San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-02-02
COOPER TIM.
BY AUGUST LARNED.

that can hardly be analysed. For Tim
had none of the fatal gift of beauty; and
yet certain genial goodness did ray
out Of his homely features, although he
was the most taciturn of human beings.
There was an ingenious theory cur
rent among the neighbors that Tim had
been stunted, when boy, by the too
vigorous arm of his mother, who was
unaccustomed to spare the rod. There
was another theory, precisely contrary,
to the effect that his mother had beaten
him in order to bring out the bright
ness which must somewhere be latent
in Tins constitution; but, instead OF
producing the desired result, the boy
had sunk into unfathomable deeps OF
silence.
His mother in time went the way OF
all flesh, and Tim came into possession
of shop, and little dwelling-house
hard by, which he rented to quiet
family, taking his meals with the ten
ants and lodging in small room back
of the shop. Here he lived and worked
from day to day, minding his own bust
ness and thinking no evil. He labored
diligently on barrels, casks, butter
tubs, sap-buckets, any thing that
came to his hand. Some
times he went to the woods,
to engage in what he called getting out
stuff" When he was coopering a
large hogshead, the little man was
obliged to mount on a sort Of platform
to set the slaves and adjust the hoops.
Then the children from the village
school would peep in at the shop-door,
as if it had been a penny show. And
Tim would gladly have spoken to them,
for he liked their bright eyes and rosy
cheeks; but never a word could he find
to say for himself, and when his large,
bushy head came furtively up over the
edge of the cask, like Jack-in-the-box,
they all scampered away.
Strange to say, Tim had been paying
attention to young woman, by name
Amanda Ainslie, for several years. She
lived in the next township, and the lit
tie cooper did not see her very often !;
but it was well understood among the
neighbors that Tim and MANDY were
excepting company" and that old Mrs.
Ainslie, 'NIandy's mother, did not ap-
prove the match. She had no liking, it
was said, for the kind of "dumb, driven
cattle' to which Tim belonged; but pre-
ferred man for her daughter who could
speak up for himself and assert the fact
that his soul was his own.
The neighbors, furthermore, declared
that Tim would never have made ad-
vances to mortal woman, for he stood
in extreme awe of the sex, had not Man
dy done the counting. Once, at pic
mic, seeing him unnoticed and alone, she
had spoken few kind words to Tim,
which sank into his heart. Perhaps,
before that, with q girls quick eye, she
had noticed the pleasantness that did
ray forth from the little cooper, in spite
of his still tongue.
Mandy was not a beauty; but she had
a fresh, wholesome face and an abun-
dance of llaXen hair. She was good
hearted girl and a great talker, and this
Gift of speech was constant source OF
wonder and delight to Tim. He would
sit beside her by the hour spell-bound
with admiration, while Mandy poured
forth her easy chat. In his lonely hours,
while busy with adze and Ratchet, he
pondered over the mystery of how Man
DIV did it; how she could cut a clean
swath of talk right through the most
tangled field of topics. And he looked
upon 'Mandy's accomplishment with
awe, as upon some intricate piece OF
coopering. of which he was quite unable
to get the hang.
How Mandy perceived the nature OF
her admirer | know not; but, doubtless,
she rejoiced in him as in a perfect listen
er, and fell into the way of sitting by
him at country gatherings and having
him named as her beau" Tim paid
an occasional visit to her home, several
miles distant, although old lady Ainslie
doomed his horse to that uncomfortable
fodder called post-meal and had never
asked him to partake of a meal in her
house. The pretexts for these visits
were certain little presents which Tim,
in his leisure hours, had fashioned for
Mandy ont of hard wood. He owned
a small turning-lathe and was ingenious