Show sa y SJ iak os o S ff elu PO R B ff g a I 1 a j fl A Q A i L B B LB 2 STORY R y sj ser F y A ROMANCE OF A pennsylvania FARM lly ily JOHN LUTHER LONG illustrations liy don doa wilson 0 P AM hf ajob bl arrill SYNOPSIS the crowning lit in tile lie life of old ft a german li 14 to obtain of 0 tile beautiful blaum I 1 Karl norB property ancl tile he railroad stai sta i tion alon tile the in quest lun avas in hersted by arah vry very pretty and young girl anil and belonged sole olony to lier her at length UnUm Kartner gartner caroo came to that ills ilia only liopo of obtaining the property would bo 0 through tile tho marria marriage g Q of III ills aon n tr to sarah f 1 ina in a ine mode ac auction an aa 11 1 jr 19 la popularly popularly known Is in on off by h ills father a her to sarah harah for 1 allu appears utter t 0 ar ly y incapacitated to win will lit in anny coli contest test or lovo love or life sarah 11 rossel in fit quite tho the opposite of defty she bhe Is ail life and an aal t mallon madon her one fault la is a very hag hagli I 1 temper given soffy bofty colne lessons in courtship has caused hini himself seif to bo be appointed guardian of sally bally softy soffy ta Is to resist the cascina tl w wit It cheries cherles of stilly sally and he kissers i her 0 ng site she promises him however that glio w will 11 never loss atily anny man but him haiti barn fritz a I grocery grocery clerk old calls calla him it molasses ralls calls on sally bally and interrupts r u pta the kaing thoy they go into the par I 1 lor 0 r a and n d begin ft a sitting up contest ini in accordance with tile tho customs of the tha place and the time tile one wll who Is defeated in a cucci jolt a contest Is unworthy the hand of 0 tile girl serf beny goes BOOS to sleep and be fins alna snoring sa bally ra ly leaves tile the room in a luff hun I 1 good night gentlemen solly tells his fattier father of ills hla on of how w ham gain pritz had pinned to his bosom while will ie tie lie slept a pasteboard tomb tone stone bearing tile the mient y eption jah 11 jr w went e n t to its hla rest reat june 10 1871 in the twentieth went leth year ot of ills hla age affo gone but not forgot road head backwards bogy and S sally A ity meet nt at tile tho polson poison spring silo film to to do somo thing to 0 acde jn hl himself tho the fattier father advises NY to take sa sally IV lionie home from this would be ba t alia is crucial test according accord UK to tile the custom of tit alio 0 times which often meant disgrace or ev even en murder and suicide it was waa the tha rule in such a test that tile one whose arin ann the girl accepted when leaving tho the church would be tile the favored suitor and tile rejected ono one was waa disgraced and must leave town or triumph over ills his opponent by force fiefty dreads the church ordeal IX it was heffy wio who was Sat sacked ked 11 so they throe three went to church on a sally on the side sido and softy soffy and sam on the mens side bide in full view of tho the aud audience lenco which perceived find and un derewood dere der tood stood and was ready at the proper time to applaud from the preacher to tho Bo to raise or lower lover aits talta thumbs thumb upon the combatants when the benediction had hotd been said softy hastened out and found himself a place c loso to the door according to hla his fathers word in one or of the lines of young men which stretched on either side of tho the path from the church door to the road beyond at least a quarter ot of a mile dut but he did not see sam somo some one pushed in front of him and instead of combating bating for his position lie ho yielded it and found one further down still seeking tho the location of hla his rival lie he was waa crowded from this one too and ho he lot let it go and sought another ono one because he had not seen sam and ll it was waa necessary essary to hla his fathers scheme rao lie ho re rc that sam and he should be about opposite of course all this was error ills ilia place was right by the church door that was where sally had a right to expect to find him it had beco become moa a public matter too the public had its rights it expected him there oven even it if lie he had to shed the blood of noses to stat there this had often happened nut but ho he was waa bewildered in III the contradictory courses advised by his father and fl finally nally seeking that which seemed best found that which was worst dull lie ho at last disc discovered overe d sam and found a lodgment for him himself sell opposite and away down near tho gate where only tile tho married men were such as still waited for their wives who nal ably smoked until they came along no unmarried malden maiden ever expects to bo be matched there and had softy been bean as wise as lie was not lie he would no not bavo halted there them dat but he was deluded by sam danl there lie ho was in the opposite line the wrong one indifferently indifferent ferent ly chatt charting lug and even smoking with hilary groff a married man softy soffy was iwas now so sure of ills his conquest that sams vexed him evidently lie he did not meau to contend with him for sallys orm arm and it was to be a cheap and bloodless victory for belly was one of those who grow brave as opposition diminishes and now they were slowly coming down tho the maidens running the gantlet of bf love ono one two three four five a dozen happy were made defty was counting one poor chap was sacked ile ho crushed ills hat over his eyes and charged back through tho the lines and across the fields no matter where and then came ln in a trim little hat with a fluttering ribbon that looked tor for all the world like the white signal bearing straight down upon him dut but there was wa something in her oyes eyes expectant mill militant tant that made them starry on she came with her head in the air looking neither to the right nor to the left as it if she expected to walk homi almap alone nearly three miles oh ohi no thought sony heffy and sam dut a wt bit of terror smote her face palo pale when she had passed the door alone and showed allowed more and more as sho she wont went on some ono laughed thon thoro there was an unmistakable titter along tile tho line still sally passed on keeping hor her temper na as never before was not tho the old man light about the effect of laughter but now tho the temper loosed slowly lier face was scarlet she had nearly readied reached tho married mon men somo some ono whispered 11 goihl iles hes bitting gitting even een by sacking her 1 11 tills this was repeated thoro there was more laughter mid and moio tittering tho crowd deserted dose doser iUd ted the lines nearest tho the church and followed sally down on either side in hugo tumultuous tumult itous phalanxes to see BOO what would happen bappel it if it were possible that she would have to go home alono several young men who had never dared to approach her began to think of it they knew new that rather than not he be taken at all silo she would take any ono one of thorn 1 thoro thore was more tumult now than laughter and sallys face grow glow so white that her eyes blazed like stars in the midst of it softy heffy quailed qu ailed lie ho recognized the temper only lie ho had never soon it as terrible as this ile he had forgotten sam it was lie ho saw as ono sees with fear stalled norves nerves tho the locomotive as aa it t leaps upon him and tho the onlookers crowding at tile tho sides eldes thought it a great and toral terrible ble hand to hand battlo battle to wait that way till tile tho last moment and then to spring like alko tigers or a piece of tremendous foolishness doth both of you must bo be absolute sure said hilary groft groff to sam or absolute tools i aint you got no pity on the girl shut apt answered sam and watch im calculating on him leaving town tomorrow to morrow that Is my game and im playing for the pot you see BOO that sam had not forgotten heffy for a moment even it heffy had forgotten him iio stopped noiselessly throe three paces toward sally crossed in front of softy and took hor her arm there was a laugh almost ribald belty could not seo see clearly lie ho could least of all think clearly ho did not know what had happened ile iio saw only tho the little white signal bonore him and blindly put out his hi a arm it did not reach sally at all but sam who turned and said with an imitation of girlish politeness thank you mr air baumgartner Daum Bauni gartner im suited and sally hor her faco face naming flaming with vengeance took tho the trouble to tur turn n back ond and cry not into his ear but into tits hla very heart thank you yon im suited theto thero lire are somo some people to whom no punishment seems sufficient while any remains roin alna to bo be administered ono of L Q 0 a the onlookers was wag of such a sort ile he cried out na as poor softy slunk away give hor her back her dollard dol larl and another or ninety nino cents anyhow softy quailed aua and drew back from tho the litie line it was tho the instant that makes or mars and ho he had bad lost he might still have knocked sam down and won this would have been per proper but he followed the man mail who had but a moment before crushed through tho the line hue and wild jeers followed him X the huge fist of the farmer from that day softy avoided all public places and all men lie ile was nobody nothing ile he fell rapidly into that kind ot of disrepute which la is common to persons with falling failing leputa tins it was to ills hla discredit that he did not leave town but this his father prevented again lie he took to tho the cotton cotten woods and tho the poison springs with perhaps tile tho dim hope that sally might again find him there and that tho the peeping moon might again interfere on ills his behalf but tho the moon went through all her phases arid and then slowly turned her bade back on him and sally never came in their casual meetings she was ice once they passed on tho the road to the store she was in precisely the dear garments he remembered so eo well of that first day and as gay as then ho trembled and then looked up like a mortally wounded animal sho she waa looking calmly over oer ills his head to the rest of the world sho she was gayer than ever though that sunday night laugh still echoed in her head kept her maddened after all it worth while to caro care tor for oven even softy wit with hsuch such a little spirit why lie he fight kill sam or somebody and the cunning sam set the story more widely going that for revenge softy had bad deserted her at the church door and that he had bad first laughed heffy this was wag too piquant to bo be passed over and it was A as heard far and wide to dellys father who even in this dire strait strove tor for bap happiness for hem both and of course the pasture field she said with more abandoned i dig disrespect respect lhnn sho had ever addressed to any one you ought to be glad that I 1 do not take revenge on himl him if it ho BO little I 1 would hut but lies hob not worth bothering about sacked me did hot bel ill show lif liffie fil why sally what would you do put him over my knoo and spank him and then pon pen him in tile tho cel cellar larl sally dont talk like that pleaded tho the old man it salles your voice and sally gave him then and there a rude specimen of how hor voice was being spoiled which I 1 may not reproduce pio duco but it was expressed in anathema indeed others had noticed that her voice somehow had lost its soft richness sho was particularly kind to the tha young storekeeper n now 0 W and lie ho was particularly reckless a and nd drunken and rumor presently had it that sho she was known to bo be drunk with him sally salix said softy timorously one day ho he had waited to toll tell her this anu dont think you dont believe that hut f 1 I said 11 1 I know said sally la in voice that froze him that you are a fool and I 1 am not fond of tools fools go awall away bo glad I 1 dont lick youl you and then rumor had it that sho she and sam were to bo be married lor for spite dut but curiously enough tho the person most affected by lill all this was not sally nor heffy nor sam it was waa softy Is father whose sufferings were nearing agony nothing could bo be dono aona with softy and course ot of the love between them which had never been ruffled since softy soffy was born barn was often ruffled now tho the old man as their relations grow strained atral ned became more and more exasperated at bettys I 1 lack of 0 initiative gosh you coln to let that molasses set bet right down on you and defor git off cant you see that she wants you it dont matter what she dont you know its a dare air you going to take a daro why you csont to when you was a baby I 1 when you year that durn burned ed now laugh of sallys cant you see t that hat some sings wrong ashes drin kingl what I 1 you think shed laugh so and drink it she wass happy you was ft a tool fool yas yag a durn fool its your fault go right up to her like a mau mao and say so 1 I did said softy biah you did an what she says sho said bald she knowel itt bagos honal ashes a worse fool gather her in and mako make a tool fool oft off of her and git efen Turn turning ingher her bade back on an ol 01 man that harms barms no ono and her guar deon alas this was waa another thing lie he had done to secure the pasture flold field mado made himself her legal guard guardian laul ill gife alfo it up tho the yas yaa sir mr sho she ken take keer herself hor fool of course boso doso fools you wait tell sia she marries that durn molasses it if you want to see feril there was such real agony in the old mans voice that softy suffered too 4 fw avi wv i a ty pappy rsm am sarry sorry I 1 awil aan t no good I 1 expect 1 I guess ill go away before tho wedding wedding you coln to lot let that wedding go on and him git the pasture field put him between us ut and the railroad how can I 1 stop it pappy by marrying her fl 1 I got enough pappy said defty hopelessly lynch me if I 1 tried triad tt it I 1 guess better go away quick anger flamed in his fathers face at this invertebrate submission and ills his voice when lie he spoke WRO was harsher than soffy had bad ever heard it got enough got enough all you knowl and go away all you ken say you bullheaded bull headed go and apologize and git her back dont run then marry her next day settle the molasses I 1 expect and show that you got an inch or two of back backbone bonol choko choke her chloroform hor her and carry her oft off TO BE CONTINUED |