Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-06-11
The Sturp Teller.
UNCLE ALECK'S PROPHECY.
BY s. A. WEISS.

you'd ha' taken to it, and made it as good
af twas in his time. Your own poor father
never had any luck with it."
s'Nor do I expect any, mother. It takes
natural liking and natural talent to sue
ceed at any business, and I'ven one for any
thing except farming. wish l could per-
suade you to sell the place, and let me set up
store at the cross reads. We could make
more there without the labor and care that
it costs us here"
81 amt so sure of that, Robert. Per-
haps if you'd marry and settle down here
with a good managing wife to help you,
you'd do better and be better satisfied /;
and if it weren't for old David Gardner's
obstinacy you and Lefty"
Enough, mothern interrupted Robert,
flushing all over his handsome, sunburnt
face; "it's no use to say anything more on
that subject. I'll never ask any woman to
marry me so long as know that couldn't
afford her suitable help, or so long as
that I'd bring her to. A fathers hardly to
be blamed for saying that his daughter
shall never marry poor man, to break
herself down as her mother did, with work.
So that's settled"
His mother looked at him anxiously over
sIf it want for the mortgage" she said,
slowly, 1--WE might get along. Twas that
worried your father into his grave-that,
and not finding the gold streak"
Her son made an impatient movement
and she added: w
"Don't you think you could get a little
more time allowed US, Robert. Maybe
when the crops sold, and the apples and
Cider
"Mr. Davis won't hear of it mother I
saw him Yesterday and talked it over, but
he insists it must all be paid by the first OF
August-ah, here he comes now"
Robert went out to meet the we'll dressed
sharp-eyed man in his handsome buggy,
while his mother remained on the back
porch mixing dough for the poultry, -,
she said. talking aloud to herself, as she had
been accustomed with her late husband.
"What with cholera and gapes in the chick
ems, and weak legs in the turkeys. hain't
had any but ill-luck with the lot of 'em this
year. There's old Speck missing-the best
layer of 'em all, and Goldstreak's fit for
nothin' sence her legs broke. All, me!
Pm nightly afeard that she's the only
gold-streak we'll ever know on this place"
"What's that about a gold-streak, Mrs.
Langly?" exclaimed clear, young voice:
And girl with sweet face and bright
broWn ewes and blue-striped chintz dress
smiling before her.
Mrs Langleys face frightened immedi-
ately.
"Why, Lefty, how you do always man
age to take one by surprise, as If you'd risen
out o. the yearth or dropped down from
the Clouds Well, child: you're welcome!
And how's your mother ?"
Lefty made a suitable reply, and eX-
plained how she had been sent by her moth
QnnnpRtQn
quilt- patterns, for the invention OF which
Mrs. Langley was famous.
"You shall have my gold-streaked pat
tern" said the old lady, promptly. ITS
the handsomest of all, and I've never be-
fore given it away-not even to the minis
ter's wife, who was so taken with it," .,
"Gold-streaked again!" said Lefty, smil-
ing. THAT appears to be favorite name
with YOU"
"Ah, my dear, pve cause to think a heap
of that name! Maybe it would be better II
hadn't; and maybe again-well, nobody
can tell yet"
There was a moments silence when she
resumed:
81 dare say, Lefty, you've thought me OBJ
stinate and selfish in opposing Rob's wish to
sell the farm. But I had a reason child,
more on his account than mine and think
mays we'll tell you. l know you're to be
trusted not to 60 and spread it among the
neighbors, who would no doubt be limiting
that I'd better be put in lunatic asylum.
Maybe you'll think so yourself, but at any
rate I'll let you judge.
"You see," she continued, as she slowly
worked in another handful of corn meal,
"the Langleys come of Scotch stock, and,
it's been said that Rob's great grand 'ther
Langley, over in Scotland, had the gift o.
second nd-sight-that is, seeing and knowing
things that are going to happen. I've heard
a good deal Of talk about it in the fam
ily, but never did think much of it, though
my husband-poor, departed Jeems-be-
lieved in it as firmly as he did in summer
and winter. He said these things come bya
mysterious law of natur'. Well, about
eight years ago old Uncle Alick Langley
paid us visit on this farm. hadn't seen
him but once before in my life-for he liv-
ed down to Tennessee, a long way from
here. Him and Jeems, they walked all
over the farm, and it was far better cul-
tivated place than now, though nothn'
compared to what it was in my fathers
time. Jeems' Uncle Alick didn't seem to
think much of it, though. Then he went
over the country looking up lands to buy
for his son, Alick, who thought of coming
this way to settle, if a good prospect offered.
But in the end he gave up the idea as he
Here she began slowly and deliberately
to clear the dough from her hands. Lefty
seated on the top step of the porch, looked
up with quiet, eXpectant eyes.
"The day that he went away" continued
Mrs. Langly, with a lOng-drawn breath,
"he was standing here-yes, right here
where you are sitting-and looking. all
around him on the farm. All of student
he says, 'Jemmy-Jemmy and Mary
turning to ome-I've one thing to say to you
before 1 90. Stick to your farm, for there's
a streak of golden luck in it, Of course
asked what he meant; but all he would say
was, Pve seen tive seen it by the power
that's given US to look into the future. I've
seen streak of good-luck running through
your land that's to better your fortunes in
good time. Don't part with it until your
Iuck's found And that same day he went
away, and the first we heard of him after he
got home, was that he was dead"
"And you think there is really a vein of
"Jeems thought so. TO his dying day he
believed in it. Goodness! how much he
thought about that gold streak! Why, half
his time he spent in hunting, and digging,
and scratching around and at last he went
off to town and tried to get two men, that
Was used to the business, to come out and
examine the land to diskiver gold.
"But they only laughed at him, and said
nc gold would ever be found in Pike county.
And then he thought maybe there was
gold money hid somewhere on the place !;
SO he dug under all the rocks, and looked in
the holler trees, and was speshly keerful IN
digging in the garden.
"But no pot Of gold ever turned up; and,