Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-11-05

looked up and asked Alden If he had made
a mistake. The young fellow shook his
head and drew a long puff of smoke from
his pipe, watching it curl out of his nose
with interest.
Then I'm obliged to yew, Alden" said
Craig, GLOW III eat a snack to see it ain t
pizened."
He filled his lean jaws with the dry bis
cult, then scooped up a tin cup full of wa
ter from the muddy river and set the rest
Of the cracker to soak
Good" queried Alden.
Fair" drawled Craig boiling an I'M
chewed segment and choking a little.
"How's the twist?"
Fine" said Alden; tastes like stable
sweepings."
They smiled at each other across the
stream.
'Sa-a-y,' drawled Craig. with his month
full, when yewre out of twist, jest yew
sing out sonny"
AN right" replied Alden. He stretch
cd back i'm the shadow of a sycamore and
watched Craig with pleasant eyes.
Presently Conner had bite and jerlled
his line into the air
Look yere," said Craig, that amt no
way for to ketch redhorse. You want
q ca fridge on foh a sinker, sonny"
whats that?" inquired Conner, suspi-
ciously.
Put on a sinker."
GO on, Conner" said Allen.
Conner saw him smoking. and shifted
anxiousiy. Alden tossed him the twist,
telling him to fill his pipe.
Presently Conner found a small pebble
and improvised a sinker. lie swung his
line again into muddy current, with a me-
chanical sidelonE glance to see what Craig
was doing and settled down again on his
launches. smoking and grinning.
Emmy news, Alden?" queried Craig, af-
ter Il silence.
Nothing much; except that Richmond
has fallen grinned Alden.
Quit fooln'," urged the southerner;
"ain't there no news?'
mo. Some OF our men down at Mad
pond got sick eating cat fish. They caught
them in the pond. 1t appears you john
MES used the pond as a cemetery, and our
men got sick eating The fish"
"That so?" drawled Craig; too bad.
Lots of yewr men was in Long pond too l
reckon"
In the silence that followed two rife
shots sounded faint and dull from the dis
tant forest.
:" Mother great union victory, drawled
Craig. Extryi Extry! Richmond is took!
Alden laughed and pulled at his pipe.
I'VE licked the boots off or the Thirtieth
Texas last Monday" he said.
"shor drawled Craig; what did you go
a lickin their boots for-blackin?'
"Oh, shut up" said Conner from the
bank: Il can't catch no fish If you two
fools don't quit jawin'."
The sun was dipping below the pine-clad
ridge. flooding river and wood with fierce
radiance. The spruce needles glittered
edged with gold: every broad, green leaf
wore a heart Of gilded splendor, and the
muddy waters Of the river rolled onward,
like a flood of precious metal heavy, bur-
nished noiseless.
From a balsam bouEh thrush uttered
three timid notes; a great gauzy winged
grasshopper drifted bllndy into clump
of sun-scorched weeds click click! er-r-r-
r.
Purity. amt IT," said Craig looking at
the thrush. Then he swallowed the last
morsel of muddy bareback, wiped his
beard on his cuff, hitched up his trousers,
took off his green glasses and rubbed his
eyes. "A he catbird sings purifier, though,
he said, with a yawn.
Alden drew out his watch, pulled once
or twice and stood up, stretching his arms
in the air.
ITS 4 o'clock" he began but was cut
short by a shout from Conner.
Gee whiz. he yelled, what have l got
on this here polc?'