crowd.
Rodman would be there. too. helping
the man on top of the load and getting
nearly buried each time as the mass
descended upon him. but doing his
slender best TO distribute and tread it
down properly, while his young heart !
glowed with pride at Cousin Ivorys
prowess.
Independence day had passed. with
its usual gayeties for the young peo-
pie, in none of which the Baxter fam |
lily had joined, and now. at II o'clock |
on this burning July morning, Wait |
still was driving the old mare past the !
Wilson farm on her way to the river |
field
Her father was working there. to- |
gether with the two hired men whom |
he took on for a fortnight during the |
height of the season. If moving. rak-
ing. pitching and carting of the pre- !
cious crop could only have been done !
at odd times during the year or at !
night he would not have embittered |
the month of July by paying out mon
ov Ia NJ
bile in the ripening of hay. and Old
Foxy was obliged to succumb to the
inevitable.
Waitstill had a basket packed with
luncheon for three and a great demi-
john of cool ginger tea under the wag-
on seat. Other farmers sometimes
served hard cider or rum, but her ia
Tiers principles were dead against
this riotous extravaganza. Temperance.
in any and ali directions. Was cheap.
and the deacon. was very temperate
man. save in language.
The fields on both sides of the road
were full of haymakers. and every
where there was hustle and stir
There would be three or four men-one
leading. the others following-slowly
swinging their way through noble
piece of grass, and the smell of the
mown fields in the sunshine was
sweeter than honey in the comb.
There were patches Of black eyed
Susans in the meadows here and there.
while pink and white bareback grew
10y the road. with day lilies and bios
soming milkweed. The bobolinkS were
fiuting from every tree. There were
thrushes in the alder bushes and orr
oles in the tops of the elms, and Wait
stills heart overfiowed with joy at be- /
ing in such a world of midsummer
beauty. though life during the great
heat and incessant work of haying
time was little more rigorous than ,
usual
The extra food needed for the hired ,
men always kept her father in state
of mind closely resembling insanity |
Coming downstairs to cook breakfast. !
she would find the coffee or tea meas {
ured out for the pot. The increased
consumption of milk angered him be-
yond words. because it lesSened the {
supply of butter for sale /
Everything that could be made with 1
buttermilk was ordered so to be done
and nothing but water could be used {
in mixing the raised bread. The com |
cake must never have an egg; the pie ]
crust must be shortened only with lard J
or with n mixture of beef fat and drip
ping. and so on. and SO on. eternally.
When the girls were respectively sew
enteen and thirteen. Waitstili had beg q
ged small plot of ground for them
to use as they liked. and beginning at D
that time. they had gradually made a
little garden. with a couple of fruit :
trees and thicket of red. white and
black currants. raspberry and black
berry bushes
For several summers now they had
sold enough of their own fruit TO buy
a pair of shoes or gloves. scarf or
hat. but even this tiny income was he ,
ginning to be menaced. Tho deacon ,