The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-04-20

| the spout spring. Occasionally the moon showed ! her face through flying fragments of clouds. A
 rooster" crew, and the old hen made peculiar noise "a noise which chicken never makes during the day and which always proclaims some petty, mid night annoyance The horse jerked the bridle reins by impatiently thrusting his nose forward, and snorted, it appeared, to attract attention. "Cio on, then" said, "but if it should prove to be dangerous place, you will have to stretch your legs again"
 | 1 refined up within few feet of the door and hal'oed. The door, grating loudly on the boards beneath, was ierked open far enough for man to thrust his head out.
 "Who's thar2" voice demanded.
 "A wet cold and worn- out man," answered.
 "lt don't make no dihunce, then, who you air light an come in."
 "May ask who lives here2"
 "Ies jest as cheap as not to- but it mout be savin' some little time for me to say that nobody don't live here."
 "May ask, then, who you are?" "As ain't got cause to kver up my name it would be putty nearly right and proper to ask me that question. l am Major T. Patters Nn, known all over this and J'nng counties as Gentle Tobias !"
 Before he had ceased speaking l the ground Never, to me, had screaky a voice borne such welcome music.
 "Why, set fire to my hidel" exclaimed the old fellow when I had made my self known. elf you haven't found a place where you rest, holy Moses wasn't nothin' but & county surveyor. Hold on, let's put your nag in the stable right round thar. Come around this way. A tree blowed down thar to- night, an hanged of didn't think was goin' to be squashed right out on my own hearthstone l won't ask you word about that affair in town till we go in the house and set down. come away early, for saw thar was goin' to be trouble, and was afeerd that if stayed couldn't keep out of it. SO straddled my old mar and come on up here. l own few acres of land here and put this cabin of peace on it some time ago. call it the cabin of peace because come here whenever think there nOut be danger of me gettin' into a scrimmage. And you was out in all that storm? Twinges of rheumatic have kept me awake, or mout not have been up to receive you"
 During the delivery of these remarks he had been busily engaged putting iced into a trough.
 "Yes, built this cabin 'way up here, but don't come to it as often as used to, for old age, that years ago could jest stand tiptoe and pokin' up his head over the hill, reach out and tech me now. Now, let's go in"
 The room contained but few articles of rude furniture. A log fire, in immense fire place, had sunk into comfort-giving shoulder, and a lamp placed high upon a shelf had driven the shadows into corner. l sat, fOOlishly musing, foolishly wondering if the shadows had followed me from the jail.
 "Come," said the major, tell me about the scrim- mage and then we'll eat a snack and go to bed. What time is it, anyhow?"
 It was only two o'clock. What an age had passed through since noon gave the old man an extended account of the fght-drew out the thread of detail, for saw his old eyes grow young with delight.
 "Good !" he said, when had finished and then he sat in silence gazing into the fire that seemed to have grown gray with him. His eyes were old again.
 "My father and brothers were killed" he said. "One night, when 1 was 8 child, my father set rockin and tellin' about his bear trap, 'way up the creek in the hills. Somebody hoered 'helloap My father put me down and opened the door. gun fired out in the dark and he fell back dead" He aroused himself with a jerk and his peculiar air of timidity came back to him.
 "What you reckon Pve got to eatS" he asked "I have no idea"
 | "A 'possum, or Aaron was a county jedge Bought him from nigger and brought him right on up here to nibble st when felt lonesome Xiv cred him with sweet potatoes and baked him. Had just tuck him off to cool when you hollered Novu wa,n i'm ha tahl