The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-01-16
THE BEGINNING OF THINGS.

landing on the river bank up to the
weather-beaten courthouse on the first
slope Of Johns mountain. Fit differed
from other inland county seats in
northern Alabama it was on the side
Of drowsiness and shabby fnconse-
uuence. Its reason for existence was
purely geographical; the Chiwassce
valley divides Chimath, county into
halves, and the ferry was d point ac-
cessible to the farmers in the valley
and to the dwellers on Juhal noun
tain on the east and Johns mountain
on the west. In the sprinkling OF
weather-worn buildings strewn upon
the hillside facing the river, but three
were relatively notable. One was the
courthouse, wooden, two-storicd, with
a classic porch out of which tumblcd
q cataract of steps flowing down to the
head of the street. Another was Cat
ron's store, low and windowless in the
rear and sclf-assertive and pretentious
in front, with high forehead Of
Notwithstanding rising above the
wooden awning over the sidewalk.
The third was the Mountain house, just
across the street from Catron's. It had
been planters mansion in the days OF
masters and slaves, and in falling from
its better estate the square brick house
had brought down some reminders Of
ancient stateliness and solidity. There
was suggestion of comfort in it's deep
verandas, roomy Railways and wide
fireplaccs, but the hint was lost in the
general aspect of decay and neglect,
and the Mountain house, together with
everything else in the village, pointed
toward gradual and painless relapse
into condition of moribund disuse.
In the nature of things, the old ALA
coochec saw few visitors. 1t was 20
miles down the valley to Prattvillc,
the nearest railway town, and Abel
French's blackboard was the only means
Of communication. French drove dow,
twice week for the mail, but he sell
dom brought hack a passenger. and,
save on "First Mondays" and other
court days. the Mountain house was
usually without guests. One pleasant
evening IN February, however, French
broke the record. He brought two
strangers up with him from Prattville,
and there was consequential Of spec
ulative curiosity among the loungers
whose rallying point was the shelter
Of Catron's awning. French, being
promptly Intercepted, con eessed reluc-
family that he had been unable to find
out his passengers business; and, hav-
ing run a 20-lni1e gauntlet with the in
quisitive mail carrier, the strangers
had no trouble in evading the less skill
full approaches of the townsfolk. For
two weeks they spent their days driv-
ing up and down the valley. and their
evenings sitting upon the veranda of
the Mountain otse,asking questions Of
everyone and contriving to dodge all in
guiries aimed at the object of their visit.
= One evening when the sun had gone
down behind Johns mountain the new
corners took their accustomed places
ON the ver:rnda, drawing their chairs
together and lighting their after-sup-
per cigars in full view of the open-air
court in session under Catron's avn
ing. One of them was heavy-set man,
with smooth-shaven face, hard but
unreliable. He had the mannerjsm of
quiet aggressiveness which belongs to
physical superiority, but the bully in
him was a force rather than am express
sion. Certain little idiosyncrasies, such
as the habit of Slipping his hands into
L - hi o1,oir
tly on two legs as he talked, suggested
tile lawyer cross-examining o witness,
and the hint pointed truthfully to the
gentleman's profession. Among his
legal associates in New York, Lawyer
Sharpless was respected as all able at
torney and one whose loyalty to hS
clients was never ha1npered by incon-
yeDient. questions of conscience. His
companion was wiry little man whose
clothes were shabby with the wear of
activity. He talked vo1ubly. punctuat-
ing his speech with n lean finger laid
in the palm OF the opposite hand, and
throwing one leg over the arm of his
chair as he warmed to his subject. His
calling was not so obvious, but that
was because he had followed so many
occupations that none Of them had left
it's impress upon him. A pettifogging
lawyer, land agent for q railway COM
pany, a broker in real estate, and lat
terly professional boomer, Mr.. Jenkins
Fench was man of many parts, well
qualified to bear his share in the enter
prise in which lie was ut present as
sociated with the New York lawyer.
Sharpless enjoyed the first inch OF
his cigar in silence before he nodded to
the group across the street. ''The
g1essers are hard at it again over there;
you don't suppose they have heard any
thing, do you?"
Hardly" replied Fench; there
hasn't been anything they could get
hold of, yet"
"No-not unless Gates has been talk
ing"
HE hasn't anything to talk about
An he knows is that we want to buy
his land, aud that proves nothing."
Perhaps not, to these people" re-
joined the lawyer, tipping his chair to
the cross-examination angle. what do
they say about the engineers cauap up
On the Little Chiwassee?"
I! Fench chuckled. "They think it's an
exploring party for new railroad; even
nnlarn tn nlIIrnDNIR