Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-20

| u N[kI,A to the river bank By the
| languid hope that q
steamboat might stop
| there during the day.
"What chumsr" Why. there amt but one
couple in these parts that's got that name.
| There they be, under the warehouse shed, old
Sumter Tulver Of Lost Lake an Trum Flepps,
from over the river"
Il see 'em now" The speaker had slowly
worked himself from leaning position on the
sunny side OF big button-ball tree and lazily
| turned his head and shoulders toward the ware
mouse. "Durn queer, too. Both on 'em got
Dig iarms an good 'uns an mos gineraily
| works hard ans got lots O. money saved up, an
yit let a good bright day come long, why, if a
teller comes down to the landin', like as not
he II see one o them fellers paddlIn' dugout
cross the river to visit tother. Fought agin
| each other in the war, too
wen, faint wonderful. They was friends
forty year ago, an they married sisters. OF
| course they had to go with their states when
.ne scrimmage come. but that was only dnrin'
-FOUR year. an old friends is best friends. Let's
| meander up an see what's goin' on"
arrived within the aromatic halo of tobacco
smoke with which the old men had surrounded
themselves the loungers heard:
ha All course its all wrong, stump. As some
| pody said In book, The times Is out O. tint.
Christmas an Fourth O. July keep goin' on,
/ as they ort to do but lots of new DAYS come a
| creepln in an George Washin' ton is left out IN
| the cold more an more evry year"
| That's so, Trum; I've even heard that some
1oiks on your side Of the river keeps Abe Lin
COINS Dlrthday--not but what he wasn't a
| pooty decent teller. l s'pose they'll and out
yet that Grant had a birthday"
Don't see why they shouldn't, Stump. Some
OF your folks keep Lees birthday"
Mighty good reason why. He was the
greatest gineral that ever"
Except Grant, who
Except nobody Grant was only a wood
cart man up to ST. Louis before
',io go to thunder! Lee went back on his
oath to his country, an"
he didn't do no such thing. You Yanks
tell a pack O. lies bout
Il don't low nobody to call me liar, you
burned old rebeln' exclaimed Trumbull Flepps
bringing to his feet.
Il amt no more rebel than George hisself
was! roared Sumter Tulver, rising and facing
mis- friend The two men gared at each other
moment Then Trumbull extended his hand
which ais1h was slowly taken by Sumter, VINO said:
The war
lis over" added TrumbulI. Then both
said in unison:
'heerful.' The loungers nudged each other
ana Srinned for similar outbreaks, with the
same form decentralization were common when
Tulver and Flepps Glanced TO talk of the civil
war
Slowly the old men regained and tilted
thelr chairs In the sunshine of chance warm
day IN February, industriously they addressed
themselves for moment to their pipes Then
lulyer, the Iennesseean. remarked:
Somethln ort to be done fur George"
that's fact, assented Flepps, the Nilsson
rian. Our war didn't bring outany such man."
Not on your side Trum."
NO, nor yourn, neither, Stump. You can
afford to be honest abou. that, reckon, con-
found your rebel soul.''
Look here, you durn subjugatin' Yank-"
Trrrp hull
'the war"
is over" added Sumter, after which
Doth Joined In saying "Keerful!'
There's lots O. talk about keepin' good ex-
amples before the risin' generation. resumed
irumbuli, but what does the young ones
In the school histories? Why, if could have
my way in our school district I'd throw away
all the trashy reaGin books, with their silly
stories an fool poems, an make the classes
read Marshalls Life O. Washin ton over an
over again"
''If had a son." said Stump. ..he shouldn't
go courtin' until he knew George farewell
address by heart. But you can't get no sense
In folks heads nowadays; last come is the
biggest man. Why, man bothered me into
puyin a cyciopeedy few years ago, an when
lection time come round an | looked in the
book to see who the fe.lers was, their names
WASH t there at all, yet now the papers is full
OF EN-. an not a word about Lee nor President
Davis"
Nor Lincoln an Grant,"
"keerful!' drawled Stump.
"keerful it is, replied Trum. "But faint
no good to jaw it over. an smoke it over, unless
sometime goin to be done about it."
Wonder II flag raisin' wouldn't help?"
suggested the Tennessean.
"Mebbe. or barbecue. but you can't count
on good weather for that in this season of the
year"
That's So Besides, wouldn't mean moth
m Folks would come together to eat, even
II twas the devils birthday that was bein' cele-
There amt much left that can think of~
said stump, after looking intently into his pipe.
as II he expected to see the form Of Washington
arise, ph9nix-like, from the ashes Irum
thought intently, looking across at the opposite
bank and then up and down the stream. as il
ideas. like steamboats,, might suddenly appear
when least expected. Finally he arose from
his chair, shook his pipe impressively at his
friend, and exclaimed
Il tell you what there is. There's George
himself, an he's strong enough to make 6is
own way, If we can get anybody to look at him.
Let's get up q mass meetin' for the birthday,
thatl fall due i'll few days. We're the men
that ort to do it. Amt you named after one of
Wasnln tons best southern gin'ras!"
An you after the 'riginal Brother Jons-
than"
That's about the size of u.s."
IL IN, soiu INC OIO 1cnneSSean. after n
thoughtful moment Il want to be with Won.
but sometimes you kind O. get your feet off the
solid ground, an then l can't catch nm with
you. What on earth do you mean bout there
bein' George himself, an gettin' folks to look
at him.
Just what 1 say" the old man replied.
jumping up and striding to and fro on the mar.
row platform In front of the warehouse doors
George Is one o them that the 'postle wrote
about. who, bein' yet dead, speaketh.' What
are yoa. beside bein' hundred an sixty pound
Of farmer an clothes2 Why, you're what Won
do an say; that's what folks know you for an
size you up by. Well, it's the same way with
Washin ton; what he done fur this country. an
what he said, is as good as it ever was; what's
wantin is that folks should think of it an take
it into their heads, IN be reminded of what
tremendous Teller he was, bigger n any Of your
Dsvises an Lees"
AN your Lincolns an Grants?"
"Of course; durn sight bigger"
Lay yer furrow true, Trum; I'll foller."
Flepps shaded his eyes, looked intentlv at
something on the other side of the river, and
remarked:
'Al right, but reckon the first furrer I'll
have to lsy'u be to ards home, with . paddle
for pillow. Pears to me see my boy Q wavin'
for me; was 'xpectin' city Teller that wants
to buy some Of my black walnut trees an
s'pose he's come, ! not bein' there. Come over
tomorrer, cayn't yer? An talk George up to
some Of the folks on this side-see If you cayn't
stir up their muddy blood little"
"Muddyf You g'long. This bank of the
rivers twenty feet more above water than