The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-08-20

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Elder Browns step began to lose its
buoyancy. He found himself utterly I'M
able to walk straight. There was an
uncertain straddle in his gait that carried
him from one side of the walk to the other,
fully yield him plenty of room.
BALKAN saw him coming. Poor Ba-
laam. He had made an early start
that day, and for hours he stood in the sun
sleepy eyes and raised his expressive ears
to q position of attention, the old familiar
coat and battered hat of the elder were be-
fore him. He lifted up his honest voice
| and cried aloud for joy.
The effect was electrical for one instant.
Elder Brown surveyed the beast with hor-
ror, but again in his understanding there
rang out the trumpet words,
"Drunk, drunk, drunk, drer-unc, -erunc,
He stooped instinctively for . missile with
which to smfte his accuser, but brought up
suddenly with a jerk and q handful of
sand. Strengthening himself up with q
majestic dignity, he extended his right
"You're a gofdarn liar, Balaam, and,
blast your old buttons, you kin walk home
by yourself, for Pm DANCED if you shIl ride
me er STEP"
upon Rome with q grander dignity than
sat upon the old mans form as he faced
| about and left the brute to survey with
anxious eyes the new departure of his
master.
He saw the elder zigzag along the street,
and beheld him about to turn q friendly
corner. Once more he lifted up his mighty
voice:
"Drunk, drunk, drunk. drer- unc, drer-
I'M -erunc, .unc, -unc."
Once more the elder turned with lifted
hand, and shouted back
"You're a liar, BALKAN, goldarn you
You're er iffamous liar" Then he passed
from view.
Mrs. Brown stood upon the steps anx-
iously awaiting the return of her liege
lord. She knew he had with him q large
sum of money, or should have, and she
knew also that he was a man without bust.
ness methods. She had long since repented
Of the decision which sent him to town.
When the old battered hat and four-cov-
cred coat doomed up in the cleaning and
confronted her, she stared with terror.
The next instant she had seized him.
"For the Lord sakes, Elder Brown, what
ais you? As I live, if the man amt drunk /!
Elder Brown! Elder Brown? for the life of
me can't I make you hear? You crazy old
hypocritel you desavin' old sinner! you
4 Nj ---k -r-o%L1 ~vHaun ha-a NJ
benz"
The elder made an effort to wave her of.
"Woman," he said, with grand dignity,
"you forgit yussef; shu know ware I've
ben 'swelps I do. Ben to town, wife, an
see yer wat I've brought-the fines hat.
ole woman, I could git. Look It the color.
Like goes 18th like; it's red an you're red,
an it's a dead match. What yer meanf
Hey! hole on! ole woman!Ayoul Han
~nah!-you." She literally shook him into
silence.
"You miserable wretch! you low-down
drunken sot! whatd do o mean by coming
home and insulting your wife?" Hannah
ceased shaking him from pure exhaustion
By this time she was turning his pockets
wrong side out. From one she got pills,
from another change, from another pack
ages: ;.
better luck han I hoped! o, elderl elder
elder! what did you do it for? Why, man
where is Balaam?"
Thought of the beast choked off thu
threatened Mysteries.
"Balaam? Balaam?" said the elder, grog'
gily. "He's in town. The Internal oil.
fool Suited me, an I lef' him to wall
home"
!, His wife surveyed him. Really at tina
moment she did think his mind was gone
but the leer upon the old mans face en-
ragged her beyond endurance.
: "You did, did you? Well, now, I reckon
you'll laugh for some cause, you will. Bacl
! you go, sir-straight back; am don't 20!
come home 'thout that donkey, or you'll
rue it, sure as my lame is annah Brown
!, Aleckl-you Aleck-k-k!"
A black boy darted round the corner
? from behind which, with several others
he had beheld the brief but stirring scene
, "Put a saddle on er mule. The elder
|, gwine back to town. And don't you b
!. long about it, neither"
. "Yessum." Alexis worries cleaned i
!. |. the darkness as he disappeared.
Elder Brown was soberer at that mome9
! than he had been for hours.
4 "Hannah, you don't mean it?"
!. eyes, sir, I do. Back you go to town a
. sure as my name is Hannah Brown"
! The elder was silent. He had neve
known his wife to relent on any occasio
. after she had affirmed her intention, sup
plemented with s'as sure as my name j
q Hannah Brown" 1t was her way o
\ swearing. No affidavit would have ha
g half the claim upon her as that simpl
4 enunciation.
So back to town went Elder Brown, nc
|. in the order of the early morn, but silently
. moodily, despairingly, surrounded b
4 mental and actual gloom.
4 The old man had turned a last appealin
glance upon b angry woman, as b
. mounted, with Alexis assistance, and 81
a kitchen window. She met the glance will
out a waver.
a "She means it, as sure as my name
Elder Brown" he said, thickly. Then
T. rode on.
To say that Elder Brown suffered on tn
T. long journey back to Macon would on
mildly outline his experience. His earl
Ar mornings fall had begun to max itse
n felt. He was sore and uncomfortable. B.
n sides, his stomach was empty, and Gale
ii for two meals it had missed for the fir
10 time in years.
to When, sore and weary, the elder entere
the city, the electric lights shone above
lg like jewels in a crown. The city slep
Or that is, the better portion of it did. He
Is and there, however, the lower lights fashe
g. out into the night. Modify the Elde
It. pursued his journey, n as he rode, far G
o, in the night there rose and quivered
10 plaintive cry. Elder Brown smiled wear
it nized it. The animal he rod also recoi
n nized it, and replied, until the silence
=. the city was destroyed. The d clam
" and confusion drew from a saloon near /
in a group of noisy youngsters, who had be-
IN making a night of it. They surround,
is Elder Brown as he began to transfer hin
~ self to the hungry beast to whose motto
of he was more accustomed, and in the 'hs
rs fellow well metz style of the day began
N handy jests upon his appearance. No
Elder Brown was not in a TESTING hume
ne Positively he was in the worst humor pc
sible. The result was that before maj
I minutes passed the old man was swingil
several of the crowd by their collars, al
breaking tina peace of the CITY, A polio