The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-12-26

you, for he's gittin' childish, l do believe.r
 The old lady, thoroughly satisfied with the remarks she had made, settled her. self back in her chair and the old man blew smoke through grin.
 "Oh, we are on the best of terms,' Len replied. He is more than welcome to all the amusement which my name can furnish. By the way," he added rising and taking down gun from rack oveI the door, "believe I'll go down to the river and see if any ducks have come in
 It's rather too soon in the season fol 'em," the old man said.
 "Well, I'll go anyway. Perhaps some of the skirmishers have come"
 "Tha: youngster is full of the Old Harry" said old Bob Gansest when Len had quilted the house. "He's mighty quiet now, but he's only feelin' his way. don't think, though, that he's lazy an as long as he ain't that ken put up with him. do believe that iaziness is the unpardonable sin"
 "Pap, you ought to be ashamed to talk that way"
 "I do, Sarah, sho's you're born'd do. Jest take man that won't work an he's ginerally putty well filled up with nearly all the other sins. A man that won't work ain't no 'count'
 Len turned toward the river and thus unused as he slowly walked along: "What an odd old gentleman. Time has not re- leived him of his love of fun. It is said that humor ripens slowly. and believe that it does. His fun is kind of autumn leaf rustle-not the dry leaf for that would be satire instead of humor-but the red and yellow leaf from which the sap has not all been drawn. There is a freshness here with which nd myself falling in love. This country is rude, but it is not raw, for there is mellowness everywhere. Those gray rocks in their skirts of gray and caps ot green moss are grand. Here is where my father played when he was boy. 1 have heard him talk of the wonderful fish he used to catch out of this river."
 He stood on the bank of the river and thoughtfully looked at the beautiful stream. The first frost had fallen, but it had been so light that the cotton stalk seemed to stand in surprise, not know ing whether to curl up its top leaves in obedience to the warning chill or to hold up its head and open its top boil i; but the sycamore tree, more easily discouraged, threw down its leaves and waved it's bare arms in the evenings long drawn sigh.
 "Not duck in sight," unused the young man. Probably may find squirrel. Grandpa laughs at me SO much that I don't want to go back empty handed. He must take me for a child, when in fact he would feel much older if he had passed through few years of my experience"
 He turned into a narrow ravine. The summers sun had almost drawn nearly all the water from the little stream which was wont to flow through the ravine, and as the autumnal rains had been light, there only remained succession of small pools, so closely covered with leaves that they could scarcely be distinguished from smooth patches of earth. Len had proceeded but short distance until he stepped into one of the pools. Just then he heard merry, ringing laugh. Look ing up, he saw girl sitting on rock.
 "You laughed just in time, young lady," said he, as he turned and began to climb toward the rock on which the girl was sitting.
 "Why2" she asked when he had ap- preached her.
 "Because you might have heard some- thing stronger than polite"
 "Oh, ho 1" she said, "that wouldenter made no diffunce fur dad he cusses nearly all the time. He cusses the rheumatiz, an when the rheumatic ain't naggin' an peckin' at him, he cusses the COW. He's the out-cussenest an the oxidation est man about some things you ever seen."
 May sit down ?" Len asked.
 "Yes, if you're tired, squat. ain't carin'."
 The girls face was pretty and her form was indescribably graceful like perfect letter found on page of bad manuscript and which seems to have been made by accident. Her eyes were as brown as the leaves in the pool and her hair was as brown as her eyes.
 "What made your hands so black, lit- tie miss r'