Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1882-08-31
A WORTHLESS FELLOW.


A WORTHLESS FELLOW,
"a worthless fellow simply Il worth
less fellow" The words were not new
to Bill Fcddcn, but scowl crcpt darkly
up his handsome but weak and dissi-
patcd looking face as he heard. lie
looked quite capable of thrashing the
man who uttered them, and equally in
capable of giving any other denial 10
them than the denial of mere brute
force The denial of brute force and
the assertion of muscle are going out
of date in these days, almost at the
threshold of the twentieth century. But
of denials or assertions, poor Bill Fed
den had no other.
Perhaps Charley Chase spoke with
greater emphasis than was necessary.
A western donation party brings all
classes together. Bill Fcddcn might
have been ont Of place there, but ne
didn't look so. Doubtless he would
have looked so in church; no one could
say: he hadn' been there for years; no
one looked for the Fcddcns at church.
But the donation party was Il different
thing; wild games and laughter went
on under the eyes Of the minister who
shouted the truth, of religion to his
rough hearers on Sunday, and who
shouted to his rough sons and rough
oxen at their work every other day in
the week; he even took part in them
sometimes himself; and the young pco-
pie always took as much enjoyment
out of the donation party which occur
red every winter rs they did out of that
educational agency, the spelling school,
or that worldly amusement, the gcnu-
inc western country dance.
And all the Fcddcns always came;
and they were always liberal; and they
had always been welcome, Charley
Chase was emphatic He evidently
meant to impress the girl to whom he
spoke. He aimed at the sensitive side
Of fhcr nature. Every one in town knew
the truth of what he said; he intended
thc rirl should feel rs well rs know.
And Bill Feddcn, who overheard him,
meant TO punish nm iOr IT,
A small house is well crowded on
such occasions as these, and Bill found
himself longtime in crowding down
upon his victim This one and that
had Il hearty word for him, but his
answers to all were short, and his cycs
were fixed ON the couple he was follow
inc, Charley Chase whom he meant tC
thrash within five minutes, and Alice
Brown, the minister's daughter, whom
he as fully intended to marry-Som'
time.
Tom French kept him for Il half min
ute talking about deer hunt they
were to take when the next snow fell
and he thought Bill in q queer MOOD
indeed.
oNo liquor in his breath, perfectly
sober; what ails the fcllow?'
That was what Tom French said t'
himself as Bill went ON.
Len Edwards, usual champion a
spelling schools, quick with figures
and generally counted the smartcs
Young fellow anywhere in the vicinity
did himself credit by his acutcness.
whats up? You ain't going to xii
Charley Chase, are you? What's h'
been doing?n
"Im gong TO thrash him; you mint
that" ssid Bill.
go ahead; I'm well liNcd;' an,
Len leaned up against the window sill
behind him. I'm open the window
when you begin to sweep the snow on
of the yard with him"
An old maid who believed she had
mission to convert young Feddcn, an'
who, perhaps, was simple and homes
in her belief, albeit the ncighborS nj
ways said, "convert and marry" whc'
they spoke of it, intercepted him, an,
rot an oath in answer to some remar
which was intended to he kind an
considerate.
A wild, dashing girl who had ha
Bill's attention the whole of the wintc
before, and with whom he had qual
relied, held out her hand in Il fricndl
way. with reckless look in her eye
which would have kept him longer
half year ago than il did now.
Bill met man he owed, growle
when the money was asked for, bu
paid il and went on. lie growlc
more, perhaps, when man who owe
him insisted on paying him. He ha
followed Chase through two room
already, and his anger had not coole
bit.
He met the minister next, talkin
with stranger, andhe had TO be intro
duced. The minister was bluff an
frank and hearty with him; he like
the minister; he loved the minister
daughter. but he hurried on.
"A worthless fellow; simply wortl
less fellow;" and the tones in which tn
minister told il to the stranger wer
as bluff and frank and hearty rs thoS
he had Just used to Bill. Full of earl
est conviction, laden with the yer
spirit of truth, and so loud and cleo
that Bill heard them.
He paused. He couldn't thrash tll
minister; he couldn't thrash the mini'
cr's daughters father. Should Il
thrash ANYBODY? He turned sharply
the left, opened the door near him an
stepped out into the night. A strang
look was in his face; something yer
Ikea sob came from between his st
teeth.
He thought of it as he stood ther'
Drink from his boyhoodi diflicultiC
with his teachers, from whom ho ha
learned next to nothing; difiicultiC
with his neighbors; u growing. reputi
ton for fighting; strong suspicious
to his regards for the rights Of propert%,
this was his reputation. And yet til
handsome young fellow was not VI