The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-13


looked long and meditatively at his queer,
twisted toes That were trying to climb up
| on top OF one another away down yonder
| beyond the other end Of the narrow little
bed Of fir boughs and blankets in the dark
corner of the cabin. Then for tire third
time he said, talking in whisper to those
curious and multitudinous toes, "Jist suit
You, see now"
And 30 I read from Josephus, and the
next day wrote a letter for him to his
little sister ut home to Savannah Landing,
Mo-, and signed Ezekiel Wells, for although
he had two brothers with him, young
brothers, who Were busy cleaning UP" in
the claim. and faithful loving brothers
they were, too, not one of them knew even
SO much of books as the alphabet.
Let 1T be noted as we go along that near
~ all these men were sternly honest, and
they all had more or less knowledge of the
6iolei many of them, 80 per cent. more
than now, had Bible names 1t is very
curious, a thing worth noting, else !
would not bother to set it down; but
reckon they must have brought these
names and this tradition of Holy Writ all
the way through generations from Vir-
ginia and the Carolinas
In about n week the two younger BROTH
ers got all cleaned up in the claim down
In the gorge under the cabin and their
friend Flanagan weighed and brought
them back their dust, cleaned of black
sand and stray bits of clinging Quartz and
pyrites of iron, nearly $4,000 Not much,
IL Is true, for three men. But the long,
slim creature in the corner, who by this
time was pretty well doubled up, all except
the persistent and ever moving feet,
stopped coughing long enough, as they set
the dust in tho goldpan by his bedside, to
say, Boys, divide up and go home"
And here was the example of another
tradition that had come down all the way.
even from beyond old Virginia-the old
English loyalty and obedience to the head
of tho family. 1t is to be sincerely re-
GREETED that this has so entirely persisted
from among us now.
The two young men held their heads ST.
lently for moment; then CHANGING at each
other, they came forward.
Yes; put her in three piles here on the
table by the bed, an Hez he'll turn his
back an III touch one pile with the pint of
my 1ackknife that Pat gave me to peel my
toenails with when get we'll next week,
an he'll say, 'Whoser"
Tho poor fellow was tied in a knot cough
Ing for time, and then he seemed to take
up some broken thread of conversation
with those remote and multitudinous blue
acquaintance down yonder beyond the
foot pole till the dust was divided Then
he turned his hollow eyes and looked on
the glittcring little heaps, and he smiled
to see that nearly all the big pieces were
heaped on the biggest heap And he was
glad, for TINT would go to little Hez-little
Hez, who had worked night and day all
the time that he lay there in the corner
talking to his toes. Sim, the other broth
er, was good, but he had beard on his
chin. and he had q baby at home, too, but
this boy was BENJAMIN
Turn your back. Hez; whosep'
Brother Zeke's."
1t WIS minute or two before Zeke could
see straight enough to touch another pile
with any precision But when it was all
divided they came up smiling and propped
him In bed.
Say, Her," he said as he took the larp
est piece in his pilein his slim, blue fingers
SAY, want you to take this and buy Sis
pirote- Oh. won't she cavort to hear il
screech and scream and cussl'
lie tossed the nugget into his young
brothers heap, and then after tying up
and untying himself he took another piece.
and tossing it into the other brothers heap
he said Say. you get her another p,rote.
Boys. get her three protes when you get
to the isthmus. One might die, and then
the other one would be loncsomclike. Yes.
one might die. That happens sometimes"
LIZ PoohSN Lib EOlQ hll over ana 0W0V
from him, and then with the big blade II
the jackknife he divided it in two and
made them put 1t into their long buckskin
bags as they stood there before him.
An now you git; you git tonight; nm
you git now. Provisions short, an l need
;em, now as Pm gittin we'll Go, 20 20
tonight There Goodby."
One hand to each in long. hard clasp,
and as they hurried out-for their hearts
were full and they would not weep these
men of old. in tho presence of anybody
they heard piping, CHEEKY voice calling
after them, Say, don't forget the pirotes
for Sis, boys"
tried to read some more to him right
away to keep him from talking to his toes
about Sis and tho pirotcs," and was right
In the midst OF the struggle between Simon
and John, where the streets of Jerusalem
were running blood, when lie suddenly
turned his head and said slowly, Say. how
much more is they of that f1ghtin, an when
will you come to where Josephus had that
trouble with Potiphar's yifeP"
closed tho book and tucked up his
feet, telling him rs did SO that would
have to ask the librarian about it.
That's right an say, you bring Frank
Campbell with you tomorrow. feel kind
O. low, now that the boys is gone, an want
to git some speerits to pull me up like.
Yes; goodby"
Frank Campbell laughed that queer,
quiet laugh of his as we went in there tho
next afternoon, for those feet, Us if they
must surely be going somewhere, had
pushed away out and out and out; and
the mans face was entirely under the
blankets. Campbell tiptoed up and began
to tickle his foot little as he laughed and
laughed that low, quiet laugh of his, for
he cid not want to startle him. But sud.
denly he let his RIGHT hand fall nnd ,,.ith