The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-26
SHOCKY WON THEDAY

Phe sun shone, but q raw, nipping wind
blew in from the river. There was no sign
of thaw, save upon the southerly edges OF
the deep ruts in the street before the court
house The door Of 1t, too, was deserted,
albeit it was the first Monday in January,
with sheriff's sales to como of, In which a
large part of tho county felt the liveliest
Interest.
The eager onlookers had lounged inside
Now they stood in gossiping groups about
the big, redhot stove. 1t wanted still half
an hour Of 10, the time set for sales to be-
gin. Until tho hour had struck 1t was un-
likely that those most intimately concern
ed would show their faces; 80 there was
no restraint in the speech that ran about
the room.
"Hit's CT plumb shame, neither mo- ner
less. I'd say that eff wuz goin to be shot
for It," tall, thin bearded man said for
sshe third time, giving the stove door kick
ms he spoke.
81 dunno erbout that" returned his
neighbor ncditatively. He was round to
righteousness, with big hook nose stand
ing out over a huge dout6 chin. "Seems
ter me-" ne went on, "mo' like er jedg-
ment Ye cain't deny Of Easton Clark had
"a paid's much 'tention ter his farm as he
done ter that thar fiddle he'd not "a been
whar he is terday.
"Yonre right, Brother Bemish. He
wouldn't now, Shore" said third. lank,
sour yisaged man with tract in his hand
and pair Of open saddlebags flung across
his arm. "As you say, hits er clear case
o. Judgment To think O. Easton Clark,
brung mp as no wuz In the nurture an ad-
mention o. the Lord, fiddlin these 80
years fer every dance In ten miles round
an not for no money neither-jes fer pyore
love o. the sound"
"H-m-mi reckon We think IL wouldn't
"a been no sin ef Majer Clark had took
money fer it AN give the money ter hep
ye an yer tracts, Brother Barker" said
a tall young fellow who stood little inside
with his hands in his pockets, his hat tip
ped hack on his head, his springy, well
booted feet set ostentatiously in the first
dancing position.
A minute Brother Barker eyed him In
frowning silence, then broke out In his
cracked, high keyed pulpit voice:
? Robert Lumpkin, ye speak as one not
havin understandin, one yit in the gall
o. bitterness, tho bonds O. iniquity-yit
the treuth is the treuth-it has made me
mad ter see Easton Clark a-lettin ye sim
ners dance without payin the fiddler when
1ie could jest as easy got 50 night to hop
spread abroad the pyore gawspil"
"Well, I'm shore the old majer wuz
liberal ernough So long as he had money
he give 81 year ter every church in hear
I'm Of i'm, though he didn't belong ter none
of 'em," young Lumpkin said with spirit.
Before the minister could reply the tall
man who bad spoken first broke in: "Well,
I'm sorry fer the majer, though maybe
hits his own fault. Don't seem like no
msn in his senses would IA done whut he
did-Horrowed g., 900 on morgidge ter put
inter er patcnt fer maxim soap outen
nothin-but the feller that got hit-that
thar Cowlick e GeOrgy-he wuz or slick
one ter talk. tell &c. He took the majeJ
In slick as er gouge Majer's 80 honest
'hisself be never dreai.7pt ernother man
that spoke sair an wuz pnetty behaved
could be er liar an or cheat
!, "yc Sa,..tcr say he's sech er gambler he
wuz willin ter take all sor,> sr cnances
1t wuz les thnt-nothin mo-. nun he
never tell ye how he come by Marg' g'ret-
that thar fiddle that he talks to, same IS IL
wuz or human critter:" Brother Barker
said acridly, his eyes squirting toward
Brother Bemish, who nodded approval in
such fashion as to set all his big person
shaking.
"No, l never quite got the s'.afuht OF II
Tell us how 1t was, w.sn.t yel" Lumpkil
asked, druhhn C on the wall as he spoke
oro'her ~mish nodded in satisfied wa
"n' ccxan In his heaviest drono:
give heard Easton tell the tale a-man
IA time. Ye know, his gran sir raised him
same as he's raised 'Lizabeth. seems hk
the Clark stock has ter skip every otbe
pineration. When Easton come ter be II
the ole man he give i'm all tho crap they
made that year on the plantation an bull
him er flatboat ter carry hit down ter Ol
Jeans a-tradin. As ter whut Easton don
with IL nobody didn't never rightly know
He tells that he got good money outen tf
stuff. Then nc got ter thinkin he wan
never likely ter he In that town no mo-
mis- lifetime, so he sot in ter see q much {
1t as no could Yc may jedge that COT
alike smoke. 'Twa'n't so mighty long b.
To- he found he had jest or hundred dollal
lef' In his pocket an told hisself he'd be
ter walk homo. 40 as ter have that muc
ter show his gran'sir.
"As luck would have 1T, though, tn,
very night ne stepped inside one or the
,Oamblin houses, an thar he saw ar lit
waller old Frcnchman aplayin roulct
like he wux possesspd. Every time he In
on the black m fer erwhile he ies raked
the money. But his luck couldn't las
Soon he'd lost all he'd won an all he hi
besides Then be jumps up like cr era
man nm says ter Eeston that had be
ntandin behind whar he sot: Sir, ye To-
uitaful an honest. Lend me now, i
lag OF We, el00 ! make ye all sure
A. two, three times ovair. Den, when
have it, Why. break dis bank. dat e
will ruin me-
"Well. Easton ne tried ter reason VI
che man an offered ter give him $50 Of HI
nromiss tsr quit playin, but that wuz
40. an the upsbot Of 10 all wuz that
vent With the French fcller ter is roo
--tbsy wuz close by-an thar nc let
have The 800, takin Marg'ret fer securi
ne 6jAu't want no security, put the OF
wouh have 10 that away. IL was r,I