Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-01-23

'spect would a done the same thing
myself twenty year ago, an maybe 80
Ira a felt jest an proud an Jest az hurt
an Jest as brave as you did. You
| thought erbout all them that night.
didn't you, little partner. an how you'd
do somethIn' great to make mp fur fur
gettin'. didn' you? bet you did, an
you thought erb0ut yourself an you
thought erbout your father, too, some,
ma be, not Jest as you would Of you'd
n waited tell mex day or mex week,
but wasn't there somebody you furgot?
Somebody, too, as was wuth the whole
worP to you, somebody as would Il
gone down into her grave to "a saved
you, somebody as waited an watched
after the waters went down. an who Is
waitin' an watchin' yet, please God,
when everybody else has give you up.
Amt right erbout 1t. little MANI"
"Oh, Saunders, Saunders" said the
boy, taking his friends hand, while
the tears streamed down and wet the
pillow, "what shall l do?"
"There amt no trouble bout answer
in that question nOw," Saunders said,
''hard as 1t is to go back Of our wrong
doing an make things straight, but
mothers is mothers wherever you put
'em, an maybe so I'd been diffunt
eff mine had been left to me longer.
But your way is clear enough, an it
amt sech powerful long journey FUN
Texas to Louisiana"
do you mean it, Saunders" said the
boy with a smile on his wan lips,
land can / go to-day"
no, but it won't be very long bef're
you start eff you keep on like this"
Saunders answered, IAN, somehow, OIL
chap, you've made it mighty easy fur
me to tell you somethin' I've jest been
Dustin to tell you ever sence you've
been lynn here" and Saunders cleared
his throat, while the boy looked ut
him eagerly.
"You see," he went on slowly, MA
son warn't quite gone when the boys
picked him up, tho he was done fur
befo'e you got to him, lad; the pony had
fell acnost him, an he'd jest breath
enough left to tell me all erbOut it.
Po' old Mason. They was Il smile in
them big, dyin', woman eyes err his
when he looked up at me an said
Didn't l tell you the little chap had
else, poor OF partner He tot me he
didn't have nobody i'm the worr but jest
hisse'f, but you could a knowed that
by the lonefulness i'm his eyes. an he
said to let his sheer er the cattle go to
you. Seems eff he kinder speciOned
things was pretty bad with you one
way or 'nuther. an he toll me to let the
cows go the frst chance / got, an turn
the proceeds over - you. What do you
say now to a little wad or ten thousan'
dollars to start home WITH
Poor old Mason" the boy said, and
his eyes were trimming with tears as
he sat up in bed. II can make it up
to father now, Saunders, can't II"
Two weeks later. when the Valley
Queen steamed through the draw
bridge at Shreveport, jeff stood on her
upper deck, glad with the prospect of
home near ut hand. How dear anl
familiar everything looked Behind
were the broken red hill slopes dotted
with cottages, the slender church
spires, the crouching. cavernous ware
houses of the little city; beyond were
the black plantation lowlands, the
great sprawling, grass grown levecs,
and the dark, treacherous river wind
ing between, shrunken now within its
muddy banks. waiting calm and qui-
escent for the swell Of the spring rains
to send it sweeping on in it's work of
destruction.
When the whistle blew, and the boat
rounded the curve, Jeff saw with 81
little pang of bitterness the old cot
tonwOod which marked his own home
landing, but he sprang ashore joyfully
before the wavering stage plank had
touched the bank. He was not the
only passenger for Steel Dust Planta-
ton he found, as the men who crowd
ed after him pushed by, hurrying up
to the house. Jeff followed eagerly
Was this the homecoming he had pic
tured so often as he rode over the
dusty prairies, or lay OH his hospital cot
in those sweet days of convalescence?"
Surely something was wrong. About
the yard the stablemen were hurrying
to and fro, while others were sampling
cotton from the bursting bales under
the big gin house shed. Teamless wag-
ons blockaded the broad avenue which
led to the house, and, under the spread
ing oaks, mules were punched or
stood in long lines tethered to the lot
fence. Barn doors were wide open,
and plOughs and hoes and scrapes, in
desolate heaps, Uttered the lawn.
JEFF saw it all in the brief interval
which 1t took to reach the house, and
the noisy chattering Of the crowd in
the hallway suddenly ceased, even the
blatant yell of the auctioneer broke
confusedly, and his hammer fell to the
floor with bang as bright young
voice from the doorway shouted clear
above the eager bobbing heads:
II forbid this sale!''
JEFF elbowed his way to the crier's
desk, unbuckling the leather belt IRON
beneath his coat as he went.
''What is the amount of your attach
ment, sir?" he asked.
fifty dollars, with COSTS" replied the
astonished auctioneer.
"Then dismiss the crowd and count
your money" JEFF said, pulling a roll
of bills from his belt pocket.