The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-01-01

beg Of ye, 800. make ye all sure OF
IL two, three times ovair. Den, when
have 1t, why. break dis bank, dat else
will ruin me. |,
"well Easton he tried ter reason with
the man an offered ter give him 500 OF he'd
promise ter quit playin, but that wuz no
go, an the upshot Of 1t all wuz that he
went with the French fellcr ter Is rooms
they wuz close by--an thar he let I'm
have the 600, takin Marg ret fer security.
He didn't want no security, but the other
would have 1t that away. 1t was right
pitiful though, Easton said, ter see him
hug an kiss the fiddle al call 1t his chiid.
He swore ter 1t he didn't mean ter part
With it an asked it's pardon fer whut he
lad ter do. He would have hit back again,
shores he lived, fer he loved it more'n all
the world besides. Then he begged Easton
ter 90 back with him an carry the fiddle,
so as ter bring him luck.
"Easton he went, an shore 'nough the
Frenchman won the first turn. AS the
second begun IL looked like his eyes wuz
glued ter the ball Toward the last II be-
gun ter roll slow, so slow ye jest bar'ly see
1t move Seemed like 10 wanted ter stop on
his color an couldn't somehow manage ter
do 1t He wuz bettin still on the black.
When the ball crope over on hit 50 slow an
easy We saw II couldn't git of, he flung up
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 for him
"Then Easton he took whut the feller
had won an whut he'd borryed o. him an
had him buried decent or thar didn't pear
ter be nobody else ter see 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 feller! 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 ret, woon't
We. She's er fiddle, an no mistake. Ia
know the sound o. her Of she wuz playir
with 20 Others. 'Tain't SO loud, but mel
Ter as harvest apples, an carries SO ye XIII
hear 1t at the yard gate mighty nigh 81
well as ye kin on the peazzo. i useter al
WAYS could tell when l rode past thar how
things wuz poin with the majer by the way
he playcl E he wuz feelin jolly, had sole
his terbacker fer ernough ter set hin
} sauar with the warehouse an the sto keep
in. Lord, how ne did rattle off The Ar
kansaw Traveller an Tom Meriweather,
. an Henry Phillips an Black satin, al
, sech Ike tunes. But ef he wuz beset owe
4 things, hadn't paid taxes, er the corn WI
: out an no money ter buy mo-, 'er may b
e he d seen 'Lizabeth turnin an patchin he
. ole frocks, that wuz jes fit fer the ragba
!. why, then, 1 tell ye, Marg ret jes' waile
0 out Billy In che Low Grounds er som
- them ole time camp meetin tunes tina
g sounds like or lost child cryin fer II
nanny.
I "Many times this summer I've rid
< thar at er gallop, jest ter keep frum heari
p the ole gal Majer's got er white head
! but tell ye he keeps er mighty limbe
e elbow yit. l lay he's got mo- satisfactio
+ out er the hundred dollars he give fe
! Marv'ret than out er any other none
t that ever he spent That's what make
me wonder 20 that ever he'd give Big
n Potter a lien on her I'd "a thought he
8 most as soon give him one on 'Lizabeth
"'Bige thought hit mounted ter bot
t the same-that' why he wuz so keen att
II lit, I reckon" said lounging fellow In
It suit of patched jeans who had hither'
10 been silent He had keen, small eyes s.
J. under thatch OF grizzled hair and ski
n tanned almost to the brownness OF his ga
p ments.
"Ye see, l wuz thar when all this ye
IL wuz a-happenin," he went on - Al u
" majer's, mean, thar with that feller fru
r IN moth that come down yere a-bii
10 huntin, an got me ter sorter show nj
Z. round We boarded at the majer 3
III mighty good board, too, II wuz. Liz
u, beths er number one housekceper, an sti
be rin-oh. my, ef she jes' could "a happen'
no ter "a been born boy. well. thar wouldn
he be no talk er this yere sale terday. she
Ut work out the debt, she would, an nev
'n bat her eye. y
at "She wouldn't git the chance. 'Bi
ck Potters closer the bark TO er tree. Is
er 90 on with yer tale, Shock. 1t was gift
st mighty interestinr' Bob Lumpkin Int
nm rupted Shocky Waters, the hunter. ey
ed him keenly for half minute, then We
on:
ne "AsIwuz tellin when that thar oaf p
es. IN his mouth, l seen an heard the who
ne thing. one day In November that tn
= no'the N feller-Rayne his name is-lt
IL or letter he had writ ter somebody ba
'er whar he come frum, an he wuz put 0
rd over hit or sight So let In ter huntin
In mn 'Twuz long toward o'clock-w'
ON been out all day--an ! traipsed out throu
the orchard, whar we went that mornin
IT, we started. An who should ! stumble
I'm out thar but 'Lizabeth, a-getherin the U
Se er the winter apples, an 'Bige Potter as
'ay tin ON his hawse an lookin at her like n
give his ears ter eat her up. As come
ny heared him sny:
IN, ".Miss Lizabeth. my mind Is made
Ike ter cit married fore this time next 70
her Tell me, now, whut do ye think o
-, chances
va ".Oh,' scs 'Lizabcth, colorin up,
iiit scttin her teeth tergether, Il reckon
Or can do It, Of you'll go fur CROUCH y
'ne frum home Thar's women a-plenty .
wv. would marry Old Scratch hisself u
the asked 'cm fer the sake Of havin " Mr.
on their tomtstones.
In "His face got pokeberry red. but Tore
OF could open his mouth come through
'osS biph weeds, an ses 1: Hello, 'Bigei
De trouble We fer that thar letter l see a-sti
Iars In out o. yer side pocket I've searched
PEI searched for It, tell I'm nth about
w. shotten.
"Thct was pyore bluff. hadn't
nat reason in the wurld ter think he had "
iem I wanted. But II wurked. Hc gimme
ttle dockyinent with no two words an rid
n...le elA IN m