Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1877-08-29
LID JOHN PADDLE.
ny col. J. W. DE FOREST.
(C'p,cludd.)

}IdIy persons VINO interfere III
b passionate complications, he
pdered. He should have gone
Night at Mayirld; he should have
TO him, "yo, are n gentleman,
YOU abuse y9ur position; toH
e been educated under worthy
nenrcs, and vt you play the
pter and mislGider; you are re
bsible for this idly, and you must
it,
hut he was prtudiced against
IS, rs not being church nem-
and as being he daughter of
racker and ruhscller; he con.
led that it was her rustic eff
tery which was chiefly respon.
: for this fuItiveand indecorous
making; aud, ashe did not find
HIMSELF the hardllss to face her
b such u charge. u resolved to
brit her To her fatllr.
IS the way. Mayfiel nurscd sinli'
notions as to Lue's guilt; he
yeniently forgot that lie had
ched his lips to her,leek before
had ever opened hrs to speak
him; he maundera and grum-
Iii, after the tashion-d over lucky
ters, about "a woma throwing
rself at q fellows had And
f,T Parson Seymourhad boldly
la to him, "Tllest artrhe crimi-
Rl,n he would have )adutted it.
As the minister spproahed Rad.
(e's he saw a chance frightening
h dreaded task. In flint of the
kvern, just about to mouit his tall
hi bOny bay, stood the(ather of
ekly Mrs. John Raddle, fathery,
hewy, round shouldered q farmer
eighty, popularity styled I'd Zeke
kffris. This man being 1, some
hdiscoverable reasons, f;uous in
bmerville, we must not bng him
Ito our narrative without word
description. AS a philosophical
hist defined a lion to be "a Dir of
MS mounted on four legs so
ey portray Old Zeke Jearitas a
bse on two legs. The prolber-
zee of bowed shoulders s4ned
brely sufficient to balances his
6ormous aquiline probOscis. hill.
len we're terrified at it, al in
eir manhood never forgot 1t.
His claim to antiquity wasin
\estioned; he was not obliga,c
bist upon it, after the cgotfC
shion OF John Raddle; time CUP
ind everybody who knew him y
Killed. him old Zeke Jeffris. To I
naginati0ns of the students
american history in the Methot'
eminary it seemed possible til
might have been clearing,
md about Somerville before I
Invent of Columbus. Men W
ave measured the monuments
he mound. builders of the W,
ave confessed that they never
cid anything which had to th,
nch an air OF. forgotten ages as [
.eke Jcfiris.
It is, however, difficult to accoI
br his reputation as a "charact'
lie was called "a keen old cha
q dry old chap "a severe
hap;' aud yet he never seemed
o or say anything to justify tn
ptthcts. He simply minded his hi
ess and held his tongue. 1t
lade a remark to him, his us
pmment was q noiseless laugl
ound .shouldered lurch, aud
bteps to right or left, by way OF
lowering his equilibrium. But |
bile who knew him felt that
langh and lurch were very sig
cant, being always on the look
for keenness, or dryness, or sever
in Old Zeke Jeffris.
When the Seymour family h
ran away with Mrs. Seymour
two children, and the ancient
bandman galloped after the C
pade hallOOing like a foxhur
thereby soaring the family hors
to twice the speed that he had
templated, all Somerville was &C
ably conscious that he had vino
ted his reputation for being 81
thing out of the common
Poynt Hendricks Chloe, the
laundress, related from hous
house how s'Ole Mars Jeffris
a poundin down de holler;"
John Raddle triumphantly obs
cd several times a day for
afterwaId, 81 told ye the old
had it in him.
To this incarnation of mystic
kecnness, dryness, and sevt
Mr.. Seymour gently broke IL
formation that his grand.dsul
was carrying on a Irritation in
Grove Odd Zeke received tn
Douncement as he received
NoUnUnn lao ksnna -hsoh did M