Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-07-20

AIRLf.
moi" replied Langstafr, turning into
by-path, for he was in no mood for
talking.
"Hor on! Hol' onl" cried Deeson,
threateningly. "Ye war follerin' me
now, know it. They jest amt no use
o. dcnyin' emmy thing ez plain OF that.
Come, now! what did yc think o find
IMP"
"Nothin'r' replied Langstaff, angrily.
Though Of II feller'd nose round ye
long 'nufT, Jep Deeson, he'd run onto
some dirt or 'nuther, I'll be boun!'
Jep's brother, Silas, now came out OF
were standing.
Thus reinforced Jcp continues:
al reckon We air spy of the rev'nue,
Tom Langstaff. Thar's no use in try
in ter make we uns bleeve ye didn't
KEN up hyar on purpose. Ye know
thar's whisky hid in that air house ez
well ez do. Now how much'll ye take
ter keep yer mouth shetP"
II amt no spy an l don't want moth
in fur keepin' my mouth shetl" Lang
staff retorted hotly. ''Ef ye'd a-kep'
yer own tongue in yer teeth I'd never
knowed thar war emmy whisky round
hyar!"
Tell that ter them ell b'lieve ye"
cried Jep. "Hyar's ten dollars. l
heern ye lost yer job ter the mill and
it'll KEN handy"
He held out two gold half-eagles.
1t was n terrible temptation and
hot flush swept over LangsHff's face.
mo! dassent tech itm he faltered,
whitening to the lips.
Twenty, thenp" said Jep, hauling
out two additional half-eagles. What
do ye say ter twentyp"
Realizing his danger, Langstaff
turned and, with cry that was half n
moan, fled down the mountain.
That evening, as he sat on bench In
front of his cabin, gloomily whiting
at n stick, Jep Deeson came up the lit
tie bride path leading from the valley.
"Thort ez how I'd like ter hev a talk
with yel' he said, seating himself at
Langstaff's side and glancing furtively
at the doorway, beyond which Mrs.
Langstaff could be occasionally seen as
she moved about the room.
He dropped his voice to hoarse
whisper.
"I've been a-talkin' with Sile an he
lows ez it's our duty ter help an ole
frien' when he's out'n work an needin'
it."
Langstaff turned on him like an ami
nal at bay.
~ don't want We ter gin me emmy
money, Jcp Deeson. won't tech it. l
aid't holpin' the rev'new, and l don't
low ter"
al onderstan' that maw'gigeis louten
twenty dollars" Jep continued, not
needing the Interruption. ~ sol my
ole black steer ter-day. It's the one ez
brung up frum cal The butcher
down yander is ter take 1t
ter-morrer. He reckoned it war
worth thirty dollars, which l thort
lib'rul 'nuff Fifty dollars is n right
smart pile, an low it'll pay off that
mawgago an pull We through the win
ter. It's gwine ter be hard 'un, spec
tally ter man ez out'n work"
Langstafr whitfield furiously ut the
stick, his brain in n fiery tumult. Why
should he not take the money! Was it
not mans duty to ward the wolf from
his door at all hazards? He need do
nothing. Only keep still; and that he
had resolved to do anyway, whether he
received any thing for 1t or not.
Like most Tennessee mountaineers he
had no very high opinion of the revenue
laws and officials. His sympathy was
naturally with the men who were con-
! stantly hunted like partridges In the
mountains, then the mortgage that fell
| due on the morrow, the empty meal
barrel that stood behind the door, tho
grimy rafters, destitute of the smoky
sides of bacon that usually adorned
them, his poverty-stricken family and
the terrors of pitiless winter almost
ut hand, all added their crushing weight
to the temptation that tugged ut his
very heart-strings.
Jep Deeson saw that he was making
head-way and continued, in the same
hoarse whisper. "We-uns knowed we
wouldn't say nothin' Nv what you seed
ter day, but we thort we'd gin ye the
money fur the sake o. friendliness. Sile
sez ter me, when we-uns war speakin'
,bout'n it, sez he, Tom Langstaff's a
'onest man, an amt afeared but what
he'll keep his mouth shet."
A culver of pain swept across Lang.
staff's face and he threw out his hands
as II defending himself from deadly
peril.
II hope Sile's right bout'n me bein
'onest," he replied, his breath coming
in gasps. "I'm afeard ] wouldn't be,
though, Of took the money"
Fifty dollars is right smart pileH
urged Jep, jingling the coins in his
pocket Think hard bout'n it an III
sec ye agin ter-morrer."
He slipped from the bench and hur
ried out OF sight down the bridle-patf
before Langstaff could frame a reply.
What did that air onery Jep Deesor
want o. YEP" Mrs. Langstaff asked, a
tho supper table. 'He's allus a-creep
in 'roun' like shadder an never II
emmy good, I'll be boun'."
"He war speailin' o. the job lost an
akin Of thar warn't emmy way he coul'
helf mel" was the equivocal reply.
~ hope ye amt gwine ter jine in en-
| nv NJ hia mannpaeem aha eaid ionlxini