The Guymon Democrat (Guymon, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 24, 1916 Page: 7 of 8
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THE DEMOCRAT. GrYMON. OKLAHOMA
irflN
ER PRICHARD
copyft«c HT <&>
CHAPTER
I Buy a Farm on 8lght.
Some men who go Into teaching, and
of course all men who become great
teachers, do have a genuine love for
their work. But I am afraid I was one
of those unfortunates who take up
teaching as a stop-gap, a means of live-
lihood while awaiting "wider opportu-
nities." I had been accredited with
"brilliant promise" in my undergrad-
uate days, and the college had taken
me into the English department upon
graduation.
Well, that was seven years ago. I
was still correcting dally themes.
It was a warm night In early April.
I had a touch of spring fever, and
wrote vicious, sarcastic comments on
the poor undergraduate pages of unex-
pressiveness before me, as through my
open windows drifted up from the
yard a snatch of song from some re-
turning theater party. I closed my
eyes in memory—memory of my grand-
father's farm down In Essex county.
The sweet call of the village church
bell came back to me, the drone of the
preacher, the smell of lilacs outside,
the stamp of an impatient horse in the
horse sheds where liniment for man
and beast was advertised on tin
posters!
"Why don't I go back to it, and give
up this grind?" I thought. Then, being
an English Instructor, I added learned-
ly, "and be a disciple of Rousseau!"
It was a warm April night, and I
was foolish with spring fever. I be-
gan to play with the Idea. I got up
and opened my tin box, to investigate
the visible paper tokens of my little
fortune. There was, in all, about
#30,000, the result of my legacy from
. my parents and my slender savings
from my slender salary, for I had
never had any extravagances except
books and golf balls. I had heard of
farms being bought for $1,500. That
would still leave me more than $1,200
a year. Twelve hundred dollars
year would hardly be enough to run
even a $1,500 farm on, not for a year
or two, because I should have to hire
help. I must find something practical
to do to support myself. What? What
could I do, except put sarcastic com-
ments on the daily themes of helpless
undergraduates? I went to bed with a
very poor opinion of English instruc-
tors.
But God, as the hymn remarks,
works in a mysterious way his won-
ders to perform. Waking with my
flicker of resolution quite gone out, I
met my chief in the English depart-
ment, who quite floored me by asking
me If I could fiud the extra time—
"without interfering with my aca-
demic duties"—to be a reader for a
certain publishing house which had
just consulted him about tilling a va-
cancy. 1 told, him frankly that if I got
the Job 1 might give up my preseut
post and buy a farm, but as he didn't
think anybody could live on a manu-
script reader's salary, he laughed and
didn't believe me, and two days later
I had the job. It would be a secret
to disclose my salary, but to a man
who had been an English instructor
in an American college for seven years
it looked good enough. Then came in
the Easter vacation.
Professor Farnsworth of the eco-
nomics department had invited me on
a motor trip for the holidays. (The
professor married a rich widow.)
"As the Cheshire cat said to Alice,"
he explained, "it doesn't matter which
way you go, if you don't much care
where you are going to; and we don't,
do we?"
"Yes," I said, "I want to look at
farii* "
But he only laughed, too. "Any-
how. we won't look at a single under-
graduate." he said.
In the course of our motor flight
from the Eternal Undergraduate, we
reached one night a certain elm-hung
New England village noted for its
views and its palatial summer estates,
and put up at the hotel there. The pro-
fessor, whose hobby is real estate val-
ues, fell into a discussion with the
suave landlord on the subject, consid-
ered locally. (Being a state congress-
man, he was unable to consider any-
thing except locally!) The landlord,
to our astonishment. Informed us that
building sites on the village street and
the nearby hills sold as high as $5,000
per acre.
"What does farm land cost?" I in-
quired sadly.
"As much as the farmer can Induce
you to pay." he laughed. "But if you
were a farmer, you might get it for
one hundred dollars an acre."
"I am a farmer, ' said I. "Where is
there a farm for sale?"
The landlord looked at me dubiously.
But he volunteered this Information:
"When you leave in the morning,
toward Slab City, about half a mile
beyond the second estate, you'll come
to a crossroad. Turn up that and ask
for Milt Noble at the first house you
come to. Maybe he'll sell."
It was a glorious April morning
when we purred softly up the Slab
City road and reached the crossroad.
A groggy signboard hand pointed to
"Albany." We ran up the road a hun-
dred yards of the fifty miles to Albany,
crossed a little brook, and stopped the
motor at what I instantly knew for
my abode.
I cannot tell you how I knew it.
One doesn't reason about such things
any more than one reasons about fall-
ing in love. At least, I'm sure I don't,
nor could I set out In cold blood to
seek a residence, calculating water sup-
ply, quality of neighbors, fashlonable-
ness of site, nearness to railroad, num-
ber of closets, and all the rest. I saw
the place, and knew It for mine—that's
all.
As the motor stopped, I took a long
look to left and right, sighed, and said
to the professor: "I hereby resign my
position as instructor in English, to
take effect immediately."
The professor laughed. He didn't
yet believe I meant it.
The house was set with its side to
the road, about one hundred feet into
the lot. A long ell ran out behind, evi
dently containing the kitchen and then
the sheds and outhouses. The side
door, on a grape-shadowed porch, was
in this ell, facing the barn across the
OOOeLCOAV, PAG6 0> CO.
I couldn't
Standing in the Door Contemplating
Our Car.
way. The main body of the dwelling
was the traditional, simple block, with
a tine old doorway, composed of simple
Doric pilasters supporting a hand-
hewn broken pediment—now. alas!
broken in more than an architectural
sense. It was a typical house of tfie
splendid carpenter-and-builder period
of a century ago.
This front door faced into an aged
and now sadly dilapidated orchard.
The winters had racked the poor old
orchard, and great limbs lay on the
ground. What remained were bristling
with suckers. The sills of the house
were still hidden under banks of
leaves, held in place by boards, to keep
out the winter cold. There were no
curtains in the windows, nor much
sign of furniture within. From this
view the old house looked abandoned.
It had evidently not been painted for
twenty years.
We turned around the giant lilac
tree to the side door, searching for
Milton Noble. A bent old lady peered
over her spectacles at us, and allowed
Milt wujs out tew the barn. He was,
standing In the door, contemplating
our car.
"Good morning,!' said I. "A fine old
house you have."
"Hed first-growth timber when 'twas
built. Why wouldn't it be?" He spat
lazily and wiped the back of his hand
across his whiskers.
"We hear you want to sell it,
though?" My sentence was a ques-
tion.
"Dunno whar you heerd tliet," he
replied. "I hain't said I did."
"Don't you want to sell?" sail I.
"I might," he answered.
"Suppose we take a look into the
house?" suggested the professor.
The old man moved languidly from
the door. As he stepped, his old black
trouser leg pulled up over his shoe-top.
and we saw that he wore no stockings.
He paused lu front of the motor car.
"How much did thet benzine buggy
cost?" he asked.
"Four thousand dollars," said the
owner.
The gray eyes darted a look Into the
professor's face; then they became
enigmatic. "Powerful lot o' money,"
be mused, moving on. " Whar'i yourni"
be sdded to me
If I had one of those,
have your farm," said I.
He squinted shrewdly. "Dunno's
yer kin, anyway, do ye?" was his reply.
He now led us into the kitchen. We
saw the face of the old lady peering
at us from the "butt'ry." A modern
range was backed up ugainst a huge,
old-fashioned brick oven, no longer
used. A copper pump, with a brass
knob on the curved handle, stood at
one end of the sink—"Goes ter the
well," said Milt The floor was of an-
cient hardwood planking, now worn
into polished ridges. A door led up a
low step into the main house, which
consisted, downstairs, of two rooms,
dusty and disused, to the left, and two
similar rooms, used as bedrooms, to
the south (all four containing fire-
places), and a hall, where a staircase
with carved rail led to the hall above,
flanked by four chambers, each with
its fireplace, too. Over the kitchen was
a long, unfinished room easily convert-
ed into a servants' quarters. Secretly
pleased beyond measure at the excel-
lent preservation of the Interior, I kept
a discreet silence, and with an air of
great wisdom began my inspection of
the farm.
Twenty acres of the total thirty were
on the side of the road with the house,
and the lot was almost square—about
three hundred yards to a side. The
land had, 1 fancied, been neglected fpr
many years, like the tumbling stone
walls which bounded It Behind the
barn, on the other side of the road,
the rectangular ten-acre lot was rough
second-growth timber by the brook,
and cow pasture all up the slope and
over the plateau.
Returning to the house, we took a
sample of the water from the well for
analyst. When I asked the old lady
(I made the mistake of calling her Mrs. j
Noble) to boil the bottle and cork first, |
I think they both decided I was mad. i
"Now," said I, as I put the sample j
in my pocket, "if this water gets a
clean bill of health, what do you want
for the place?"
"What'll you give me?" said Milt.
"Look here," said I. "I'm a Yankee. I
too, and i can answer one question
with another just as long as you can. ;
What do you expect me to give you?" |
The old man spat meditatively, and
wiped his whiskers with the back of
bis hand.
"Pitt Perkins got five hundred dol- •
lars an acre for bis place," said he. ,
"How'd eight thousand dollars strike
you?" I
I took the bottle of well water from
my pocket and extended it toward
him. "Here." I said, "there's no need
for me to have this analyzed."
"Seven?" said he.
"Four!" said I.
"Six?" enid he.
"Not a cent over four," said I.
"All right." said he, "didn't much
want ter sell, anyhow." And he pock-
eted the bottle.
I climbed Into the car. The engine
began to throb. The professor put on
his gloves.
"Five." said Milt, "with the boss an'
two Jerseys an' all the wood in the
shed."
He was standing In the road besld.
the modern motor car, a pathetic old
figure to me, so like my grandfather in
many ways, the last of an ancient or-
der. Poverty, decay, was written on
him. as on bis farmstead.
"It's yours," I cried.
I got out of the car again, and we
made arrangements to meet in the vil-
lage and put the deal through. Theu
I asked him the question which had
beeu pressing from the first "Why
do you sell?"
He pointed toward a distant estate,
with great chimneys and gables,
crowning a hill. "This hain't my coun-
try no more," he said, with a kind of
mournful dignity. "It's theirs. I
guess five thousand dollars '11 last me
'bout as long as my breath will. Yer
got a good farm here—If yer can af-
ford ter put some money back inter
the soil."
He looked out over his fields and we
looked mercifully into the motor. The
professor backed the car around, and
we said good-by.
"Well!" I cried, as we spun down
over the bridge at my brook, "I've got
a country estate of my own! I've got
a home! I've got freedom!"
"You've got stuck." said the pro-
fessor. "He'd have taken four thou-
sand dollars."
MMON/fl.
SMfSanoi
Lesson
3* B. O. SELLERS. Acting Director of
«he Sunday School Courae of the Moody
Bible Institute. Chka*o.)
(Copyright, 1*11, Weeurn Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR AUGUST 27
JOURNEYING TO JERUSALEM.
LESSON TEXT—Acts 20:16- .
GOUIKN TEXT—1 commend you to God
and to the word of hi* irace.—Acts 20:32.
After his experience in Ephesus Paul
went to Corinth, where, amidst much
sickness and affliction, he cared for
the churches, corrected their wrong
conduct and probably wrote several of
his letters and epistles (II Cor. 4:7-11;
11:28; 12:20). From Corinth he Jour-
neyed by way of Phllllpl to Trous
where he preached his famous long
sermon (v. 5-12), that sermon which
had such a tragic result. It is recorded
as a witness to the power of the pray-
er of faith and Paul's readiness to
serve in time of need. In his haste to
reach Jerusalem before the Day of
Pentecost (A. D. 58) Paul did not re-
turn to Ephesus, but. In order to save
HotWeather
Meats
Veal Loaf, to serve cold: Cooked Corned Beef, select
and Chicken Loaf, Hun Loaf and Veal Loaf,
delicately lessoned. Vienna Sausage, Genuine Deviled
Ham and Wafer Sliced Dried Beef for sandwiches and
dainty luncheons
fntW •" LMy't mtytmt (wcsrV
Easy Money.
•Will Jack be a good provider, do
you think?"
"Oh, yes. He can borrow money
whenever he wants It."
lime, he had the elders of that church IMITATION IS 8INCERE8T FLATTERY
meet him at Miletus (See a good but like counterfeit moneythslmlta-
iniit)) tion haa not the worth of the original.
1. A Great Review (vv. 17-28). Paul'a Insist on "L* Creole" Hair Dressing
statesmanship and genius for orgnul- Its but contains no dye.
zation is nowhere more clearly set the natural y,
forth than here. He had plans for a "lce .
great evangelistic campaign of Latin Aj| Qone.
lands, (Ch. 19:21). Before pursuing ..Bnn|,8 doesn't seem to have much
his plan he decided to visit Jerusalem, gnBp ,n h,m nny more.1
carrying with him the collections ,.^j0. jie USM| to have so much suap
which had been systematically taken hlru' that now he's broke."
up In the various churches on this
tour (Uom. 15:26; I Cor. 16:1-5; Acta 1 |Tru.M« RIIRNINfi SCALPS
24:17) and he was accompanied by a ITCHING, BUnWIliU SUAUr*
considerable number of pilgrims. (See . _ vy. ,. ,„jMu
V. 4.) It Is a good thing to pause occa-1 Crusted With Oandruff Yield R«ad y
slonally and to take stock, to review I to Cuticura. Trial Frse.
our lives and to see what progress we
have made. This Paul did, and to this
an delegation he enumerates (1)
Not a True Idealist.
"I always knew that Bluks was lack-
ing In true poetical Idealism," said
the Irate leader of one of the clans.
"Just before the last election he made
overtures to me for the jjj)reliase of 80
votes."
"Well," said the sophisticated friend,
"that didn't ofTend you, did it?"
"Of course not; but when I made
the trade and delivered the goods the
conscienceless dog refused to pay."
Cuticura Soap to cleanse the scalp of
uimepiHu u,,,*™™ , dandruff crustlngs and scallngs and
his cfiuracter among them (vv. 18-19). Cuticura t0J™1**.
They knew his manner of life, how ltchlngs and irritations. Nothlng bet
that, as a bond servant, and "with all ter, surer or more ecom.«icalthan
lowliness of mind," he had served these super-creamy emollients for hair
their church. They also knew that and scalp troubles of y°u"g or ® '
with tears he had wept over their hard Free sample each by mall^wlthi Book,
and impenitent hearts (v. 31) and all Address postcard, Cuticura, Dept. U
of this amidst many nestings; (2) his Boston. Sold everywhere. Adv.
method of work (v. 20). Paul not
?ngy but^found "tartar ^he^pubUc "Reforms are ^beiug carried on every-
proclamation of the gospel and also • u"|^f'ter we }mve reformed
house to house ^atlon.^ was | JTes, wlH prohnbly
PREPAREDNESS.
Prepare for neit waahday by taking
home Red Cross Ball Blue. Ask any
good grocer. Red Croaa Ball Blue im-
parts a clear white; makea you smile
when you see the basket of beautiful,
snowy white clothes. Red Croaa, tin
blue that'a true blue.—AdT.
Reason for Growling.
Rivers had Just got home, and was
stuiftbllng over the things in the dark
hall.
"What are you growling about,
dear?" called out Mrs. Rivers from the
floor above.
"I am growling," he answered in Ml
deepest bass voice, "to drown the bark-
ing of my shins."
Wichita Directory
Thie college professor, with
neither knowledge nor experi-
ence to eerve him, haa bought
a worn-out farm, la It at all
supposable that, Ignorant of
practical things aa he is, he
will make It pay, or even get
hia money back from the ap-
parently fooliah venture?
after men, not notoriety.
ways and ever at it, amidst trials, self
denial and the "lying in wait," (Am. R.
V.) of men; (8) his methods (v. 21).
He had the same message for Jew and
Gentile, "repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Repentance is not for Jews alone. Paul
shrank not from declaring all that was
profitable for their encouragement, re-
proof, warning, help, training in serv-
ice and hard study. He had taught
them publicly in classes, and had vis-
ited them from house to house and had
Invited them to his own home. Paul's
aim, as is the teacher's aim, was to
make all people patriotic citizens of
the kingdom of heaven while on earth,
that they might fight the good fight of
faith against all evils, even the prin-
cipalities und powers of evil.
It was a great undertaking, and he
i knew not what might befall him, but
! he did know that bonds and affliction
i awaited him; however, none of 'these
| things could move him from his pur-
| pose.
lie "counted not his life as dear unto
j himself" if so be he might hold out
! until the end and accomplish his
j course and ministry. This epoch-mak-
ing Journey, one of the grentest in his-
tory. suggests in inuny points our
| Savior's last Journey towards that
i same city (Luke fl:51). Like his mas-
ter. Paul knew that ahead of him were
trials, but he also knew that God was
leading him in obedience to the Spir-
it's guidance, though It was over the
protests ol his friends.
II. A Great Charge (vv. 28-38). It is
a great experience when one can de-
clare himself pure from the blood ol
all men (v. 20), and that he has not
shrunk from declaring the whole coun-
sel of God. Such conduct always
brings an obligation upon those who
know and hear such men, viz., that
it should be emulated. These elders
were to return to the church at Ephe-
sus. not to be servants of themselves
hut to feed the church of God (v. 28).
Paul knew, as a prophet, what would
be in store for them (vv. 29-30). There-
fore he exhorts them to watch, and
warns them how by his own hnnds he
had supported himself and had lived a
righteous life among them (v. 34).
We have here rescued from oblivion
a new saying of our Lord Jesus
Christ, "It Is more blessed to give than
to receive," one not found in the gos-
pels.
It Is this giving which produces a
higher quality of happiness and a more
noble character.
It is the blessedness of Christ, of
heaven, and of the Christian religion.
It Is also the blessedness that en-
dures.
Paul then poured forth his prayer
on their behalf (vv. 36-39).
Blessed is the Sunday-school class
and the church which has such a
teacher and such a leader.
These friends sehsed the significance
of this final separation from Pnul (v.
88). nnd their grenter sorrow seemed
to be to miss his personality than to
lose the help of his teaching.
No teacher's Influence exceeds his
character.
have matters
again."
in pretty good shape
WOMAN'S CROWNING GLORY
la her hair. If youra la atreaked with
ugly, grizzly, gray haira, use "La Cre-
ole" Hair Dressing and change it in
the natural way. Price* $ 1.00.—Adv.
Shocking.
"He kissed me and promised not to
tell."
"And then?"
"It wnsu't two minutes before he
repented It."
Important to mothers
Examine carefully every bottle of
CASTORIA, a safe and sure remedy for
Infants and children, and see that it
Bears the
Signature of
In Use for Over 30 Yeara.
Children Cry for Fletcher's Caatoria
A woman caD't throw a stone, but
did you ever see one who couldn't hurl
detiance?
The devil rejoices more lu one hypo-
crite than in ninety nnd nine genuine.
Simon Pure sinners.
CRACKERS
COVETED BY ALL
but poaaeaaed by few—a beautiful
head of hair. If yours Is streaked with
gray, or is harsh and stifT, you can re-
store it to lta former beauty and lus-
ter by uaing "La Creole" Hair Dress-
ing. Price >1.00.—Adv.
Many a woman uses rnnke-up merely
because she hasn't the cheek to do
without it.
Be tare They
Are the
GOLD MEDAL BRAND
Buy them in the 7 pound tin cans at 10c
per pound at your grocers. Made by
THE SOUTHWEST CRACKER CO
WICHITA. tJ. 8. A.
/
PILES
Ws own ths greatest Formula in tha world (or the
treatment ol Hies. We treat Piles without MP*
No cutting, tying or burning. No chloroform or
other anassthetic. Com# to «P*clalJ«t who treat
nothing but diseaiet of tho Rectum. This Institution
Writ• or tall far information
MILLS, THOMPSON A MYERS
400 Caat Deuglas Ave* Wichita.
MONEY ob IMPROVED FARMS
IB KANSAS, Xast M
TO range 15, and in Okla
LOAN honu, East of range 14
Welt Prompt, reliable service and low
rates. Write us. Monaroh Lou Co., WIchfoL
Welded
You may have a way of your own,
but you will not always huve your own
way.
(TO Bfi CONXJJiUUfcJ
Grass snakes are legless lizards.
Any metal — All auto
parts — No weld —No
charge.
. Repaired withoot dafso-
l/nitlAtACff or catting tubes is
HdQlaLOrS h>" th* tima ** ^
aautiawawa w former prjce
Batteries in stock for ah care
■ Kl Large charging plant Expert
repairing.
BIG BULL TRACTOR 964S.00
G00D1N MOTOR CO. ISMrNfiSfi
WELDINfi
and general
AUTO REPAIRING
Into ax pert. Welding oatln and aucblnee for sale.
W. N. U., WICHITA, NO. 32-1916.
Bumper Grain Crops
vU////^" Good Markets-High Prices
AwardM to WmmtmrnOanrndm to*
~ Wkmat, Oal«, Bar lay, Altaifa and Qrammam
The winnings of Western Canada at the Soil Products
Exposition st Denver were easily made. The list
comprised Wheat, Oats, Barley and Grasses, the most
Important being the prises for Wheat and Oats and
•weep atake on Alfalfa.
No lesa Important than the splendid quality of Weatern
Canada's wheat and other graina, is the excellence of
the cattle fed and fattened on the graases of that
country. A recent ahipment of cattle to Chicago
topped tho market in that city for quality and price.
Westers CaaaJa prefaced is ItlS as «ch «Wal
aa all el Iks Uaitsd States, or ever 300,000,000 beshsk
Canada in proportion to population has a greater
exportable surplus of wheat this yesr than any
country in the world, and at present prices you
can figure out the revenue for the pro-
ducer. In Western Canada you will find
good marketa, aplendid schools, excep.
tional social conditio*, perfect climate
snd other great attractions. Thar*
to war lu land and coaacrlptlon.
for^uc^^r^inform^onMto W
O. A. COOK, 2012 Mala Street, Kai
C. «^i.n Government Agaat
City, I
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Baxter, C. S. The Guymon Democrat (Guymon, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 24, 1916, newspaper, August 24, 1916; Guymon, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metapth350827/m1/7/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.