Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-04-22
MISS MADAM.
BY OPIE RIED.
Copyright, 1895, by F. T. Neely.
CHAPTER iii.

Copyright, 1895, by F. T. Neely.
CHAPTER I'LL
The days passed, but Andrews said
nothing more about. taking the school,
except ON one occasion, when he re-
marked that it would be better to wait
until the corn should be "laid by. B" Old
Bradshaw and his wife appeared to be
much pleased with him. At evening
and sometimes at noon he would read
Spurgeon' g sermons to them from tat
tered book that had mysteriously found
its way into the neighborhood, and the
old man, with his chair tilted back
against the wall, never failed to 20 to
sleep, and his wife never failed to chide
him. The visitor essayed to show his
usefulness in more than one way, and
once he made pretense Of helping Miss
Madam and Little Dave hoe piece Of
creek bottom corn where the land had
been "broken up" wet and which was
too cloddy to be plowed, but the heat of
the sun soon drove him in the shade.
The girl laughed gleefully at his lack
of endurance and said that he ought to
wear a sunbonnet and tie it under his
chin as she did. The boy did not laugh,
nor did he express the contempt he felt,
fearing that he might arouse Andrews
pride and thereby nerve him to the de-
termination of overcoming his aversion
for the toilsome employment. Andrews
went into the deep woods and sat on a
log in small, new made clearing where
q lank and stoop shouldered man was
irving clapboards.
"Don't reckon you ever done any
work of this Sort" said. the man.
'sNo, don't think l ever did"
"You don't think so? Why, if you d
ever have done it, you'd know it blamed
we'll, and there wouldn't be any think
in about it. You are stoppin at Brad
shaw's, amt you"
eyes"
"Hearn you are goin to take up a
school"
II was thinking of doing so" "
"You was thinkin so, eh? You don t
pear to know nothin for certain. Jest
sorter think so all the time. Don't see
how you could larn a child much. Don't
believe I'd sign for more'n third Of a
scholar. Waal, must be goin. Hope
you've got sense enough to find the way
out Of here"
He took up his frow and slouched
himself away, and Andrews, stretching
himself ON log, mused and dozed in
the shade, lulled by the soft, varying
and .neyer familiar harmonies Of
, thousand buzzings, as faroff and as SUBJ
dued as all echo and yet as close as a
song poured directly into the ear. A
rustling of the dry leaves on the ground
startled him, and looking up he saw
Miss Madam coming toward him.
"We've got that piece of corn done,
she said, land l amt got nothin to do
now but go after the COWS and drive 'em
home"
"Sit down and rest yourself.
II amt very tired" she rejoined,
seating herself on the log.
"But you must be nearly roasted
with that hot sunbonnet.
II am pretty warm" She took off her
bonnet and sat swinging it by the
strings
"You were never in town, were your"
"No, not exactly, but went with
pap once when he went way over on
the other side Of the ridge to vote, and
we eat dinner with man that lived
thar, and jest before we started home
we saw some men get into fight and
one of them was cut nearly all to
pieces with knife I reckon they do
worse than that in regular town whar
they vote ali the time. Pap says that be
wouldn't Ii Q in a town and he has
been thar, but he knows that some
of the people that live thar are good
and kind, for the jedge and his wife
that give pap and mother the boss must
have lived in town, bot Little Dave
says that he bet he didn't, but Little
Dave is mighty brightly sometimes.
must 90 on after the cows"
II will 90 with you" ;"
II am goin with her," said Little
Dave, coming out Of the bushes.
"Why. how come you here9" she
cried.
"How come you here?" he asked.
"Why, jest come, that's all. "
"Waal, I jest come, too, but that
amt all"
II didn't tell you to help me drive up
the cows
"You didn't tell him, nuther."
"But he Can 60 if he wants to, can't
he, Mr.. Smarty?'
eyes, and can 60, too, whuther be
wants me to or not. ="
"Ob, you think you are so smart.
"That's all right. I'm goin with you
after them COWS all the same"
"Young fellow" said Andrews, look
ing steadily at the cripple, "it's time
you were-dropping your foolishness. !
am not interfering with you in the
least, and it is none Of your business
whether I 60 with this young lady or
not. Do you understand"
The cripple's thin lips parted in an
evil drawn smile.
81 mean what I say, young man."
The cripple smiled again and taking
knife from his pocket opened a long,
keen blade, looked up at Andrews and
quietly remarked: "That's what man
lowed once when he met wildcat in
L. IL sx.L -