Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-08-13

that an t'other wus done, an.at the last
why. she ups an runs off with er ire
| peddler that wus lazy as er fatteniI
hog an ugly as homemade sin. 'Twu
that way she got her come uppance
Besides keepin her po' as Jobs turkey
he turned ont ter be as mean as gya
broth-fact is, the meanest man eve
wus in the county exceptin maybe OLE
man Joe Bob Armistead's son Joe. HE'D
a-oheated his own father in his dyiI
hour. Reckon you never knowed erbout
the fight he had with Tip Taylor. You
see, they both wanted the same gal,
Mary Blain, that useter teach school
Pixy did think the world an all Of her.
She come from up moth; bat, bless yo
soul, she loved TO be waited ON same as
eff she owned 20 niggers. AS 1 started
ter tell you, little Joe Bob an Tip-you
know Tip, not much bigger'n plea
yune, but not afraid O. nobody, not even
eff he wus big as ole Golier-Tip an
him, they hitched an hung one night at
the meetin honse--Salem church 1t wus
an Brother McPounder holdin er re-
vival over thar. He's preacher with
talkin erbout-he wus, ruther. / amt
never ra' ally got over losiD him in my
feeliBs, po' good mani He always useter
be tellin Pixy he'd ride 100 miles ter
say the ceremony when she got mar
ried. :"
"Humph! | never did see much in
him. I'm bound ter say it eff the man is
dead" Uncle Jimmie said, sitting
straighter in the saddle. his hands
clinching hard about the reins. Evil
IDENTIFY he was nerving himself for a tre-
mendous encounter. The squire was
talking still, but as Uncle Jimmie
raised his voice he stopped short and
listened acutely while the other said:
''Besides he wus so naTer. All you
close communion Baptis'es is sorter
that way. You CANT hep it, seein
whut you believe, but he wus the big
etedest one O. all that ever | run err
cross. an that's sayin heap, since I've
erbout growed up among 'em.
That settled matters. A firebrand in
stubble does not fame more fiercely nor
more instantly than did Squire Eecock's
controversial wrath. With hoarse, DO
lemic roar, the outrush of words began.
Uncle Jimmie, to-, threw his leg over
the saddle and made ready for q long
strife Of tongues.
The moon climbed big and red up the
dark worlds eastern rim 1t stood high
and white in "a midnight sky, yet still
the argument went on. Great horned
owls went hooting overhead; screech
owls cried, shrill and eerie, through the
moonlit world tree toads sang tumultu-
Ously, and crickets cheeped, but not
note Of all the sylvan chorus came un-
derstandingly to the ears of the dispu-
tants. Both spoke at once, and neither
listened further than the word or two
needed to set him off afresh. II was
contest Of breath and endurance truly
Homeric. Even the midnight cock crow
passed them heedlessly over, nor did
they listen to the shriller clarions that
heralded the dawn.
AT last, when the casts pale, rosy
radiance began to warm and brighten,
the gray horse, restive this last three
hours, reared and gave out a long, pro-
testing neigh. Blacky gave him
sleepy look, moved her long under lip
little tremulously and shook herself as
one might shrug the shoulder when
weary Of proftless wrangling. Uncle
Jimmie resumed his proper seat and be-
gan to say over his shoulder as he
headed the gray toward town: II amt
through more ii half / could say, squire,
but you know how it is. I'm bound ter
help Jack Musgrare through an there's
breakfast an a heap o. other things
tween this an them
'Thanky, Uncle Jimmie. You have
helped him through--the very tightest
place that ever he wus in, 1" Ned Wylie
called behind him. Facing about, he
saw that young man, laughing so that
he could hardly sit upon his horse, and
back of him Jack Musgrave and the
Methodist minister, with Pixy between
them, bareheaded and brightly blushlng
as the face of the morning
She rode straight up to her father,
taying, with level eyes: "Howdy, pa? l
told you l would, an sure enough l did.
Jack came out las night with the
preacher an the license Ned guessed
you an Uncle Jimmie wCelld stay here
some time, but we didn't any of US
think it would be all night. So we got
married fast an tight first, then sent fer
all the near neighbors to help US rejoice.
We've been waitin fer you to come, but
you staid so long we had to go
home" blushing prettily and dropping
her eyes at the last word.
Squire Eecock drew deep, gasping
breath. Perhaps it was well for his
daughter that he had spent the night
through such a fire of wrath. At first