The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-12
Love AND
HUMAN NATURE.
Tale Of a Short courtship Oh
the Mississippi River.
BY JOHN HABBERTON.
CHAPTER I.-Continued.

had taken supper. The idea Of man
:, and woman bringing up such daughter
in such place! What could they be
thinking Of, or, could it be they did not
think at all? He thought his own quar-
ters cramped and his river life almost as
quiet as hermit's, yet if that girl lived
on bee-boet she would see great
deal more of the world and it's inhabit-
ants than she ever could while she in
habited that bare cabin. But why
should he think Of her being on bee
boat at all? There was no way for her
to reach such luck unless she were some
i day to marry man in the honey busi-
ness; instead Of that she would be sure
RI to throw herself away on that stupid,
unmannerly, lounging, hulking fellow
with gun. He wished his mother and
sisters could have the making Of that
girl, and then send her back to her own
county to teach her old acquaintance
what was what. Wouldn't she make o
stir if she could be put in that quiet old
New Hampshire village-even if she
made her first appearance In that very
faded calico dress? AS he imagined her
Walking into the village church, the
, white walls. of that barn-like ediflce
suddenly grew rosy, to his closed eyes,
and the scent Of orange flowers Danish
ed the well-remembered and pervasive
odor Of caraway seed.
Nothing of that sort could hap
pen, though, if she already was
gone on that Internal fellow with q
gun, as, Of course, she was; if not, why
did she rush out so wildly to stop him
as he went along and bring him into
the house? Beauty did not imply
brains-he had learned this long ago in
his home studies of heredity; peither
did it save its possessor from rude
tastes. Well, Jack was sure the whole
affair was none Of his business, and, II
he could not get it out Of his head.
would have himself towed up the river,
ahead Of time, and get away from such
nightmare Of stupidity. If he could
afford to rush the season little he
guessed the bees could stand 1t. too.
e.. CHAPTER II.
As he emerged from his cabin in the
morning, with light and aching head,
and began to make his toilet, he was
startled by an apparition Of the young
man with gun. Jack rubbed his eyes
and saw that it was no apparition at all,
but the man in his real person, with
very real gun. Jack had gun of his
own and knew how to use it, so he hur-
ried into the cabin, slipped a cartridge
into his rife, and then peered cautiously
through one Of his little windows. The
man was still there, but he did not seem
in haste to proceed to bloody work, for
he had leaned his gun against q tree
and seated himself on stump. Jack
placed his own gun within the door yet
where he could reach it quickly if neces-
sary; then he ventured outside again.
The man with the gun raised his head,
saw Jack and shouted:
a -Hello!"
y, Hello yourself, Jack replied; then
he thought it safe ro say: Won't you
come aboard?"
Don't care if I do"
Il Jack pushed out a plank, and the
visitor, leaving his gun behind, saun-
tered aboard with his hands in his
pockets and looked carelessly about
him. He seemed to approve Of what he
saw, for he soon remarked:
Mighty pooty bizness, this OF yourn.
Old man MazZitt was tellin me bout it
after he came back last night, an I
Flowed I'd take a look at it if you
didn't mind"
Evidently, then, the man with the gun
was so close friend OF the family that
he had spent the night with them. The
idea Of so uncouth fellow being even
under the same roof with that girl and
treated as her equal! Jack wanted TO-
toss him overheard and drive him to the
bottom with push-pole, but he re-
strained himself and explained the bee
boat business to him. If the fellow
was to marry Lizzie perhaps the girls
life would pe more. endurable IL her
husband was to 60 into some business
which would enable his wife to see
what little of the world lay along the
banks Of the big river. 1t wasn't an
impossible scheme. The business did
not require much capital to start it,
and to tell the truth, there was not
much more work about it than in carry
ing gun and skulking about in the
woods. So Jack enlarged little upon
what he had already said about bee
boating, and the fellow seemed to un-
,derstand it, for he asked an intelligent
question or two. Then he leaned
against the sunny side OF the cabin,
looked Jack full in the eye, and startled
the owner Of the boat by remarking:
You pear to be pooty decent kind
OF feller."
Thank you," said Jack, @though l
don't see how you've made up your
mind on SO slight acquaintance.
"Oh, WELL" said the hunter, we have
to learn in this country to take mans
measure pooty quick. There's all sorts
come along, some by land and some by
water, an there's no tine TO look up
somebody that knows 'em and ask ques-
tions about 'em. II Ididn't think more'n
usual well OF you, wouldn't have come
down here this morning to say some.
thin to you-somethin' strictly tween
man an man"
What tthe-something-is the fellow
mp to-" Jack asked himself.
Its about her" said the native, nod
ding his head in the direction Of Lizzie's
residence.
Don't worry about me-" said Jack
promptly and quite loftily. i never
attempted to take a girl away from an.
other fellow"
There's lots that she'll be taken away
from, by whoever gets her, was the re.
ply. Il 'llow you amt married? Well,
her heads full Of you"
"NonseneA!" exclaimed Jack, with
frown which - could scarcely keep
Srom becoming smile. She never
saw me until last light.
"Tfut dat make no difference said
the visitor. Il know the signs in gals.
She ,ouldn't talk about nothin' else all
last night while me an the old man was
smokin'."
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