The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-08

=
= sight Of and . few wqrds With ssthe
college girl" ~ they called her.
And three or four sons Of farmers
came to see about hogs or sheep, and
once face to face with the handsome
and self-conddent girl they forgot
their eFrand and changed 1t to fence
rails
And Pa Brandon came mn from the
cornfield half an hour ahead Of time
one afternoon to wink his wife out
behind the smokehouse and say to
her:
Ma. what do you think.'
Lots OF things, Pa
you know Jim Faraday"
''Of course" @
Zone of the richest farmers in the
country. Pays 20 cents q pound for
the coffee he drinks and lets the hired
man drink It. too"
well. don't lose your breath. 10
he dead?"
dead? Not much! He was down in
the corn with me . hull hour this
afternoon. Guess what he wanted ?"
Fa. Jim Faraday Is Is years old"
Hes widower with three chill
dren."
"Yes-three."
Hes sneakin' around after our
Jessie"
There il NO saeakin' about it. He
wants her for wife. and can give
her forty times az good home az any
one else. Let's set in and bring it
about"
David Brandon, there will be no
settin' I'M" solemnly warned the wife.
Haven't you got sense enough to un-
derstand that when you tie q gal of
10 to man old enough to be her faith
er that you are goin' to Spite her life
Where's the love-the romance?"
but Jim is rich.''
THAT doesn't count for shucks."
IAN right. Let her live, and die an
old maid then"
Two other widowers came. and one
got as far as to ask Jessie IL she dotted
on chicken potpie. but the. father did
mt interfere again until late fall. Then
he suddenly asked:
What do you 'spose Jessie is walt
ing .1 for't -. ,,u.+ .no,.,..,,. =.
And the next week it came. 1t was
soft and h-lf an inch deep, and every
thing that moved in the fields left q
clear trail. 1t was SO with the fox who
visited the hen house during the night
and carried away with him a plump
pullet. Jessie saw his plain trail as
she went out to feed the hens in the
morning, and after breakfast. without
saying a word to any one, she got
spade on her shoulder. She was go
ing to run that fox to his hole and dig
him out and put an end to him.
Had the girl asked her father. her
mother-had she q brother to ask
they would have told her something
about sly Reynard that she did not
know, farmers daughter though she
was.
Over the meadow. over the stubble,
into the woods. she followed that
plain trail, and she uttered q. shout as
it led her at last to q hurrow In a. hill.
hoA hn fhiAf IN nov ~
now to dig him OUT She had worked
for half an hour. when there was q
merry laugh close to he- elbow.
''Why-why-!" she stammered in
confusion as she looked up and saw q
young man whose face beamed with
mirth.
ST beg PARDON he said, "but you
are trying to dig out the fox whose
trail leads here"
"come to the top Of the hill and
lock down there, Do you. see, that
trail leading away ?" -e'.-' ~ = >
Its another fox" -s 49,
ITS the same one you tracked to
this burrow. Master Reynard has two
entrances and two exits to his burrow.
As soon as you began digging he
skipped out"
you don't live in the country. and
how should you know" asked Jessie
rather dehantly.
'Oh, I might have read a work or
two on natural history"
"But I know father will say
I'VE viii ask him. You are Miss
Brandon, I believe. My name IL Ar
thur Stewart. am on the way to see
your father for my cousin, Mr.. Wake
field. Permit me, please
And he shouldered the spade and
walked along beside her, and their
talk was Of trails and foxes. but