The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-26

had tsr do Ne would have hit back aOl1n
shoru's he lived, fer he loved 70 morcsn 81
the world besideaL Thcn ho begged Easoor
ter 70 back with him an carry the fiddle
90 a. ter bring him luck.
''Easton he went, an shore 'nough the
Frenchman won the first turn. As the
second begun it looked like his eyes wuz
glued ter the ball. Toward tho last It be
gun ter roll slow, 90 slow ye jest bar'ly se<
It move Seemed like it wanted ter stop on
his color an couldn't somehow manage ter
10 IL. He wuz bettin still on the black.
When the ball crope over on hit 30 slow an
easy ye saw IL couldn't git of, he flung mp
his hands an fell back, dead as er door nail
When the doctor come, he said the French
mans heart wuz weak, an the strain had
been too much fer him.
"Then Easton he took whut the feller
had won an wbut he'd borryed o. him an
had him buried decent, or thar didn't pear
ter be nobody else ter SEQ whut become O.
him. When that wuz done, he come tromp-
In home with the fiddle under his arm, the
only mortal thing he had ter show er all
he'd took erway."
"Po' ole felleri He wont have that
much, chen, after terday," the thin beard
ed man said, winking his eyes hard. Then,
leaning across to the sheriff: "Say, Bixby,
give us one mo- look at Marg'r ret, wont
We? She's or fiddle, an no mistake. I'd
know the sound o. her ef she wuz playin
with 30 others. 'Tain't so loud, but mel
ler as harvest apples an carries so ye kin
hear 1t at the yard gate mighty nigh as
well as ye kin on the peazzo. i useter al
ways could tell when i rode past thar how
things wuz goin with the majer by tho way
he played. Ef he wuz feelin jolly, had sold
his terbacker fer ernough ter set him
squar with the warehouse an the sto' keep
in, Lord, how he did rattle of The Ar
kansaw Traveller an Tom Meriweather,
an Henry Phillips an BLACK Satin, an
sech like tunes. But ef he wuz beset over
things, hadn't paid taxes, er the corn wuz
out an no money ter buy mo-, 'er may be
he d seen 'Lizabeth turnin an patcbin her
ole frocks, that wuz jes' fit fer the ragbag
why, then, tell ye, Margret jes' walled
out Billy in the Low Grounds or some
er them ole time camp meetin tunes that
sounds like or lost child cryin fer its
nanny.
"Many times this summer I've rid by
thar at er gallop, jest ter keep frum hearin
the ole gal. Majer's got or white head,
but / tell We he keeps or mighty Timber
elbow yit I lay he's got mo- satisfaction
out er the hundred dollars he give fer
Marg'ret than out or any other money
that ever he spent That's what makes
me wonder SO that ever he'd give 'Bige
Potter a lien ON her. I'd "a thought he'd
most as soon give him one oiiS Lizabeth.
Bige thought hit mounted ter bout
the same-that's why he wuz SO keen after
It, l reckon" said a lounging fellow in a
suit OF patched jeans who had hitherto
been silent. He had keen, small eyes set
under thatch of grizzled hair and skin
tanned almost to the brownness Of his gar
ments.
"Ye see, wuz thar when all this yere
wuz a-happenin," he went on. "At the
majer's, mean, thar with that feller frum
up moth, that come down yere a-bird
huntin, an got me ter sorter show him
round. We boarded at the majer's-
mighty good board, too, It wuz. Liza
beth's er number one housekeeper, an STIR
rin-oh, my, Of she jes' could "a happened
ter "a been born a boy, we'll, thar wouldn't
be no talk or this yere sale terday. Shed
work out tho debt, she would, an never
bat her eye"
"She wouldn't git the chance 'Bige
Potter closer'n the bark to or tree. But
go on with yer tale, Shock. 1t was gittin
mighty inferestinr' Bob Lumpkin inter-
rupted. Shocky Waters, the hunter, eyed
him keenly for half minute, then went
on:
"As Iwuz tellin when that thar oaf put
in his mouth, seen an heard tho whole
thing. One day in November that thar
no'the'n fellor-Rayne his name is--lost
or letter he had writ ter somebody back
whar he como frum, an he wilZ put out
over hit er sight. So let in ter huntin it
up. 'UwuZ long toward o'clock--we'd
been ont al day-an traipsed out through
tho orchard, wbar we went that morpin as
we started. An who should / stumble on
out thar but 'Lizabeth, a-getherin tho last
er the winter apples, an 'Bige Potter Asset
tin on his h1wse an lookin at her liko he d
give his cars ter cat her up, As come up
] heared hiln sag:
q Miss Azaoeth, my mind is made up
ter git married fore this time next year.
Tell me, now, whut do ye think o. my
chances
"'Oh,' scs 'Lizabcth, colorin up but
scttin her teeth tergether, Il reckon You
can DO it, cf you'll go fur CROUCH way
frum home. Thar's women a-plenty that
W. 4
asked 'em fer the sake Of LAWN "Nlrs. |"
ON their tombstonos.'
"jlis face got p' cherry red, but fore he
could Slsn MS mouth come through the
hiah weeds, an ses 1: Hello, 'Bigel I'll
trouble ye fer that thar letter i sec a-stick-
in out o. yer side pocket I've searched an
searched fer it, tell I'm nih about hip
shotten.'
"Thet was pyore bluff. 1 hadn't nc
reason in the wurld ter think he had whut
I wanted. But it wurked. He gimme the
dockyment with no two words an rid OF
sayin he must go find the majer
"That night the ole man tole me how
'BiQc had come or dingdongin at him bout
intrus' money an wouldn't let him crlon'
tell he'd give him this ycrc lien on Mar
g'ret."
"wonder Of 'Bige thinks she's wutb an!
part of it, s30OS Reckon he's safe though
The land oughter fetch considerable more'l
the debt But dunno, neither. Money
skase, an there amt nobody much hkel
ter want sech or big place, " the thin beard