The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-09-02
nave the Craig place and the Quarter

have the Craig place and the Quarter
tract"
"Sold, by Jingo," croaked the par
rot, oracularly. -,
mo such thing, you BEAST" said
Uncle John, angrily, completely
thrown off his guard. Then to Han
nah, who was secretly enjoying
naughty Polls accidental thrusts, he
said, Grossly:
"NYhy do you have u parrot swears?''
Then, without waiting for an answer,
he branched of on the desirability of
the property offered Hannah and
sung its praise, till the parrot
screamed "Sub.treasury," while Han
nah sat there and looked calm and
lisinterested and ever and anon
dropped the snowy lids to hide the
J Joy and satisfaction that would flash
from her glorious eyes.
Horace was summoned, the papers
drawn, signed and sealed according to
law, and John Dalrymple left with a
look of triumphant dissatisfaction on
his angular face. TIe did not attempt
to conceal his triumph. On the con-
trary, many were the jokes he made at
the eXpnese of Horace and Hannah.
The whole neighborhood was made
aware that he had, in his own estima-
ton, outwitted q good lawyer and, by
far. gotten the best of the bargain.
The railroad came on apace, sta
ton was fixed att point on the Craig
place. n company was organized TO
get out the granite lots began to he
in demand-and Craig city grew like
Jonah's Gourd. The truth began to
lawn on John DaIrymrle. Just to
think of it? That old rocky, hilly,
Door place, as he had always termed it,
bringing, when sold for business sites,
over two thousand dollars per acre.
Then the water power at Craig Shoals.
Already there were capitalists taking
hold of it, laying the foundations OF a
large factory. He groaned and cursed
his luck. Why had he not thought
of it himself? 1t was all owing to
Hannah's habit of keeping up with
the news. The story had leaked out.
The reporter-school teacher had q lu-
crative position in some one of the
manifold enterprises which had sprung
up at Craig City.
"Those internal newspapers and the
meddlesome scribblers who wrote for
them," john Dalrymple ragged like a
wild beast, then with his own pecu-
liar ineffable audacity went to Han
.ah and tried TO change the bargain.
He met with firm, yet po-
lite, refusal.
Homeward he rode sadder and q
wiser man. Beinga man of means
| he had considerable influence in his
county Alliance and lie had used this
influence to cripple the editor of the
Jonesboro News for whom he cherish
ed secret dislike. Mr.. Chisolm, on
Alliance as we'll as other questions,
"hewed to the line and let the chips
fall as they might" So when a
motion to boycott the News was made
it was carried against the wishes OF
many good men who were too weak
numerically to stem the current. g.
Thus John Dalrymple to crafty q
contemplate spite, had deprived
himself and familv of reading the
weekly news and, incidentally, of thou
sands in solid cash which would have
been theirs if they had kept posted on
local news. Holding slight grudge
against prominent firm be induced
his sub-A lliance to boycott them.
Messrs. Bird Brothers simply adver.
tised more than ever, fairly painted
the town black with printers ink.
actually advertised the boycott, and
had to employ additional clerks to ac-
commodate their increased CUSTOM.
Upon his devoted head burst the
storm he had wished in his heart
would encompass the downfall of
others.