4S6 
She RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 23, 191S 
Old Ben Farr’s Awakening 
The New Frying Pan 
By The Brown Owl 
‘•Morniii', J’.cii; what ye doin'. diK^iir 
fer gold?” called .lini Ripley, as he reined 
his hand.sonie fat IN'rcheon close to the 
little /(dd weather-beaten house where 
Ren Farr was busy with pick and shovel. 
Ren straightened nj) from his work .slowly 
and greeted his neighbor. 
"Not ezac'ly.” he answered. ‘T'in takin' 
advantage of the thaw to hank iny house. 
I sort o’ pnt it off all Fall—fact is, I 
jest set dreadin' on it until the snow 
come on ’fore I really wnz expectin’ of 
it. .•in’ ef it hed jest stayed on the way 
'twas 1 wo)ddn't nv needed to hank np 
at all—hut now there ain’t a shovelful 
left nowhere', an’ I've jest got to git this 
house banked before! it fi-e'czes so’s to 
s.ave the tate'rs.” 
.Tim grinned anel swung arounel in his 
seat to look toward the* hank of black 
clouds hanging low ove'r thee St. Law¬ 
rence'. "Guess we'’re' in fe-r some sort of 
a storm; lemks |irelty hiiel ehewn rive'r 
way. More' wind. 1 s'peese*.” he* eebse'rve'el 
as be drove eelT. 
The winel and rain e)f the* last twei elu.vs 
had nu'lted the snow, and the frozen lie-lels 
lay in puddle's eef water. The Avind rushe'd 
through the bare branches of a ne'aihy 
sugar bush, and the hungry e-retws. in 
gi'eat numbers, were .slowly besiting tlu'ir 
way westward in search ejf food. 
Old Ren'turned and looked teewarel the 
bit. Lawrence on the horizon line*. "(Jue'ss 
Fd better hurry,” he said to himself. 
This wasn't the lirst time eilel Ren had 
banked his house with pick and shovel. 
Somehow he always seemed to be behind¬ 
hand with everything. If he had a trij) 
to make to town he would never start 
until the last minute. J^Iany a time he 
had |mt his horse on the run to get into 
town befori! the stores closed for the 
night. There never was any reason for 
the delay, only as he said, "I’d jest set 
dreadin’ on it.” 
llig farming was all on the same prin¬ 
ciple, but somehow he managed to live. 
Ilig stock consisted of .a couple of faith¬ 
ful old horses that never troubled them¬ 
selves .about getting fat, and a coupli! of 
discouraged-looking coavs of uncertain age 
or breed. Once in a Avhile he would try 
to bring his henl up to three, hut the 
heifer Avould invariably have to be sold 
in the Fall to pay the taxes'. There Avas 
one thing, hoAV»'ver, that he Avas ahvays 
on time fur. and that Avas a “vandue.” 
He atti'iuled them all and often bought 
things, not because he needed them, or 
€A’en Avanted them, hut bet'ause he could 
get them so chea)). 
There Avas seldom anything among his 
purchases that could bo used, so they 
Avere .all jnit up in an old Avoodshed 
<'haml)er Avith a heaj) of similar things. 
Only tAvo Aveeks before he had .attended 
one of those sales doAvn near Rurke 
lIolloA\^ and had brought home an old 
ox-yoke. Not that he Avould ever use 
it, 1)ut because he got it for 20 cents. 
When his wife tried to get him .at some 
work that she kncAV needed his attention, 
he alAvays had the same ansAver for her, 
"Time enough, Sary, time enough; Rome 
Awasn’t built in a day.” He had a perfect 
passion for hunting and many a time 
had left his farm work and taking his 
gun and old Scoot had spent the day in 
the Avoods. 
Noav as he shoveled he Avas busy think¬ 
ing. ".lest as soon Jim Ripley hadn’t 
come along till I was through with this 
bankin’ job. Not thet I care, but .Tim 
is sech a chap to always git things done 
jest a leetle ahead of time. Hon’t kuoAv 
hoAV he does it. I’m sure, but somehoAV 
it seems ez if even the {Spring rains hold 
off till they hear Jim’s seeder stop run- 
nifi’ ’bne 'they begin. He don’t ever 
seem to knoAV Avhat ’tis to he behindhand 
Avith anythin’, but jest tin* same,” said 
Ren as he dug his i)ick into the frozen 
ground, "I don’t believe he ever kncAV 
Avhat it feels like to see ii fox in easy 
range an’ feel a good rille agin yer 
shoxildc)*.” 
{Suddenly Ren Avt'iit to (he corner of 
the house and listened. Away down in 
the field, where he had been circling 
aroc!'d ad mfirnine'. the old hound aauis 
barking furiously. Ren scarcely breathed 
as he saw Scoot start suddenly with nose 
close to the ground. On he came, up the 
hill across the road just beloAV the house, 
through the nu*adoAV and aAvay up the 
hill, headed .straight for Silas Endicott’s 
sugar bush. 
Dropping his pick, Ren hurried around 
the house and into the kitchen. Sarah 
saAV him reach hastil}' for his guns Avhere 
they hung above the kitchen door. He 
laid his hand lirst on the ncAV rifle he 
had bought just the Aveek before, but 
changed his mind and took down the old 
shotgun. After selling the heifer and 
paying the taxc.s he had bought the rifle, 
not because he really lu'edcd it l)ut be¬ 
cause he saAV it in the AvindoAV of a 
liardAA'are store, and it looked good to 
him. 
His Avife opened her mouth to sp<'ak, 
but Ren sai<l hurriedly, "T know, I know, 
Sary. Scoot is hot on the trail an' I'm 
jest dead sure it’s a fox the Avay he 
Tuns. I'll be back in j«'st a little while, 
Sary.” 
"Rut yer feet, man,’’ said she sharply. 
“Ain’t ye goin’ to i)nt sumi)in dif’rcnt 
than that on, an' a Avarm coat? Ye’ll 
git yer death in that rig.” Ren Avas 
nearly to the load by this time. 
"Don’t need ’em, Sary,” he called 
back. "I’m Avarm enough, an’ these ole 
gum boots ez jest the thing ter slop 
through the Avater Avith.” 
“Rut they leak, man alive I” she 
shrieked after him. Reu did not bear 
her. He had climbed the fence and Avas 
off after Scoot. His old eyes grcAV keen 
beneath his shaggy broAvs, and as he 
strode along over the wet lields bis 
seA'cnty-odd hard Winters seemed to fall 
from him like an old coat. He forgot 
the threatening clouds, the unbaiiked 
house, the Go bushels of unprotected 
"taters.” the boles in his old gum boots. 
In fact he forgot everything but the 
glorious fact that he Avas out after Scoot 
and a fox, and that the day Avas before 
him. 
It Avas along about two o'clock in the 
afternoon that Ren suddenly realized 
that the Aveather had grown much colder. 
Ry this time he Avas about three miles 
the other side of Rc'lmont Center and 
about scA’cn miles from home. He had 
come in sight of tin! fox thre(* dilL'rt'iit 
times; tAviee it Avas out ot range and 
the third time it Avas' in easy range but 
on the other side of a rail fenc<'. "That 
jiesky fence,” muttered Ren as he but¬ 
toned his old chore coat more closely. 
"Guess Fd better give it up an’ git fer 
home. T don’t jest like the looks of them 
clouds.” Even then a fcAV large flakes 
came whirling by. 
Ren climbed a fence .and started for 
home. His feet AA’ere wet and cold, and 
the Avind blew his old coat about so that 
it Avas Avith difficulty he kept it buttoned. 
Soon it began to snoAV in good earnest, 
and h'‘ff'’'« was half Avay across the 
field he AA-as in a Avhirling mass of siioaa’. 
Trees, fences, ('verything Avas blotti'd out, 
and it seemed as if he Avere the only 
object in that Avhirliug, stinging Avhite- 
uess. Resting his gun on the ground he 
felt for mittens and was very glad to 
find a pair that Sarah had somehoAV man¬ 
aged to stuff into his pocket before he 
left the hou.se. Rutting his gun back on 
his shoulder and droi»iiing his head for- 
Avard he trudg<'<l Ave.-irily on. 
Ren kncAV Avhat those North Country 
blizzards Avere like. Sometimes they 
Avould be over in a fcAV minutes, and 
again they might last hours. The ground 
Avas soon coverc'd, and then his feet began 
to get very cold. He Avas hungry, too, 
and all at once there came over him the 
thought of Sarah looking anxiously for 
him to get back. She’d scold him ter¬ 
ribly Avhen In* did get there, he kneAA’, 
but somehoAV he didn’t .seem to (fare. If 
he could only yet there. He could not 
lieR) feeling (hat it Avas doubtful. He 
kneAV Sarah AA'onld get someone started to 
hunt him uj) if the storm did not clear 
before night, but Avho could find him 
aAvay out there? 
Dn he stumbled through the storm, half 
suffocated by the blinding snoAA% and as 
a man near death by droAvning sees his 
life unroll before him, .so old Reu saw 
a picture of his easy-going bygone years. 
He was glad no one could say he Avas 
di.shouest, and he could think of no one 
he kneAV Avho Avas not ahvays glad to 
see him. There Avas one thing that 
troubled him, hoAvever. For years Sarah 
had called his “shif'less,” and he had 
alAA'ays be«*n able to prove to her—at least 
to his oAvn satisfac'tiou—that she Avas 
mistaken. Noav he Avasn’t (piite so sure 
that Sarah Avas Avrong. He thought of 
the unfinislu'd banking and the tools he 
httd droppt'd on the ground Avhere In' Avas 
using them. They Avould be coA'ered Avith 
snoAA'' by iioaa' if Sariih had not brought 
them in. "I gm*ss.” he said sloAA'ly, "that 
Sary is right, after all. I'm jest a shif’- 
le.'.is (de coot—and ’liras mean o’ me to 
use the rest of that heifer money on a 
gun Avhen she needed so many things fer 
the house. Lemme see Avhat ’tAvas she 
Avanted s'o bad.” thought Ren as he 
sAAuing his free arm to keep it Avarm. 
"O. yes. a fi’yin’ pan. AVell. tlu're Ava’n’t 
enough left after buyin’ the rifle. Rut 
xdl-eK iiVtve!" said Ren suddenly, aloud. 
"I iieeihi't of bought thet rifle. Ef I (*ver 
git back I’ll make up fer that fryin’ pan.” 
and then a great longing came over him 
for the Avarm old kitchen, and for faith¬ 
ful old Sarah, even if she did scold him—■ 
he deseiwed it, and he didn’t blame her 
a bit. 
The Avind came harder now, and as he 
peered through the driving snoAV he 
thought he saAV something dark before 
him. Suddenly the top half of an old 
Avild apple tree shoAved idainly, Avhile the 
trunk Avas still shrouded in Avhite. 
"The storm’s clearin’ a bit.” cried Ren 
joyfully. "Now I’ll jest Avait here till 
I see Avhere 1 be.” 
After a few minutes he could see bet¬ 
ter, although it .still snoAved heavily. 
Tlu!n he discovered that he Avas back to 
the same rail fence OA-er Avhich he had 
climber before the storm, and nearly in 
the same jdace. Getting his bearings 
once more, he started again for home. 
He could .>-ce Avhere he Avas going this 
time, but he Avas hungry, cold, and tired, 
and home was nearly seven miles aAvay. 
Sarah Farr drcAV her old plaid s-haAvl 
more closely around her head as she 
jtlodded heavily through the fast deepening 
drifts tOAvard the house. She had fin- 
islntd the night chores tind Avas carrying 
in the half pail of milk Avhich aauis all 
the tAVo old coAvs felt called upon to pro¬ 
duce. There was nofhiug beautiful about 
Sarah Farr, unless it Avas her devotion 
to old Ren. For nearly fifty years she 
had alternately coaxed and scolded him 
AAuthout any noticeable results. Tlu! 
years of exasperation had sharpened her 
face as Avell as her tem))er. but still she 
cared for Ren as tenderly as if he Avere 
a child. All the afternoon she had been 
nearly ill Avith worry for his safety, and 
.she Avas just planning to go doAvn to .Tim 
Ripley’s, a half mile .away, and ask for 
help to find Ren, Avhen rounding a <!orni'r 
leading to the kitchen door she saw him 
stumble across the yard. 
"AVell! Yer here. T see—thought ’(Avas 
about time fer ye to come stragglin’ in 
after Fd got all the chore's did.” 'I'hen, 
as he did not speak, she looked at him 
sharply. "You git inter the house ez 
(pack’s ye can,” she said. “Yer j(*st 
petered 
The Avarmth of the kitchen, th<! kettb! 
of steaming cornmeal pudding and the 
boAA'l of Imt catnip tea on the back of 
the stove made Ren feel as if he could 
cry like a baliy. Enril nearly 10 o’clock 
that night Sarah, worked over the half- 
fntzen old man, and Avhen he Avas finally 
tucked into bed, Avith Sarah’s tAVO old 
flatirons—heat<'d and Avrapped in iicavs- 
papers—at his feet, and Sarah’s terrible 
scolding still ringing in his <*ars, he fi'lt 
like a very naughty little bit of a boy. 
Tt Avas broad daylight Avhen he UAvak- 
em*d. The house Avas very still, but there 
Avas a good fire out in the kitchen. The 
one AvindoAV in the little kitchen bedroom 
Avas frosted over, but he could hear the 
snoAV sifting against it outside, “Wind 
plumb north an’ siioav driftin’,” he mut- 
tercal, as he turin'd in bed to look out 
into the kitchen. The windoAvs there Aver<! 
also heavily frosted, but the sun Avas 
shining brightly Soon tin* outside door 
oiiened and Sarah came in. The dry 
snoAV*^ on her feet crunched and scpieaked 
on the bare floor as she tramped about, 
removing coats and shaAvls and making 
lireparations for breakfast. Reu kncAV 
it mnst be all of 20 degrees beloAV zero 
outside, and the bed was so warm and 
his poor old feet so sore that there seemed 
to be enough excuse tliis time for staying 
Avhere he Avas. 
Suddenly there was a clatter from the 
kitchen. Avln're Sarah had accidentally 
dropped a dish. That .settb'd things for 
Ren. He kncAv by the noisi! of tlni fall¬ 
ing dish that it Avas the old tin pie-jdate 
that Sarah had been using in the j)lac(! 
of her much-desired frying pan. 
Getting <iuickly out of bed. Ren seized 
his clothes and hobbled out behind the 
kitchen stove to dress Avln'ia* it Avas good 
and Avarm. Sarah looked at him sharply. 
"S’pose ye think it’s ’bout time to git 
up. noAV that the chores are all did.” 
“No. Sary. ’tAA'au’t that,” said Ren in 
(Continued on page 459.) 
lien f^luris After the Fox 
