The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-15

'barah, der ye memDer tnls yoTe hthc
roosterG" Hodson exclaimed. with n ring OF
pride in his harsh. stubborn voice, as he
twisted D'Antinac around so az TO bring b. m
face TO face with slim, tallow, wrinkied
little old woma1, who stood by an enormous
fire llsce smoking an oily looking clay pipe.
Don't he jest hev n sort or natral look
ter yer Hev be ben killed In the wa,
Sarah. eh3'
The woman did not respond Immediately,
She took the pipe from her mouth and gszed
at D'Antinao Her face slowly ASSUMED
ysarning look, and 81 length. with sort OF
moaning cry OF recognition, she Tell upon
him and claspsd him close. kissing INN aud
weiting him with tears Her breath, heavy
With the maldor OF nicotine almost strsngled
him but he dare not resist.
During this ordeal he got broken glimpses
OF bright girllsh face, . heavy ripled mass
OF lemon coisfed hair. and very pretty form
clothed In q loose homespun gown.
Mandy, hit air Dave come back, yei
brother Dave: do yer member 'im2 bs
heard the old man say. do yer 'membei
the little rooster at they oonsohptured an
tuck efway ter the wa'2 Well, thet air him
tibet airs Davcl co kiss i'm, Mandy.
The girl did not move nor did she seem al
all inclined TO shsre the excitement OF he
parents.
go kiss yer bud, Mandy. NY Hodsor
oommanded "He wusn't kiiied no wa
Kiss the little rooster, Mandy"
Wong stubbornly responded Mandy,
We'll now, IN iest Der dingsd sis, Of this
we're hain't Jet too bad" the ola man ex.
claimed In whining, deprecAtory tone oil
voice. quite d,fisrent from the grun, bully.
ing sounds usually emitted by him. I'll
woudn't er th0rt at ys'd 'iuss ter be glad
wen yer little brother come
"'Talnt none o. my brother, neither,
che said, blushlng verolillion, AZ she half
shily gszed at ID Antinso with her finger In
her mouth.
Mr.. iIodson hung upon the young man
for soacs that seemed To him next To inter
minHble, and when ~ Lass she unwound hei
bony arms from his neck she pushed hin
back, so as Co gst good look at him. he felt
such relief m comes with tho hrst fresh
breath after n season OF sufocation.
"Ye AIR ben gittin rich, hstnt ye. Davei
an ys air fattern ye wus too she re-
marked Then she went back To the hearth
ana relighted her pipe, meantime eyeinP
him ouriouslv. ID Antinao never before had
found himself so utterly at loss for some.
thing 20 do or say. The occasion was slngu.
lar!y dry, queer, and depressing one. lie
felt tho mesnnels OF his attitude, and yet a
side glance nj Hodson's stubbornly cruel face
and giant form was enough 20 enforce lis
IcontinuAnoe.
yer mammy's lest as poorly es ever.
hsin't She DsveY" said the old man, with q
whesdling nots In his rasplng voice, she
hain't changed none, hev she, DaveW
III don't KNOW guess-well, perhaps
she's more hesh-that is, stouter than when
than when"
"Yse.s, that air hit, Dave" said Hodson,
'she air fatter
Nothing could have been moro ridiculous
than this assertion. Mrs. Hodson, like most
old mountain women who live on salt pork
aud smoke tobacco. was as thin ana wi,hsred
aud dry AS q last years beech Leaf D'Anti
uac sheepishly glanced at Mandy. The girl
put her hand over her really sweet-iookipg
Ing mouth, ana uttered q suppressed litter,
al the same time deepening her bushes M Il
struggling her plump, shapely shoulders.
well, Dave, Jest es spected, Mandy
hey forgot ye," said Hodson: but be know
she wer' NOT no bgger'n nubbin o. dry
weather conn wen ye wer tuck away. But
hits all right, Dave, yer nanny an me
hev aIlus felt like ye'd turn mp some day,
an 10 an behole. We hev."
Once more D'Antinac bravely tried TO deny
this alleged kindship TO the Hodson house
hold, but the old man instantly flew into a
passion and threatened all sorts OF condign
punishment, not The worst OF which was
wiping" him "all over a acre o. groun."
Bat, my dear sir, can't afford TO have
you for q moment think"
DRY up We little sniv'lin' conscript,
minutel Hain't ye got no sense Z ALP
Hev I got ter down We AZ In"
ID Antinao could not help himself. He
made q full surrender, and accepted for the
time, his role OF returned son and brother,
trusting that 20 netting would soon turn up
70 free him from the embarrassment. he
was not long In discovering that Mrs. Hod
sons faith la his identity was much weaker
than the cid mans and as for Mandy, she
very fatty refused TO accept him as a
brother.
Ii was now shutdown, and the evening
shade VS. were gathering In the valley. Far
and near, the brown thrushes, the cardinal
grosbeaks, and the cat birds were singing In
the hedges of sassafras that overgrew the old
worm fences OF the Hodson farm. The woods
alor z the mountain sides were almost black
With their heavy LEAKAGE, and the stony
oeaks OF the highest ridge In the west, catch
ing the reflection from the sunset clouds,
looked like heaps OF gold. peculiar dry
ness seemed TO prevsde earth, air, aud sky,
as II some underground volcanic heat had
ba 1ished evers trace of moisture from the
soil, whilst the sun had desscated the atmos.
phere Even the clouds, scudding lazily
overhead, had the look of being crisp and
withered.
With all a Ss-d Mountain mans faith in
the universal efficacy of fired bacon, Hodson
ordered supper to be prepared. Mandy
rolled up the eleevee OF ner nOmeepun dress,
owing arms as white and plamp ss those
Of babs. and proceeded 10 cut long slices
Of streaked "side meat" as the noun taineers
term smoked breakfast bncon, while Ter
father started fire on the hearth. The sup
per was rather greasy, but not unpalatsble
the fried corn bread an Il the crisp meat being
supplemented by excellent coffee During
the meal Hodson piled ID Antiac with ques.
tons as to where he had spent all these years
Of absence, questions very hard TO answer
satisfactorily Mrs. Hodson silently watched
the young man, with doubtinng. wistful
look in her wstery ewes, as II sne could not
make up her mind to trust him wholly. and
yet vas an xious 10 accept him as her long
lost con. Mandy scarcely lifted her face
after she sat down Mt the table, but ID Antisc
facied he could detect dimplipg ripple OF
suppressed merrimeut about her rosy cheeks
and mouth.
When supper was over and Mandy had
washed the dishes and put them away
Hodson proposed music; he was almost hi
lsrious.
Eye rIcolleo' Jord, don't ye, Dsye' Our
old niger felcr-course ye do; yer bnun' ter
ricollac' I'm. couldn't never furgtt I'm mean