Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-06-10
The Light IN
the Clearing
vIRVING BACHELLER
Copyright 1917. The Bobbs-M Merlin CO.

was afraid that be would have :.
pay 1t. / didn't know what a 49,
was and remember that ana 49,
when ! lay thinking about II ~
cided that IL must be sornethinv -
the nature Of horse collie. Nv u-ei.
told me that a note was a froubis
which attacked the brain instead ~
the stomach. was with Uncle
Peabody 80 much that I shared bis
feelings but never ventured ~
speak Of IL or IT'S cause. He didn,,
like to be talked to when he fsit
badly. At such times he used n
say that he had the brain collie IL
told me that notes had an effect m
the brain like that Of green auplas
en- the stomach.
One autumn day in Canton ryncla
Peabody traded three sheep and 20
bushels Of wheat for a cook stove
and brought 1t home in the biy
wagon. Rodney Barnes came with
him to help set up the stove. Hs
was a big giant Of a man with fhs
longest nose in the township. | hal
often wondered how any one would
solve the problem OF kissing Mr.
Barnes in the immediate region Of
his nose. the same being in the ma
ture of defense.
I remember that 7 regarded II
with a kind of awe because | hal
been forbidden 10 speak Of &c. Ths
command invested Mr. Barnes nose
with a kind of sanctity. Indeed II
became one of the treasures Of M
imagination.
That evening I was chiefly inter
ested in the stove. What a 10y It
was to me with its damper and
griddles and high oven and the
shiny edge on its hearth. It n
vailed, in it's novelty and charm any
tin peddler's cart that ever came 10
our door. John Axtell and his wife,
who had seen it pass their house.
hurried over for look at II. Every
hand was on the stove as We ten
derby carried It into the house,
piece by piece. and set it up. Then
they cut hole in the upper floor
and the stone chimney and fitted
the pipe. How keenly we watched
the building of the fire, How
quickly it roared and began to heat
the roomi
When the Axtells had gone away
Aunt Deel said:
Its grand! It Is sartin-but
I'm 'fraid we can't afford it-ayes
I bel"
I'VE can't afford to freeze any
longer. 1 made up my mind that
we couldn't go through another
winter as we have" was my uncles
answer.
"How much did it COST" she
asked.
mot much different from thirty
four dollars in sheep and grain"
he answered.
Rodney Barnes STAYED to supper
and spent a part of the evening
with us.
Like other settlers there, Mr..
Barnes was a cheerful optimist
Everything looked good 10 him IN
til it turned out badly He stood
ever the stove with a stick OF wood
and made gestures with it as he
told how he had come from Yer
mont with a team and pair Of
oxen and some bedding and furni-
ture and seven hundred dollars in
money. He flung the stick Of wood
into the box with a loud thump as
he told how he had bought his farm
of Benjamin Grimshaw at price
which doubled its value, True it
was the price which other men had
paid in the neighborhoOd but they
had all paid too much GTfmshaw
had established the price and call
ed 1t fair. He had taken Mr.. Barnes
to two or three of the settlers on
the hills above Likitysplit.
Tell this man what you think
about the kind o land we got
here" Grimshaw demanded.
The tenant recommended it. He
had to. They were all afraid OF
Grimshaw. Mr.. Barnes picked up
fat iron and felt its bottom and
waved 1t in the air as he alleged
that II was a rocky, stumpy, Tooty.
Godforsaken region far from
church or market or school on
rough road almost impossible for
q third of the year. Desperate econ
omy and hard work had kept his
nose to the grindstOne but, thanh
God. he had nose enough left.
CONTINUED tomorrow