The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-06-17

stay all night with Jim an Benny Gryce
ez he'd ter let him. Old man Gryce rid
by hyar in his wagon on his way home
from the scttlcmint. So Alb went of
with the Gryce boys an thar gran'dad.
Thus the blacksmith concluded hi:
tools were not liable to be ''borrowed'
tonight. He had q scheme to insure
their safety for the future, but in order
to avoid his wife's remonstrances on
Abs behalf, he told her nothing of it,
nor of what he had overhead.
Early the next morning he set out fol
the mill, intending to confront "Old
Bob" and demand retraction. The road
down the deep, wild ravine was rugged,
and he logged along slow until at last
he came within sight of the crazy,
wcather-beatcn old building totterina
precariously on the brink of the impetu'
Gus torrent which gashes the mountain
side. Crags tower above it; vines and
moses cling to its walls; it. is dank,
cool, shady place, but noisy enough with
the turmoil of its primitive machinery,
aid the loud, hoarse voices of the loung-
ers striving to make themselves heard
above the uproar.
There were several of these idle noun.
taincers aimlessly strtlling among the
bags of corn and wheat that were piled
about. Long, dusty cobwcbs hung from
the rafters. Sometimes rat, powdered
white, and rendered reckless by higt
living, raced boldly across the floor
The golden grain poured ccaselessly
through the hopper, and leaning against
it was TALL stoop.shouldcred man o.
some forty odd years of age, with floury
smile lurking in his beard, and twinkle
in the good-humorcd eyes ovcrhung by
heavy mcally eyebrows.
"Waal, Steve" yelled the miller
shamblng forward as the blacksmith ap
pearcd in the doorway. "Come long In
Whar's yer grist"
Ihev got no grist" thundercd Steve,
sternly.
"Waal-yc're jes' ez welcome" said
the miller, not noticing the rigid lines ol
the set, swarthy face. accented here and
there by cinder, nor the tierceness o.
the intent dark eyes.
II reckon I'm powerful welcomed
snecred Stephen Ryder.
The tone attracted 'old Bob's" atten
ton. "What ails yc, Steve3" he asked,
surprised.
''I'm deccivin', sncakin' critter-
hey?" shouted the visitor, shaking his
blackened fst-he had intended to be
calm, but his long-rcpresscd fury had
found vent at last.
The miller drew back hastily, aston
ishment and fear mingled in o pallid
paste, as it were, with the flour on his
face.
The six startled on lockers stood as ii
petriEcd. "Ye say I'm thief!-a thief
"A thief"
With the odious word he made fran
tic lunge at the miller, who lodged his
strong right arm at the moment when hi:
| foot struck against a bag of corn lying
on the floor and he stumbled. He recov'
cred his equilibrium instantly. But the
six Ly-standcrs had seized him.
"Hold him hard, folkses!" cried hon.
est Bob Peachin. "Hold hard! I'll tell
yc what ails him-though ye mustn't let
on ter him-he air fetched in the head!'
He winked at them with confidential
intention as he roared this out, forget
ting, in his excitement, that mental in
trinity does not impair the sense of hear
ing.
This folly on his part was salutary
thing for Stephen Ryder. 1t calmcd
him Instantly. He felt that he had need
for caution. A fearful vista of possibilities
opened before him. lie remembered hav.
ing seen in his childhood o man rcputed
to be suddenly bcreft of his reason, but
whom he believed was entirely sane,
bound hand and feet, and every word,
every groan, every effort to free himself,
accounted the demonstration OF mani
nc. This fate was imminent for him.
They were seven to one. He trembled
as he fclt their hands pressing upon the
swelling muscles of his limbs. With an
abrupt realization of his great strength
he waited for momentary relaxation of
their clutch, then with mighty wrench
he burst loose from them, flung himself
upon his mare, and dashed of at full
speed. :,
lie did no work that afternoon, al
though the corn was suffering" lie
sat after dinner smoking his pipe on the
porch of his log.cabin, while he moodily
watched the bi e shadow of Cross noun.
tain creeping silently over the wooded
valley as the sun got on the down grade.
Deep glooms began to lurk among the
ravincs of the great ridge opposite. The
shimmcring blue SUBMITS in the distance
were purplipg. A red bird, alert,
crested with a brilliant eye, perched idly
on the vines about the porch, having ro-
linquishcd for the day the job of teach,
ing small stubby imitation of himself
to fly. The shocks of wheat in the bare
field close by had turned a rich, red gold
in the lcngthcning rays before Stephen
Ryder realized that night was close at
hand.
All at once he heard discordant noise
up tho road which he knew Alb Ryder
called "singing," and presently the boy
appeared in the distance, his mouth
stretched, his tattercd hat stuck on the
back of his tow head, his bare feet
dusty, his homespun cotton trousers rolled
up airily about his knees, his single
s,lspendcr supporting the structure. His
father laughed little at sight OF him.
rather sardonically it must be confessed,
and saving to his wife that he intended
to 90 to the shop for awhile, lie rose and
strolled oil down the road.
When supper was over, however, Ab
was immensely relieved to see that his
father had no idea of continuing his
work. Consequently the usual routine
was to be expected. Generally, when
summoned to the evening meal, the
blacksmith hastily plunged his head in
water, thrust of his leather apron, and
went up to the house without more ado.
lie smoked aftcrward, and loungcd about,
enjoying the relaxation after his heavy
work. lie did not g down to lock the
shop until bed time, when he was shut
tinG up the house, the stable and the
corn-crlb for the night. In the interva!
the shop stood deserted and open, and
this custom was the basis of Abs oppor-
tunity. Tonight there seemed to be no
deviation from it. He asccrtaincd that
his father was smoking his pipe on the
porch. Then he went down the road
and sat on the log near the shop to wait
for the other boys who were to share the
risks and profits of borrowing the ham,
mer.
All was still-so still! lie fancled
that he could hear the tumult of the tor
rent far away as it dashed over the rocks.
4 dog suddenly began to bark in the
. black, black valley-thcn ceased. tic
was vaguely ovcrawed with the "blg
mountings" for company and the dis
tant stars. lie listened eagerly for the