The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-05

been disappointed IN love. Say, stran-
ger, where's your own pipe? I'll git a
coal of fire out here for to light it.
Then he turned toward the house and
shouted "Lizzie!"
Please don't trouble yourself said
Jack, hastily. Il don't smoke"
The man looked sidewise quickly and
suspiciously:
some don't; but it's pooty bad for 'em
in these parts. Tubbacker keeps off the
chills an fever.
Jack was about to unfold a theory,
which he had formed since his arrival
on the river, that tobacco, which every
one seemed to use, was probably one OF
the causes Of malarial complaints, by
making the liver torpid, when he heard
voice saying:
What do you want Of me, pop2"
Jack turned and saw In the doorway
of the log house specimen Of that por-
ton Of the population that had seemed
to him specially interesting It was q
girl in faded calico dress; but Jack won.
dered what the young fellows in his
town at home would have said could
they have seen her. There were some
very good-looking girls in that town.
Jack and the other boys had often looked
at them admiringly for an hour at a
time, when they should have been lis
tening to the sermon which the minister
was preaching that self-same hour, but
none Of them were like this girl. Yet
she was not different from many whom
he had chanced to see during his short
trips ashore-merely rich olive COM
plexion, large, warm, dark eyes, and
great deal OF black hair, with head set
firmly on q shapely neck. How could
she be daughter of the thin, sallow,
wrinkled, awkward man beside him?
She must have inherited her good looks
and figure from her mother. Jack re-
solved that he would improve the chance
acquaintance, il possible, to see II there
might not be something In the idea Of
inheritance by sex.
Its nothin', Lizzie, gal," said the
father; Il was goin' to git you to fetch
but coal to light the strangers pipe,
out it seems he don't smoke. Say, my
friend, know it amt any Of my bust.
ness, but didn't you ever smoker"
"Oh, yes," said Jack with laugh.
Once, when I was about 10 years old,
I smoked about an inch Of cigar. It
answered me for life; can taste it
now, or whenever think OF 1t"
"Oh, I see," said the man, with o
kind though plying look; cigars amt
safe. If you'd begun on a pipe, now,
you'd have been gettin' as much COM
fort out Of tubbacker by this time as
me-"
Meanwhile, the girl had come from
the house and stood in front OF her
father, listening to the conversation
and looking at the visitor without any
show Of embarrassment This seemed
odd to Jack. If up in New Hampshire
he had stopped at so common and shah;
by u place to speak to native who did
not know him, the women of the family
would have regarded him from afar off,
and looked uncomfortable if they
chanced to meet him face to face But
this girl looked him full in the face, as
pleasantly and with as little concern as
if he had been an old acquaintance, and
said:
Pop gets 80 much comfort out Of his
pipe that I like to see him smoke.
Jack quickly determined that he
would like to talk with girl like that
a girl who made so little fuss about get
ting acquainted. He had already found
that formal introductions were not in
fashion among the humber residents
along the river, and that no one seemed
to have any distrust Of man who at-
tended to his business and did not con-
Germ himself unduly with other peoples
affairs. It was as delightful as it was
strangethe way Of Southern girls, or
such Of them as he had met, in talking
to chance acquaintances; they were as
frank and free as If among old friends,
they did not seem on guard against
possible impudence and any i'm
them. Was this a result of heredity?
He thought it must be, yet how could 1t
have come about? He would look into
it; he would have plenty Of time on his
hands before his bees had got all they
could out Of the Louisiana lowlands.
"Supper's ready, pop, said the girl,
hadn't you better bring your friend in?"
"Of course" said the head of the
house, knocking the ashes out OF his
pipe and arising. Come along and have
bite with US, stranger"
Il am very much obliged" said Jack,
but If am to enjoy your hospitality
let me introduce myself. My name
is Brewster; I'm down here with boat.
load of bees, making honey for North
en- markets"
That so?" asked the host, SO much
surprised that he forgot to offer his
name in return. That's queer. Don't
they have any bee-trees up that way,
I'd like to know?"
Jack thought not; he had forgotten
that there were such things as bee
trees, though now he remembered to
have read Of them. He was about TO
explain the shortness of the Northern
season and to tell Of his method Of work
when he found himself within the house
and in the presence Of a woman about
as old and thin and sallow as her hus-
band.
Mother, said the host, "this is Mr..
Brewster, from up North.
Glad you dropped in, sir, said the
woman. Set down"
The supper was exactly the same as
Jack had seen atall other evening meals
that he had seen on tables in the low
lands-fried pork, fried fish, fried bread,
and coffee, which he felt sure would
have been fried if any way could have
been devised for preparing coffee in
frying pan. On his boat, thanks to lot
of stuff which he had brought down from
the North, there was frequent change
in the bill of fare. In his New England