The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-03-20

III y TED QOWuWdEQ u Tie rLVSEI It'll,
~ green, hundreds of acres.
, sour desoIation, Ellen" he said Bit
terly.
/ "But very beautiful, john" she re-
minded softly. "Terrible. If you will,
! but beautiful. Let us think Of 1t that
way. II don't like to hear that hard
} tone coming into your voice, after
your"
Optimistic years." he grinned wry-
! ly, "buoyancy, belief In every next day
being better. Maybe it's a good trait,
may be not. I've been wondering
whether was blessed or cursed"
! BLESSED, john" declared Ellen,
! earnestly. Remember how it carried
! you through the great war, the years
in Germany, and then the awful years
in one hospital after another. You
know what Colonel Trevor wrote me
/ just after the worst operation, that 1t
| was only your buoyant disposition and
optimism that brought you through.
But for your firm belief In better
/ tomorrow I'm afraid you wouldn't be
J with me now, dear"
| "Here only as a poor apology of
man." he smiled. "If l hadn't been so
j sanguine there might be money in the
/ bank now for Juniors college ex-
penses."
| "Junior wouldn't have a thing diff
ferent, john" his wife said softly. "He
! is as proud of you as am, and he is
young and strong like you used to be.
He will make his own way"
J His eyes again swept drearily over
| the acres Of young evergreen growth.
Doesn't look as though had cleared
! all that slope off ready for the pillow
! with my own hands, nearly 200 acres"
, he unused. my idea was to put it into
apple trees, to be ready for Juniors
higher education. Then the war came
on"
i He was silent for some moments and
! his wife's hand went out caressingly
to an empty sleeve, and momentary
dimness came to her eyes as they
rested on a crutch that was now per-
manently necessary.
! "You have given Junior heritage
that he values more than anything
that money could give, John. We
, shall get along"
81 have offered the farm for sale
at half its cost in the last week, but
! there are no buyers. L"
! Junior and I would a thousand
times rather have you, dear, than the
! cleared slope, apple trees and college,"
! eyes, I know you would, Ellen. I
am happy to get home at last, but"
He broke off abruptly and forced
sort of grin to his face. "But / won't
SWIVEL any more, dear. And yet"
whimsically, 81 can't seem to get used
to big Junior yet. left him boy
Of nine and come back to to find him
a young giant of eighteen. Hello!
Here he comes now-whistling as
usual"
The whistler was coming up through
the young growth on the slope. When
he saw them he increased his rapid
walk to run. Instead of bending
her up in his arms as child and held
her for few seconds.
Then he turned to his father, with
an odd expression of mingled awe and
affection.
GLOW are you feeling, sir?"
eft, you young giant" laughed his
father "First, you know I shall start
clearing off that slope, with you to
pile up the branches, as you did be-
fore"
The boy grinned delightedly.
"Fine to hear you laugh like that,
father" he chuckled. "But maybe I
could chop the little trees down with
one hand now and carry them off with
the other-only I'm not going to. Bet
ter let somebody else do it, for moth
ing, while do something else"
He grinned again at their inquiring
looks, then added:
Schooner anchored down near the
point and two men are walking among
the young trees now. Asked me who
owned them, and If they were for sale
for sale, father. I was just going
to say they could have the whole slope
for clearing 1t off when I remembered
mother said yesterday that she was
low on money to buy groceries and
would have to trade in some poultry"
Two men had left the evergreens
and were approaching.
"Your trees?' to Mr.. Balstrom, as
they drew near.
ayes"
"Want to SELF?
81 might" little cautiously, as he
saw q warning wink from Junior.
The men read the hesitation as an
Indifference to SELL and glanced at
each other. 1t raised their intended
offer two cents
I'm willing to admit they're the
finest lot of trees we've SEEN" said
the spokesman. frankly. land we'd
like few, straight cash. Well give
you eleven cents apiece"
"Not much of a price for timber
trees" considered Mr.. Balstrom
"DOn't want timber" promptly.
"Yours are our size and they're get
ting short down stream. We we're
steaming up the river on the lookout
when we sighted your slope Best lot
Of trees I've seen anywhere. as said,
and the most. We want six to eight
feet. The trees are too thick anyway,
and clearing out the larger will allow
the little ones to grow better. There
seems to he all sizes. down to foot