San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-12-08
T0BE.

lD is a Gay III Uffe OOuuVUd ulOunU-
aims The moisture Of the night dew still
fingers in the dense tangle Of the mountain
trees, rocks and wild growth, although the
sun is flooding the valley with IT'S warm,
hazy sp}endor.
The plantation, of which the eastern limits
are shown by ramshackle rail fence running
along the foot Of tho mountain, is a typical
Georgia farm. The house Of the owner Is
withdrawn from view behind some hills tn
the west Here and there through the valley,
Hike murky blurs on the vaststretch Of rolling
green, appear squalid log huts with midland
stick chimneys; some Of these have two
rooms, one on each side of an entry, but most
Of them have only one apartment with a shed
attached
Near the public road stands small grist
mill Its wheel is dry and idle; the water Of
the creek, from which the mill gets its motive
power by means of q race cut through the
fields, has fallen so low that the bed of the
race has to be lowered In order that the cur
rent may run freely enough to turn the
machinery.
Where this channel takes its course through
a field of ripening wheat swiring in the
breeze white man and negro are plying
pick and shovel The former, lobe Longley,
is about 80 years of aga No one would pro-
nounce him good looking as he leans on his
pick handle waiting fer the brawny Old
negro TO shovel out the lnSse earth he has dug
up In fact, nature could not easily have
made him more unsIghtly, and conformed to
the specifications as to the general shape of a
human being which the Almighty evidently
gave in Adam. AS the country girls used to
say, when TObe was on the lookout for life
companion: "Ugly's no name fur It'll Alb
serlutely heediousl'
His hair as to color defies classification.
Some of the knowing ones who remembered
him as an infant, asserted that at that period
it was blood red" but the suns, rains, winds
and dust of years had robbed 1t of its pris-
tine identity and as seen now is simply an
indescribable, dingy mass adding uglinesS to
a freckled face, in which is set q pair of
crossed blue eyes, and q bent-to-one-side nose,
which, strange to say, seems more in har-
nlony with the left eye, although it incIines
positively toward the right one.
notwithstanding his lack of facial charms,
he was in possession of heart 50 pure and a
disposition so gentle and kind that he had
never had an enemy.
Pete" he says with an upward jerk at his
suspenderlesS trousers, and squirting brown
stream of tobacco juice at basking green
fly, Pete, OF co'se you a niger, but I'll be
dadblamed eff you oughtnt to know better'n
to contend that takin' o. watermelons hain't
stealin'l Jest as shore as yere a standin'
thar, it is; the Lord hain't drawed no line
'twixt stealin' an takin' o what hain't
yor'n! It's p'intly agin the Word, an tn
hain't no earthly use a-tryfn' 10 patch it upr'
Pete WAS listening with attention. but an
ir4epressibls, incredulous smile was drawing
bis thick lips apart and spreading in curves
over his swarthy visage
Oats 50, boss, s'pose," he grinned,
scratching his gray, woolly pate; "but de
family | used ter bfong ter nebber wuz so
'ticl4r, an dey's de bes' wife folks in de lam
Oar wu8 NarSe Ge0ge-an' he's a 'residin'
elder at dat-he's de wuss uf un; he wouldn't
eat UNI leBSen dey wuz tuck. No, sah he
wOuld'D' tech um wild he's mOuf. | ain
gwine spute what YOU say; but, Marse Tobe
watermeIons is diffunt-dey's des diffunt.r
In such manner the conversation WIS
Kept up until Tobeb dinner born sounding
from one OF the huts, called him from his
work.
So incOngruous are the workings of fate
that there dawned day not long after the
opening of this story-and 90 lobe Longley
and his Young wife no bIacker one had ever
c0ne-in which he, the man who was noted
for honesty, was accused of theft.
He could not command the use of his
tongue as he stood with quivering limbs and
paining heart, listening to the officer who
said that the walsh lobe was wearing had
been stolen from DIR. Bland, the owner of an
adjoining farm lobe declared that Sam
Black, negro, had sold 1t to him. and that
he had never dreamed that it was stolen
property 1t was great surprise to him to
learn that the negro in question was then in
jail awaiting trial in the superior court
sharged with stealing horse in another part
of the county.
However much confidence was placed in
lobe, the circumstances were so strong
against him that he was bound over on bond
to make his appearance at superior court to
convene in few days. The testimony went
20 show that he had been at Mr. BANDS
house on the day the watch was missed lobe
seemed TO he broken hearted over it. No one
could console him even with the strongest
expressions OF confidence in his ability to e.-
tablish his innocence.
'"Thar never was no SIGH fotch up agiD any
O. the name g fur back s ever was heerd off,
he would say to all in abject disconsolation.
He wss, indeed, pitiable object sitting IN
his rough Clothes among the lawyers in the
courtroom when the day for his trial arrived.
Mr.. Edward Clark, a talented young lawyer,
had his case in hand and was sure of success
He had prepared strong speech and under
stood the law bearing on the case thorU'rl.} y
On the other hand, the solicitor &c. al
had not been idle, There had existed Il < ut
of antagonism between him and Clark for
some time, and he usually took more interest
in a case when they happened to be oppo-