The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-01-09

to pay that note ri be sh,rt my In
terest."
God O. Israel! I'm s~cairt," SAID
Uncle Peabody.
Down crashed the stick Of wood
into the box.
"What abOut?"
at would be like him to put the
screws on you now. You've got be-
tween him an his prey. You've taken
the mouse away from the cat"
l remember the little panic that
fell on as then. / could see tears
In the eyes of Aunt Deel as she sat
with her head leaning YEARLY on her
hand.
"If he does I'll do all / can," said
Barnes, whatever I've got will be
yours
Rodney Barnes left US, and I re-
member how Uncle Peabody stood IN
the middle Of the floor and whistled
the merriest tune he knew.
"Stand right up here" he called In
his most cheerful tone. "Stand right
up here before me, both O. ye."
I got Aunt Deel by the hand and
led her toward my uncle. We stood
facing him. "Stand straighter," he
demanded. snow, altogether. One,
two, three, ready-sing."
He beat time with his hand in imi-
tatiOn of the singing master at the
schoOlhOuse and we joined him In
singing an old tune which began: "Oh,
keep my heart from sadness, God"
This irresistible spirit of the nan
bridged a bad hour and got US of
to bed in fairly good condition.
A few days later the note came
due and Its wner insisted upon full
payment. There was such a clamor for
money those days! / remember that
my aunt had sixty dollars which she
had saved, little by little, by selling
eggs and chickens. She had planned
to use it to buy a tombstone for her
mother and father-a lOng-cherished
ambition. My. uncle needed the most
of 1t to help pay the note. We drove
to Potsdam IN that sad errand and
what a time WI had getting there
and back in deep mud and sand and
jolting over corduroys!
Bart" my uncle said the next
evening, as l took down the book to
read, II guess we'd better talk
things over a little tonight. These
are hard times. IL we can find any
body with money enough to buy 'em
l dunno but we better sell the
sheep"
"If you hadn't been a fool" my
aunt exclaimed with a look Of great
distress-"ayes! If you hadn't been
a fool"
I'm just what I be, an I amt SO
big a fool that l need to be reminded
Of It," said my uncle.
"TTl stay home an work." 1 pro-
posed bravely.
"You amt old enough for that"
Nighed Aunt Deel.
81 want to keep you in school," said
Uncle Peabody, who sat making q
splint broom.
While we were talking In walked
Benjamin Grimshaw-the rich man Of
the hills. He didn't stop to knock.
but walked right In as II the house
were his own. 1t was common Cos
sip that he held a mortgage on every
acre of the countryside. I had neve
liked him, for he was a stern-eyed
man who was always scolding some
body, and I had not forgotten what his
son had said of him.
"Good night J" he exclaimed CURLY,
as he sat down and set his cane be-
tween his feet and rested his hands
upon 1t. He spoke hoarsely and !
remember the curious notion came to
me that he looked like our old ram.
He wore a thin, gray beard under his
chin. His mouth was shut tight In
a long line curving downward a lit
tie at the ends. My uncle used to
say that his mouth was made to keep
his thoughts from leaking and going
to waste. He had a big body, a big
chin, a big mouth, a big nose and
big ears and hands. His eyes lay
small in this setting Of bigness.
(TO BE CONTINUED