Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-02-15


More dolorous still. Above, sky of trouble.
IAter-a strange light lifted through the air;
| darker mystery through the sky enfOld--
| That CLEAN in the west makes the whole dim earth
fair.
The sun outshines and the grey sea is gold
! Erewhile moaned too long the lingering day.
| And now for one hour more-one little hour pray
-ScrtbHcrb
EARNING A FEE.
How Good Deacon was Nonplussed
A reasonably good man was Deacon
Pilsey, as times went but, if he had
weakness, it was for making things in
general 60 about as he wanted them to
go. Not an overbearing man by
any means, and certainly not violent
one, but with wonderfully cute and
quiet subtle ways of his own, by which
he brought matters about without let
ting other folks know how the thing
was done. When man is accustomed
to have his own way, he makes up his
mind pretty easily; but there was one
point of all others upon which Deacon
Pilsey had been set and fixed for years,
aeSthe care of which lay heavy on his
mind, for the time had come when, in
his Judgment, something deep required
to be planned and all his skill exercised
in carrying it ont. Toa mind like his,
that had taken a perfect measure of
every other in the village, and for miles
around it, there could be little difficult
ty in selecting his tools and assistants,
and he had no need of counsellors
That was how he came to be talking so
confdentially with Joe Gaines, as the
two stood by the yard gate.
"Why, deacon" ;" said Joe, "I always
thought you liked Bob Humphrey.
"He's a tip-top fellow, and good
match for any girl know OF.
$50 he is, SO he is, said the deacon
Cant say a word agin him. Knew
him from boy Can't forbid him the
house, or any of that sort Of nonsense !;
but then he can't have Irene Wycr."
81 don't see how you'll help it, dea-
con. You're only her guardian, and
she is about of age"
"Not for year yet-thats how the
will reads-and she's in my house, you
know. l guess l can fix some things,
specially if you'll turn in and help me.
You're Il lawyer, Joe Gaines, but you're
a young one yet ; and I'll give you the
fattest fee You ever dreamed of, if you'll
only hitch teams with me, and see that
Bob Humphrey don't get the upper
hand.
Well, if that's what you're after, so
it's all right and square, I'd as lief earn
a fee one way as another. What's your
programme"
"Well, You know there's right on to
thirty thousand coming to Irene Wyer,
in her own right, and I've took the best
kind of keer of it. It's been a mighty
sight of trouble, and all along I've
thought of my son Scott.
"Scott Pilsey?' interrupted Joe,
Why, he's in California.
"He won't be long. He's coming
home inside of six months, and l want
to keep Irene safe for him. They used
to be wonderful thick, and he writ to
her regular ever so long after he went
away, and so she did to him"
"Do they correspond now ?" said Joe.
"No, not now. There's the rub.
That's one reason I'm looking so sharp
after Bob. Now, want you to just
take n hold and try and keep Bob off
till Scott gets back. 'Twon't be long,
and Irene amt such bad company
nohow."
"I don't know" said Joe. "There's
Maggie and her mother. l couldn't be
particularly attentive to Irene without
their knowing it. And Bob Humphrey
will be around most of the time, and it
won't Ice long before | have the whole
village talking the matter up"
"Never mind that, Joe, never mind
that. It'll be all right when Scott gets
home. I'll give you the biggest kind
of fee.
"Well, deacon" coolly replied the
young lawyer, " lisa pretty tough case,
but I'll take it one on condition. !"
"What's that ?"
"Why, so long as it's only fun, and
all that, I'll go ahead; but if it seems
as if 1 was doing any harm, anything
real bad, you know, I'm to be at liberty
to back out.
"Well, l don't mind, so long as you
let me know in time.
And so the deacon and the lawyer dis
cussed their plot to their satisfaction; ;
and when all was settled the latter took
his way down the broad and grass
grown street of the village.
"The old shark Y he muttered, as he
strolled leisurely along. "What on
earth put it into his plotting old head
to pitch on me for his tool2 He never