Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20


| the Long Ridge-rude settlements snugly
slowed away amid the corrugated spurs of
the North Carolina mountains. His spare
form and severe features, bent over his
shambling, one-eyed gray pony, had been a
familiar sight to the wayfarers of that
| rugged region SO long that even the
workings" who scoffed at religious fervor
and laughed at his antique. ascetic habits.
| would have missed the sight Of him more
than they cared to confess.
| He never asked pay for his work. II any
chose to give. he accepted If naught was
Forthcoming, he labored on and. gave no
sign, except in prayerful confession that
his labors were all too feeble--his unworthi-
ness too CREATOR Gods forbearance in al
lowing him to live. and love. and labor. and
endure-among his chosen people. He was
self-searching. narrow minded, dogmatic,
somewhat bigoted in doctrine. yet, some
how, lovable; caring. over all. less for his
| own comfort and success than for the eter-
nal welfare of others.
He lived in a small house on Choogaloo
creek. unattended, save by a half-witted
| young fellow called Pack, who cooked for
him, and in his absence bothered the neigh
bors by his unexpected appearances and
semi-idiotic chatter.
One day there came letter addressed in
a zig-zag hand to Mr.. Lem Kimbro. "
The Parson took 1t from the office at Tor
mey's store and placed it carefully in his
hat. After supper that night with his pipe
| alight his legs stretched before the fire
and Pack snoring in bed, he opened and
read it. Though deemed terrible smart
by many of his flock. he was almost as a
babe In the wilderness, amid the intrica-
cies Of pencraft. He deciphered each word
slowly. with effort that wrinkled his
forehead and made his old eyes ache:
"Deerfoot, texas janooerry forth, lSS-
Mister Lem kimbro dear f. md. I takes
my pen in hand tn let yu no l am well and
hopin these flu lines will find w the same
l am cummin back home agin / am tirde
ov Twin out heer and want you tn git the
old house reddy fur me. 1 want yu tn du
this fur the sake ov old times.
from missis Arizony Adkins tn Mister
Lem Ktmbro at Chugylu Crick."
The Parson laid the letter down. pushed
his glasses up and gazed musingly on the
hre. His brow, severely bent at first, grad
ually relaxed. and his lips-usually COM
pressed and rigid-wreathed themselves into
After awhile his face hardened again as he
said, half aloud:
Il wonner why she din't make Nose
write? She don ak nary word erbout Pack.
nd him her own borp'd brother. Nd yit-
| she mout think he wuz dead, nd yit-ef
| she do. why dfn't she after i'm, an him
all the livin' kin she hev got ez 1 knows
| on?'
He dismissed this query under the sue.
| ceeding influence of fonder retrospections
''She wuz mons'ous pert nd lively. she
wuz In them thar yurs Of vanity useter
| think the hull worl didn' hoP 'ez takin' a
gal ez Arizony Farmer. / 'memmer one
| time. at some krismus doin's down ter her
| pap s.when she W u'dn't let the old man b az
Kiss 'er. Then pulls up the head nd tole
| er ole man bar wuz Sandy Claws, md
| Sandy Claws wuz me; nd she put up 'er
mouth ez nateral-jist ez material ez tho
my kissin' Of 'er wuz wat shed alrays
respected. Nd now Nose Adkins hev mar
ried er yurs nd yurs ago.
Could it be that somewhere in this early
past lay the secret of Parson Kimbro's
present unwedded isolation? A preacher
without a wife--Choogaloo did not approve
of it, and had often reminded him of his
deficiency In that respect. He now re-
preached himself for giving way to these
"reminiscences of his unregenerate past.
I'm afeerd, when hit comes ter the reel
pull, l vain got no more strenk nur back
bone ergin the devil than some O. them
thar Mefferdiss over at Short Bark; not
but at they sorter tries in thur youn bin
way ter git true grace, but when one starts
out on the wrong trail. sech strivin' is q
good deal like mendin' a small hole by rip
pin a bigger one. However. they vain
Babtiss, nd l reckin they can't hope sech
doin's."
The perversities of the Short Bark Metho-
dists always made the Parson unamiable
when he thought of them. He. therefore
withdrew from this stone-throwing into
his own glass house, by saying, with true
humility:
wal, wal; thurs wus Christyuns than
Mefferdiss, nd eff the hui troof wuz known
I'm afeerd I'm one on EN- sometimes. But
Arizony Adkins now-why l hain't heerd
that much on 'er before in a many a year
mos wish she'd nuver writ, tho 1 reckin
Use halter look after the house fur 'er.
wonner eff she ever furgot how we-how ]
useter keer fur 'er?'
Here the Parson. as though ashamed OF
this reflection. rose abruptly, laid Arizony's
letter between the leaves Of his Bible care
fully "kivered up" the fire. and went to
bed.
There were various surmises on Chooga-
loo creek as to the purport of Arizony's
little over her writing to Parson kimbro
remembering dimly how he. when
young and foolish" had fallen a willing
victim to the girls fresh and blooming
beauty The general inference was that
.Arizony and her husband must have had
| good luck in Texas. and were returning
home to air their prosperity before the eyes
| of Choogaloo. Choogaloo did not object
though considering itself and its own ways
| as good as those Of any one else.
| II reckin the man she run'd of long of
nd married nd ez TUX 'er out thar mus
hev made q mint O. money" said Aunt
Salomy Witt to her husband. Aunt Salomy
| was a leader Of local gossip.
The ''Widder Stickney," who had been
| one of ArtzOny'S schOolmates, wondered II
| Nose were yet alive. She remembered that
| she had ''sorter sot 'er own cap fur i'm. -
| but had been cut out by Arizony's super
| Tor attractiveness. Though she had since
| acquired and buried two helpmates Of her
| own. her vanity still lazily reproached her
| when she heard the news that now brought
| back SO many memories of the past.
| The Parson-at first grumbling over the
| trouble of repairing the old Farmer house.
| soon found sad kind Of pleasure in the
/ task, as his mind bred reminiscent fancies
/ that quickened tenderly under the congen-
| ial labor of his hands.
| Pack" he said, for the twentieth time,
1 as that grinnng aid handed up covering
| boards while the Parson-on the roof-was
| stopping sundry leaks. does We know we're
| own born'd sister air a-comin' back ter see
| yer
Pack laughed and tabbered in a language
| peculiar to himself.
oval, she is: nd tho she didn' edzacky
| say so in 'er letter. reckin Nose Adkinsll
| turn up erlong with 'er. You'll be hevin'
| 90 many rich relashuns a-pilin' on we, Pack.
I'm afeerd We won wanter be keepin'
| house fur me much longer. Bit thass all
| eright boy; we've ben master good, seem
| how Ieetle sense the Lord hev' seen fittin'
| ter bless We with; md l hope Arizony md
| her man'Il do a better part by We n I've
| RELY BEN able to- all these yurs."
| Pack again laughed, as though he viewed
| his own lack Of sense solely in a humorous
| light, but ignored the allusion to Arizony
| entirely.
Poor foolr' muttered the Parson. IT