Year: 1874

ing WIS solomon most unfortunate
inquiry, as he slowly removed his um-
brella to bis left hand, preparatory to
giving me his right.


&c hope so, but l cannot say l am
quite sure" answered in that way
for the purpose of breaking it to him
as gently as could. I knew Solomon
felt this sort of thing as sharply as 1
felt razor scratch in shaving, so / put
it in that way, that l hoped so, but
could not say that 1 was quite sure.


"I am sorry you are not sure, Jacob"
said he; "I should have liked to see
you at church tonight. I don't feel
very well to-day, so will you come in
now and stay the afternoon with me ?"


81 wish L could, Sol," said I, as
iauntily as possible, "but the fact is
L have promised an old friend at Luck
heaton" Guckheaton lay in the direc-
tion exactly opposite to Blagly) "to go
over and have a quiet chat with him.
He is not able to go about much him
SELF"


suppose Solomon was shaking
hands in his ordinary manner, but his
long fingers seemed to me to have tied
themselves about mine to hold me
back.


"You want a new umbrella, SOL"
remarked I, neatly preparing the way
for the gift / had in store /; and, as /
thought, turning the conversation with
consummate tact.


"Do II" asked Solomon, looking
down upon the machine as if he had
never seen it before in his life. "We
both of us wanta good many new things,
Jacob; new habits, new aims, new"


"Ah yes, indeed we do" sighed 1,
cheerfully, as I felt the grip of his fin.
gers relaxing. You're looking all
right, I'm glad to see. Don't 60 and
fancy yourself ailing, Sol; it's a wom-
anish trick, and not at all like YOU"


"No, | am not fanciful," he said,
tucking his book tenderly Under his
long arm. Goodbye, then, Jacob I
shall see you again some time tonight,
shall ?"


Awkward, that query at the end, but
[ nodded yes to him just as if had
known-let me see-where was I?
Well, Solomon and [ parted very good
friends. He looked back at me with
smile as I waited; and afterwards
looked back at him-with a smile too,
for at the moment L turned, a branch
of his old pear tree caught his hat,
(Which he always wore on the back of
his head and kept it; and he walked
on to the parsonage door without an
idea that his head was bare. hurried
on cheerfully, then, feeling pretty sure
| of Il hD /, Sc
study all the afternoon; and in his pull
pit most of the evening. Then he
would drink his cup Of strong tea, and
sleep the sleep of a parson till morning,
with his lattice window wide open, apd
a square of the night sky exactly be-
fore his eyes.


"My sleep is calm," he used to say,
if my last look has been ON heaven"


And calm 1 believe it always was,
though his bed was narrow and short,
anG he-though narrow too-was long.
Sol never could be induced to spend on
himself any money which he could
spare to give away, and so he persisted
in using still the bed he had had as a
boy. AS for mine, I had been glad
enough to discard it for a better.


Well, we had rare sport on that Sun
day afternoon, and our bird came off
the winner. though the Squire's was as
plucky little cock as ever got beaten.
There he lay when the tussle was over,
with his comb up and his mouth little
open, as if be was only taking in
breath for fresh attack ; yet as dead
as if he were roasted with stuffing..


10 gave us a supper after the fight
then we dispatched bottle of port
apiece over settling our bets then we
gave our minds to pleasure, and enjoy
ed good brew of JOS punch and the
Squire, though he had been beaten, was
one of the cheerfulest of us all


AS it was Sunday, we determined to
separate in good time so when it got
towards eleven, we set out, while 10
stood in his lighted doorway shouting
hearty good-nights after us. I had
waited to make an appointment with
him for the next day, that we might
conclude the bargain for the colt, so
was little behind the others in start
ing.


"Take care of YOURSELF" called 10
"you have the most money and the
furthest to go. Mind the notes. Five
twenties, and I've copied the numbers
that we may be safe. Tell the Squire
so, if he waylays you in the dark"


This was JOS parting joke, and when
| answered it I gave kindly touch to
the pocketbook in my breast-pocket;
and the Squire, who heard us, called
out that he daren't try tonight, as
there was moon behind the clouds.


/ was riding favorite little mare
who knew every step of the way be-
tween my own stables and JOS, so L
just rode peaceably on in the dark, re-
calling the flavor of JOS whisky, and
the Squire had given us:


with five pounds your standing wages


You shall daintily be fed


Bacon, beans, salt beef, cabb-dqes,


Buttermilk, and barley-bread."


Suddenly the mare made deliberate
stop, and reused me from my melodi-
GUS dreaminess. Certainly at the end
of this lane gate opened on the heath,
but then she understood quite we'll that
she had only to lift and push this gate,
and she had never before reused me
here when / had been riding sleepily
home from Blagly.


"Steady, my gal Why, what is
it ?" cried /, for she was shying back in
the lane, and behaving in every way
like lunatic. L gave her such cut
as she had not felt since she was broken
in and then, without word of warn
ing, she reared entirely upright; took
me at disadvantage, and sent me
sprawling into the ditch; then turned
and galloped back towards Blagly with