Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-04-17
MISS MRDAM.
By OPIE READ.
Copyright, 1895. By z. z. Neely.]
CHAPTER II.


The house was double log structure,
a story and half high, broad, open
passage between the two sections, and
with the shaky gallery, that served as
a summer dining place, running out in
apparent aimlessness from the passage.
The neighbors said that old Bradshaw,
having more clapboards than he knew
what to do with, built the roof as a sort
of joke and was then compelled to put
down the floor as necessity.
. Andrews did not see the children at
supper, but when he went to bed in a
half room at the top of the house he
heard them giggling in some mysterious
hiding place, and as he lay sunk down
into the old feather bed with feeling
of helpless comfort, he heard them gig
gle again, and then he heard rain pat
tering ON the roof, close above his head.
Rain on an old roof gently rocks the
cradle for nature g soft nurse" " There
comes no nervous dream, taken with the
flashlight of a disturbed mind, fitting
in troublous zigzag, but there is semi
consciousness, pleasurable sinking in
to deeper comfort, and thankfulness
through it all that the rain is falling so
close overhead. Listlessly the visitor
felt, rather than dreamed, that he was
again a plow boy on the old farm, dread
ing the summons to get up and feed the
horses, and, reaching out, he put his
arm around the restful ease of morning
drowsiness and Rugged it closer to him,
loath to part with it, shrinking from the
thought Of blazing corn rows, where
the sweaty horse lashed his tail at the
flies, where the spider fed along the
strands of it's rudely broken web, where
the rusty toad, with dismal croak,
rolled upon it's back in the new made
furrow. Suddenly be started and looked
about the room. Old man Bradshaw had
raped on the stairway and had called:
"Come on now, mister, and eat a
snack"
It was Sunday morning, and as An
drews stood on the veranda he thought
that he had never before seen a day so
bright. Nature had smiled in her sleep
and had awakened with laugh. The
old time roses in the yard held up their
pouting lips to be pleased, as half spoil
ed children do, and resplendent holly
hook that grew near the kitchen, and
about whose roots the coffee grounds
were poured every morning, devoid of
warmth, seemed happy in the contem-
plation of its own gaudy dress.
"Jest set right down and fall to-"
said old man Bradshaw, and then, with
a sly wink, he added, "'Lizabuth must
have got up befo' day and declared war
on the chickens, for auuat 8 O'Clock /
heard the old Shanghai squawl like'thar
want no mo- hope left on the face of
the yeth. -
"Now, pap" his wife protested in
meek annoyance, seating herself at the
foot of the table near the steaming cof-
feepot and smoothing her hair in an en-
barrassed way, eff you keep on talkin
like that, folks will think that amt
got right good sense, but body has to
live, reckon, and if chickens amt to
eat I'd like to know what they was put
here for. Jest pass yo' plate, MIR. An
drews."
"Why don't Miss Madam and Little
Dave come along here now and quit
their everlastin foolishness?" the old
man asked, looking toward the kitchen
door. Enough of anything is enough,
and too much don't taste sweet at all. "
Andrews heard suppressed giggle,
and then there came on the quick con-
veyance of an excited whisper the
words: Don't do that Don't shove me
out there!'
"Come on here, now," Bradshaw de-
manded. "We don't want no mo- of
that foolishness and won't have it,
nuther!''
Little Dave stepped out upon the porch
and cautiously advanced toward the ia
BILE. Andrews saw an under size young
mana mere boy-pale, despite the
seeming effect the sun had made to
brown his face, with hair almost white,
and with one leg apparently much
smaller and shorter than the other. His
eyes were almost as colorless as potato
vine that had grown in cellar, and his
thin, drawn lips spoke, the guest fan
cied, in impressive silence of many and
many q night of lonely suffering. The
girl came out. A bashful smile put her
shyness in italics and laid embarrassed
stress upon her red timidity. Her eyes
We're brown, and her wayward hair in
spired thought of ripening corn silk
that perfumed breeze had tangled. She
was beautiful Even an old man. gazing
upon her, would have been thrilled.
Andrews was young. He cared no
longer to listen in silence to what the
old man might say, but began to talk.
He told a pleasing story, and Miss
Madam laughed. He was so free, so
easy. They had never seen any one like
him.
After breakfast, while the old man
and Little Dave were feeding the stock,
Andrews continued to sit at the table,
looking at the girl as she took away the
dishes.
"Have you ever been to school?" he
asked.
"Not MUCH" she answered.
81 suppose you'd like to go?"
eyes, but it's most too late now. l
L l.