Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-11-03

somebody to make an impression on
that she had come out TO talk while
Ralph was at work But just at this
moment the schOoI-master was not so
much interested in her interesting re-
marks, nor so much amused by her
amusing remarks, as he should have
been. He saw a man coming down
the road riding one horse and leading
another, and he recognized the horses
at distance. 1t must be Bud who
was riding Means's bav mare and lead
ing Buds roam colt. Bud had been to
mill. and rs the man who owned the
horse-mill kept but one old blind horse
| himself, it was necessary that Bud
should take two. 1t required three
horses to run the mill; the old blind
one could grind the grist, but the two
others had to overcome the friction of
the clumsy machine.
But it was not about the horse-mill
that Ralph was thinking, nor about
two horses. Since that Wednesday
evening on which he escorted Hannah
home from the spelling-schOOl he had
not seen Bud Means. Ifhe had any lin
| gering doubts of the truth of what Mi
randy had said, they had been dissipa-
ted by the absenceof Bud from school.
"When | was to BOsting-" Miss
| Martha was to Boston only once in
her life, but as her visit to that sacred
city was the most important occur
renee of her life, she did not hesitate
to air her "reminiscences oft frequent
| ly. "When | was to Bostin, (" she was
just saying, when, following the indi-
cations of Ralph's eyes, she saw Bud
coming up the hill near Squire Haw-
kins's house. Bud looked red and
sulky, and to Ralph's and Miss Martha
Hawkins polite recOgnitions he re-
turned only a surly nod: They both
saw that he was angry. Ralph was
able to guess the meaning his wrath.
Toward evening Ralph strOlled
| through the Squire's cornfield toward
the woods. The memory of the walk
with Hannah was heavy upon the
heart of the young master, and there
was comfort in the very miserableness
| of the cOrnstalks with their dishevel-
ed blades hanging like tattered ban
| ners and rattling discordantly in the
rising wind. Wandering without
purpose, Ralph followed the rows of
stalks first one way and then the other
| in a ZigZag line, turning right angle
| every minute or two. At last he came
out i'm a woods mostly of beech, and
| he pleased his melancholy fancy by
! kicking the dry and silky leaves be
| fore him in pillows, while the soughing
of the " ind through the long, vibrant
boughs and slender twigs of the beech
forest seemed 10 put the world into the
wailing minor key of his own de5-
pair.
What fascination there is i'm path
come upon suddenly withouta q knOwl-
edge of its termination Here was
one running in easy, irregular curves
through the wood, now turning gent
ly to the right in order to avoid
stump, now swaying suddenly to the
left to gain an easier descent at a steep
place, and now turning wantOnly to
the one side or the other, as if from
very caprice in the man who 10y idle
steps uncOnsciously marked the line
of the fOOt-path at first. Ralph could
not resist the impulse-who could? .
to follow the path and find out its dcs-
tination, and following it he came
presently into n lonesome hollow,
where brook gurgled among the
heaps of bare limestone rocks that fill
ed its bed, Following the path still,
he came upon a queer little cabin
built of round logs, in the midst of a
small garden patch incloscd bya brush
fence. The stick chimney, daubcd
with clay and topped with barrel
open at both ends, made this Il typi-
cal cabin.
1t flashed upon Ralph that this place
must he Rocky Hollow, and that this
was the house of old John Pearson
the One-legged baSket-maker, and his
rheumatic wife, the house that hospi-
tably sheltered Shocky. Following
his impulse, he knocked and was ad-
mittcd, and was not a little surprised
to find Miss Martha Hawkins there
before him.
You here, Miss Hawkins ," he
said when he had returned ShOckY's
greeting and shaken hands with the
old couple.
Miss Martha blushed, and said "she
came because Rocky Hollow looked so
much like place she used to know at
the East. Mr. and Mrs. Pearson were
the kindest people. They reminded
her of people she knew at the East.
When she was at BOsting-"
Here the old basket-maker lifted his
head from his work, and said: "Pshaw.
that talk about kyindnessn he was Il
Kentucllian and said kyindncSs) is
all humbug. | wonder so smart wo-
man as YOU don't know better. You
come nearder TO bein' kyinder than
anybody | know; but, laws me!
we're all selfish akordin' to my tell"
You wasn't selfish when you set
up with my father most every night
| for two weeks" said ShOcky, rs he
! handed the old man splint.
Yes, was, too ~ This in tone
that made Ralph tremble. ''Gour
father was a miserable Britisher. I'd
| fit red-cOats, in the war of eighteen
twelve, and lost my leg by one of 'em
sticllin his dog-On'd bagonet right
through it, that night at Lundy's Lane;
| but NV meSsnate killed him though,
which is a satisfaction to think on
And L didn't like your father, cause
he was Britisher. But ef he'd died
| right here in this free country, 'thOut
nobody TO give him n drink of water,
blamed ef / wouldn't been ashamed
to set on the platform at a Fourth of
July barbacue, and TO hold up my
wooden leg for to make the boys cheer!
That was the seIfishest thing ever
done. We're all selfish akOrdin' to
my tell"
You wasn't selfish when you took
me that night you know" and
| ShOcky's face beamed with gratitude.
"Yes, | war too, you little sass-box!
What did I take you fer? Bakase l
didn't like Pete Jones nor Bill Jones.
They're thieves, dog on 'em ~
Ralph shivercd little. The horse
with the white fore-foot and white
nose galloped before his eyes again.
"They're set of thieves. That's
what they air"
Please, Mr.. Pearson, be careful.
You'll get into trouble, you know, 10y
talking that way," said Miss Hawkins.
You'r re just like man that knew
at the East"
" Why, do you think an old soldier
like me, hcbbling on a wooden leg, is
afraid of them thieves? Didn't | face
the Britishers? Didn't l come home
late last Wednesday night? | rather
guess L must a took little too much
Of XNalet,fc errocarv oDI laid down in