St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-03
A CRACKER. !"
The Romance of Life in Georgia.

standing on one side OF the hearth
nervously toying with china cup and
saucer of gaudy pattern, her only treas
ure except tlaring chrome of "JOseph
and His Brethren" which hung on the
wall, while he chewed vigorously and
eXpectorated freely, to the imminent
risk of injurng her Sunday dress. How
silly and frightened he looked as 500
ME, seating herself, began idly picking
at her frock, blushing wildly, and leav-
ing the opening of the evening exercises
entirely with him.
'Saw mighty big chicken up Ger the
store this EVEN. huh, huh," said he.
Ibid you, he, he; which whupped?''
said she.
The ice was broken, and when the
traveller again looked towards them their
chairs were
HOPELESSLY TANNED.
and all outlines were confused.
1t may have been that the presence of
the handsome and well-dresSed stranger
prompted John Henry to unusual bold
ness tonight; at any rate he was soon
telling his love in true backWOOdS
heroics. If he was bashful and awk-
ward, she was coy and shy. Perhaps
she, too, was thinking of the traveller
and comparing his easy, unstudied grace
with John Henry's heavy, numbering
manner. She held back and hesitated
long before putting her promise into
soft Cracker language.
''Oh, SOOnie," he finally blurted out,
''if you likes me, and don't likes to say
so. Just squoze my hand"
This appeal was probably irresistible,
for the next moment there was quite a
reciprocity in the hugging line between
fham .0I1ita unanimous in 70 ua,
heavy masses of auburn hair hung over
his shoulder, and her bangs were all
musSed up with his carroty forelocks,
while the red ribbon at her throat and
his flaming necktie were indiStinguiSh-
ably mingled.
The fire burned slowly out and was
not replenished, but Henry stayed until
the traveller, with many sad memories
Juggling at his. own heart, drew the
cover over his head and slept, despite
the snoring of his strange old bedfellow.
When he awoke the next morning the
entire family had been long up. The
old man ives out feeding the stock; Mrs.
Stubs sat in the doorway smoking and
LOOKING DOWN
the lonely road, thinking, perhaps, of
that fair, brave-hearted boy who so long
ago went out that way to Zine Guv'ner
Brown" as the smoke curled blue and
laZily from her pipe; SOOnie was max
ing bread at table a few feet from the
bedside.
Good mawnin," she said, with
smile on her ripe red lips, which looked
tempting until the stranger thought of
John Henry's tobaccO-stained mouth
and shuddered.
you'd better be gittin' up" she said;
ssbreakfaS' is most ready.'
Get upI 1t was certainly time to get
up, but how was that to be done with
girl looking calmly on at distance of
six feet?
How the stranger suffered as the time
flew onward and she loitered about the
table, and would not go away nor turn
her back upon him. The biscuits were
all made and she began to set the table,
calling him ''laZy boy" and remind
ing him it was time ito get up an
wash"
A year later the traveller returned
that way.
Half a mile up the road he stopped at
doorway sat SoOnie with a cob pipe in
her mouth, and she was alternately
knitting and rocking white-haired
baby. In the pine woods all the chill
dren have white hair. A dog inside the
house growled hoarsely, but was quickly
silenced. SoonIe recognized the trav-
eler and called her husband.
John Henry came slowly into view
from behind the house, ejectad shower
of tobacco juice upon a flower bed,
threw a well-worn ''chaw" among the
struggling rose bushes and said, all in
one breath:
Good -tollable-light, mister"