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The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Abandoned Farmer, by Sydney Herman Preston
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Title: The Abandoned Farmer
Author: Sydney Herman Preston
Release Date: March 10, 2015 [eBook #48453]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ABANDONED FARMER***
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| Note: | Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/abandonedfarmer00presiala |
The Abandoned Farmer
The
Abandoned Farmer
By Sydney H. Preston
Charles Scribner's Sons
New York 1901
Copyright, 1901, by
Charles Scribner's Sons
———
All rights reserved
CONTENTS
| Page | ||
| I. | Before the Plunge | 1 |
| II. | Peter Waydean is Found Wanting | 22 |
| III. | An Upheaval | 45 |
| IV. | The Education of Griggs | 60 |
| V. | Paul and the Chickens | 89 |
| VI. | A Cow and a Calf | 104 |
| VII. | The Advent of William Wedder | 125 |
| VIII. | Marion Rises to the Occasion | 146 |
| IX. | Aunt Sophy's Generosity | 168 |
| X. | Uncle Benny Creates a Diversion | 183 |
| XI. | The Wedding-Day | 195 |
| XII. | The Exit of William Wedder | 224 |
| XIII. | The Fairy Well | 236 |
| XIV. | A Pastoral Call | 254 |
| XV. | The Harvest | 277 |
The Abandoned Farmer
I BEFORE THE PLUNGE
"You need to turn the little chap loose in the country," was the doctor's verdict, given in a low tone that didn't—thank Heaven!—attract Paul's attention, though if the child hadn't been absorbed for the moment in driving a brood of imaginary chickens into an imaginary coop under a real parlor table this indiscreet reference would have caused a scene. The doctor had been cautioned not to do or say anything that would arouse suspicion in the mind of our offspring as to the real nature of his visit, so he should have known better, but of course he couldn't know what a dread Paul had of sometime having to go somewhere without his parents.
Marion sank weakly into a chair, then sat up very straight and braced herself for what was coming; I made a frantic pantomimic appeal to the doctor for temporary silence, then I grabbed Paul by the arm, pointing out the fiction that the chickens had escaped around the end of the table into the hall. When he had darted out in pursuit I shut the door, turning in time to hear Marion say with a piteous break in her voice: "Doctor, tell us the worst—is it his lungs?"
His tone, to our over-anxious ears, had suggested a fear that he was about to break the news that our precious boy was doomed to an early grave, and it was a relief to see him not only smile, but look as if he would enjoy a hearty laugh. "Don't be alarmed, Mrs. Carton," he said cheerily. "He's a delicate little fellow, but spry as a cricket and quite sound. Send him to the country for six months,—and—ha ha!—don't coddle him so much."
Send our little Paul to the country! Even in her half-allayed anxiety Marion smiled at the idea. Paul, who had never been away from her tender care for one hour, who had howled with dismay when he gathered from