The Opelousas courier., 1889-08-24

But she was speeding away down
the path. splitting the water from the
bucket at every step.
"Uglyp" the man groaned. "Dont
I know just as well as any body in the
world how ugly / am? But it's
that hound S%harpley that has changed
her! She used to seem to like to have
me around, and almost seemed to for
get my ugly face. And We'll, it's
all over now! I dreamed; that was all!
But if Sharpley--"
He did not finish the sentence, but
strobe along the wood-path.
Before the girl had reached the
house a SIN all boy, mounted on a
wheezy horse, dashed up to the rickety
pole-fence and uttered a shrill whoop
that aroused old Jerry Pottle SO sud-
denly that he nearly fell out of his tilted
chair. The old man hurried owe to
the ience, the boy impaired his mes
sage, and the steed dashed wheezingly
away again, urged by the rain of kicks
that the bare heels of his rider be-
slowed upon his rusty sides. AS the
girl reached the house, old Jerry
emerged hurriedly, bearing a long
brown rife.
where are you goin', paw" the
girl asked.
"Hanner," said the old man, s~ternly.
as he strobe away, ''shet yo're mouth,
an don't you darst to stir often the
place twell to-mor'.
Some event of much moment must
be at hand. Hammer was only used
at such rare intervals that the girls
proper name had been almost forgotten.
Her father, kind in his shiftless way,
usually considered Han" sufficiently
comprehensive, and few called her
any thing else, excerpts Jacks. 1t
had been "Hannie" with him, and
then with S%harpley. just now the
girl did not remember but two previ-
JUS occasions upon which he had dig
nified her as Hammer" One was
when his wife, her mother, had died.
The other was only last week, when
the Riggs 'boys" had been arrested,
and carried away on a journey that,
after some delays, ended at the peni-
Tertiary, the said ''boys" having been
captured by a United States marshal
and his posse while engaged in man
ufacturing '.moonshine" whisky at q
cleverly-concealed still-house. ~ )
So, all things considered, the girl
felt sure That the news that little Sol
Bender had brought on the wheezy
horse had been of much moment.
Han stood looking after her father,
and wondering what was about to oc-
cur.
Must be somethin' right import
ant" she said. We'll, it won't keep
me, spite O. his sayin', Don't you stir
often this place till to-mor'.' To-nor'
Tll-T'm goin' to see it at last-the
great, big. bright world beyond the
timberm
Old Jerry Pottle did not see Jacks
Hamlin as he turned from the path and
plunged ts2to the timber. Now and
then, as the homely man trudged to-
ward his lonely home. he muttered,
half aloud, in a dreary, despairing
way: 1T is all over, nowm be oroaned.
''Hannie-little Hannie!"
Night found Hamlin in his small
house, bowed over his homemade Ia
BILE, seeminGlH savagely intent upon
d~evonring the contents of one of the
dry books. But the light of the splut-
tering candle could not dissipate the
shadow that seemed obscuring the
printed, page-a shadow that in spite
of his determination, kept resolving it.
self into the face of a girl-a bright
face framed in o tangle of wavy hair.
He stared fiercely at the page before
him, and passed his hand across his
vision as if t, brush away the shadow
that, in spite of his effort to think of it
no more, his thoughts would keep
bringing up.F And when, in angry
despair, he turned away from the book,
the face was before his vision still.
s'Hannie! Hannie!" he said, half aloud.
az"
There came a patter of footsteps
without in the darkness, and a little
figure with frightened face and pant
ing breath staggered in at the open
door and sank into the first chair.
4Hannie!" cried the man, in aston
ishment.
''Oh, Jacks" gasped the girl. ''Save
him! Save him! They are goin' to kill
,aim, am"
AIt was evident that she was terribly
frightened about something.
They'll kill him-kill him. she
walled. "An'-an' he was goin' to
taklme away from hero an show me
all the great world, an make a lady
Nv mean I'd never have to wear
these old ragged cloze no more. An,
an now they're goin' to kill him!
They drove me away when | tried to
plead with them-my ole father showed
me away an called him a spy. An
you'll save him! You caE-you can!
You know SO much, am
D.Him? Whop Sharpley?"
Eyes. He was goin' to take me out
into the big, bright world, an'-an'
now they are goin' to kill him"
WAS he going to make you his
wifep" the man asked, sternly.
"'Deed an double he was. an"
'sComep!' was all the man said.
They left the house and hurried
away in the darkness, the man striding
nInnn a4 . terrific nnoa saeminrIv m