Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-01-23

been SO llttie useu, ~ "e'o .e'N-'NS - -
meeting-ground of bird-life as OF nu,
manity. Everywhere it was shaded
by cedars of grent~nge or by elms un-
der which the moss had grown since
colonisi days. Along this ancient way
the rambler nas little to remind him OF
the changes wrought in the passing
century. What few houses are passed
in the course of long walk are old
time structures, and more than one
has been abandoned. The reason was
plain; the land is poor, and whatever
Inducements were held QUIT to the orig
inal settlers had not been continued
to the fifth and sixth generations.
Still, not all the tract had reverted to
forest. A little gcrden-plot about
each of the cottages that were oecn-
pied was still held back, by spade and
hoe. from the encroachments Of wild
Growth, and in the last cottage to be
reached, surrounded by every feature
of I'm old-fashioned garden, lived Silas
Crabtree. As {. child I had feared
him, and now l both disliked and ad-
mired him; why-as is so often the
case-I could not tell.
The man and his house were not nm
like. The cottage was long, low
building, one and half stories high.
| A window on each side Of the door
barely showed beneath the projecting
! roof of O narrow porch extending the
full length of the front. There was
single step from the porch to the
| ground. From the roof projected two
| SQUAT dormer windows. The shingles
were darkened by long exposure, ant
patches of moss grew about the caves
Silas was like this. The windows ant
door and long low steps recalled nj
ewes, nose and mouth, oyertopped b.
low projecting brows and unkemp
hair, that were we'll represented b,
the cottage roof with its moss an
dormers. So far the house and it
solitary inmate; but the open wei
with it's long sweep, the clump OF Il
lacs, the spreading beech with initial
cut long years ago-these were
poem.
While the day was yet young,
passed by, and Silas was sitting o
the porch. The quiet of this mont
of day-dreams was unbroken. Th
catbird hoped about the grass, bu
was mute; song-sparrow was perche
on the topmost twig of dead ounce
bush, but did not sing; troop
crows was passing overhead in perfet
silence. Feeling more strongly tina
ever the moodiness of the morning,
strove to break the spell by shouting
with unnecessary emphasis: $1,000
morning, Uncle Sllas. With SUI
den start the old man looked up an
stared wildly about him. Straigh
way the catbird chirped, the sparro
sang. and from over the tree-tol
came. the welcome cawing OF the crow
Even back cat came from the hou
and rubbed its arched back again
SiIas's knees. The spell was broke
and the old man growled (for he con
not talk as other men): "Pm gil
2 you've come
= "Oh, 1 was only passing by; we
r you asleep?" .,,
. "5leepin' or not, was thlnkin
r you. Come in.
$ Stepping rather reluctantly into t
ward, 1 sat down on the floor OF t
porch near Silas-for he did not OH
70 oat me- a cbair-and waited for h
to speak. :,
Gas o boy" said silas, in soft
tones than had ever heard befol
!; "you had grudge again me, as yo
father had again mine, and yo
h grandpap again mine, and so on aW
back. It never showed much, tina
. know OF, but the feelin' was thel
: and yet we started even, for my 10