The Cecil Whig., 1886-01-09

with pretense of shielding his fac,
from the heat, raised one arm and hic
his eyes.
'lou may not believe it, but it's SO,
the girl continued cts awful nice tel
love somebody. | ought to know. Why
don't you ask me how | know, Big
Lige"
GLOW do you know?' he asked as he
took up the hand-splke and leaned
upon it.
cause l love somebody. Folks say:
he's big and ugly, but | don't think
So
Lige threw down the hand-spike
turned to Sallie and said:
I've got ter 60 ter the house now
and fetch down the tubs"
"No; let's wait here tell the folks
come. Thar's nuff oy them ter fetch
the tubs. Yer air allus a pesterin' yur-
self thinking that somebody else'll have
something to do. This is all mighty
well when thar amt nobody round but
wimin folks, butts all foolishness when
the woods is full of men,
"Whut you say Sallie, may be true,
but I've got ter go and fetch the tubs.
"Well, go on, Mr.. Smarty'
A beautiful day had dawned, but to
Big Lige it was day of sadness. He
had long suspected that Millie loved
Brezentine, but now he knew it-not
particularly because Sallie had said so
but because he had seen on Miles
face an expression of pleasure when
Mrs. Petticord defended Brezentine
against the insinuatlon that he could at
least be utilized as a water carrier but
at no time during the day did Lige
permit anyone to look into his heart
and see shrouded hope lying there.
Once, and only once, did he say any
thing that might have been construed
to hold meaning deeper than that Of
passing remark. He had just thrown
down heavy hog when Sim Bumpus
said:
II tell you whut, some men can tote
heavy loads on ther shoulders.'
''Yas, Lige replied, "and some men
ken tote heavier loads on ther hearts.
eyer never toted a heavy load on yer
heart did yer, Big Lige?' Squire Boyle
asked, as he took up hoe and began
to stir up the steaming fragments Of
rock in the scalding-box.
ooh no, Squire. 1t amt cal clated
that some folks has got hearts
"1earts don't ermount ter much les
sen they're trumps,' Mr.. Bumpus sug-
ges:ed. The men-all but Big Lige-
laughed, and Sim was SO well pleased
that he sought an early opportunity Of
telling an old joke.
''Sim's poet as wells a humorist,
lin Polk Brezentine remarked.
"No, | amt poet. l don't know
but one I,al good piece Nv poetry, and
that's one that my gran daddy told my
pap. Gran daddy said that in the old
war whar he fit the Bridish they onct
got barl Nv meat with this here po'try
wrote on the head Nv the bar'l:
"'Wash him clean,
An bile him clear,
Been er good ole wuck hoss
Twenty year
"Thar the dinner ho'n?' exclaimed
one of the Dye boys. "That's po'try
fur me-
"Yas, and lemme tell YER Sim re
joined, cts the sort Nv rhyme that hit
me where | live
\ gay company sat down to dinner
but Big Lige did not speak during the
meal. In the evening, when all the
neighbors had gone home, the gian
went into the woods and remained there
until a late hour. When he returned
to the house his quick step showed
that he had reached some sort of de
cision. He opened the door, saw Mil
lie sitting by the fire and said:
"Millie, come out here a mint.
want to speak to you.
Come in here, Big Lige; there
nobody in here but me-
"Whar the ole tolkso' Lige askeo
as he entered the room.
s'In the kitchin. Set down.
"No. What I've got ter say, l kel
say it standing up. Mile, ever sens
yer wuz little thing I've loved yel
l would rather be er niger fer yer the
ter be the richest man in the world.
amt got nothing but love and strengt
ter offer yer, but wants yer ter be m
wife,
The girl, deeply blushing, arose ant
said
'No, thank yer. Big Lige, l kno,
that yer air good man, and that there
other men that amt fitten fer nothin
but ter tote water; but | thank yel
sir, | don't want yer
He turned away without replyin
and climbed the ladder which led t
his room.
In Big Lige's manner toward Mill
no change was noticeable. He sat b
the fire at night, shelling corn or max
ing shuck collars, but he cast no loo
of reproach upon the girl. Brezentine'
visits became frequent, but Big Lig
treated his rival with as much polite
ness as he had shown any one. Hi
roaring laugh, though, which had eye
been rare, was now no longer heart
One day, while Petticord and Lige wer
chopping wood, the old man said: