The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-09

and he, therefore, supposed that, under the IN
fiuence of liquor, while in a quarrel on the road
he had fired. The day after the funeral he rode
to town and offered himself to the sheriff, who
sent him back home on his parole to appear it
prosecution should be instituted. This conduct,
coupled with the rumor that Tom Towns had
disinherited by will his wife entirely, and left
almost nothing to Wiley, enhanced yet more the
sympathy for them
Somebody ought to a-killed such a man, y
said Mrs. Joe Willis.
'.And sure enough they did, Mandy" said Joe.
Uncle Tom waren't the friend to me that he
promised ma on her h-bed to be, that is, not
exactly, and he never treated me exactly right
about the heater Still, I'm sorry-well, / hope
now I'll get it."
Joe, that heater, as you call it, don't seem TO
be ever off your mind"
Well Mandy nobody wants to be flung into
Il. suppose not, from the worry yours gives
youp
ut amt mine. That's the mischief of it. It's
Uncle Toms, a runnin right into me-"
''All the same" she said laughing "but what
makes you expect to get out of it now2"
"Ryal done said could have it,"
Good gracious, Joe. You and Ryal ought
both to be ashamed of yourselves, talking about
such things SO soon."
Joe was a little ashamed. Now this heater
was the one great trouble on the mind of Joe
Willis. What was known among planters as a
''heater," called thus, according to tradition,
IrOm Iue SIlOOtnluS iron uS0u Nv idunOreSSeS,
was triangular piece of ground protruding
from one into another plantation, thereby render
ing fencing of it troublesome and expensive The
being flung into q heater" was most specially
disagreeable to small farmers. Joe Willis, who
was the nephew of Tom Townss first wife, had
besought him often to take him out of the
heater, but the former, who enjoyed his worry
ing in that regard, had always persisted in de-
handing price that Joe was unable to pay.
Yet Joe, hopeful as he was now of relief, felt
hat chny, hvv%h
and went off to himself and ruminated.
The person most avowed in expression of SYM
pathy for the widow and Wiley was Buck Sink
ler He was yet bachelor, hearty in body and
mind thriving the owner of two plantations,
Gum Hill and that containing his residence, two
miles west of the Townses Ever fond of his
Cousin Sally he had visited often the house in
former years. until Towns's moroseness kept him
away He and Wiley. however. were very often
together, and to Wiley he was drawn the more
closely because of the latters fathers growing
partiality for Ryal, who Bucks brother-in-
law, to whose intermarriage with his sister, ten
years before Buck had been vehemently op-
posed.
"Ryal" he would say Of his brother-in-law,
always had the same claws as his father. /
could see em, but he managed to keep 'em hid
from Sis Nancy till she married him. He is and
always was as regular chip of the old block
as were ever Clipped off with Ratchet, only
he's sly in his meanness, while his father weren't.
Tom Towns didn't care if people knowed he was
mean, so he could keep on getting of property.
Well, I'm sorry that Wiley killed him, but shall
always believe it was accident AS he had to
die it's pity he didn't before he signed that
cussed will. / want to see now how Ryals goin'
to look when him and Sis Nancy moves into that
house arter Cousin Sally and Wiley moves out
/ hain't seen Sis Nancy, for Ryal and me amt as
thick as brothers.in law, by good rights, reason
able speaking, might be expected to be. But
can't believe that Sis Nancys goin' to be satisfied
to see Cousin Sally drove out O that house
whore she was born and have to begin life over
again. Take the case up and down. big and
large, over and under, all around, it's a cussed
bad case"