The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-13

| the close of the war. The slobber from
| the mouths of the horses was latherish as
/ they stopped hot and winded in front of
a tavern we'll along. 1t had not been the
| first tavern, with its long low roof and
| porch and dormer windows, and the high,
| deep pump in front, such a cool pump.
| How Dan got it into his head don't mat
| ter, the fact is, however. that he did not
! consider that the horses had been prop
| erly Watered until he had had his own
| deep and proper drink out of the thick
| stout glass at the tavern bar. Dan gen
| orally had his drinks gagged so as to
| land hlm and his stage, full of passengers
| at the end of the journey, leaving as lit
| tie Soberness in himself as was consist
| ent with the bare safety of those in
charge. But he had somehow misjudged
| this trip: for he was undoubtedly drunk
err than was due at this particular tav-
ern. His wooden leg seemed the first of
him to feel the effects Not that it had
any stagger, but there was a gay and
devll-may-care swinging curve to it in
catching up with the advance of the 9TH
err leg. Dan hadn't doubt but what the
water was having the same effect on the
horses as the whiskey had on him: so
when with a rowdy laugh he was with
some difficulty helped back into his seat.
ne applied his whip with a buoyancy
proportlonate to that which he imagined
to have been imbibed by the horses from
their last bucket of water. And lust
here was where Parson Taliaferro's
breadth of sympathy found a great arena
TO play in. The truth is he had seen
Dan under fire, had seen him when he
was shot and knew him to be game fo
the bone: he had seen him under the
knife without chloroform and seen him
lock his hips against the outburst of
agony that found expression only in n
face'of silent, grim suffering. So he for
gave much in Dan. 1t was rot till To-
ward afternoon that the old parson's
muscularity got the better of his snir-
ltual nature They had crossed the hack
pohe OF the mountain and were making
the wild descent. Dan had Just passed
tavern. and had the horses in reck-
less sallop down what was almost n steen
1ad nc not been for the proront prasn ~
the parsoR. the whole outfit would have
gone pell-mell over the narrow mass down
into deep Sulch The old narson don-
bled up his sledge-hammer fist and came
near lifting Dan ont of his seat into the
| roa1 but his spiritual nature won Inv !,
pare half head. however. and. Dan nov
or knew what he missed This narrow
escape was 10 be followed between the
heNt two tayerns by another imapiparv
ihlle Dash, which. however. came 10 an
emu abruptly in-firc Simultaneous crash
Of the surrey and the head-long plunge
q ian. lhe parson regretted the blow
tiie instant he had dealt it, but the truth
= tlle danger to Tim was the real force
oehll.d. and he was too human to hold
IL back. They were down in the road
ana I'ali came up fighting mad, while
the dancing-master sat trembling in the
corner that did not 90 down. Parson
Iallafero jumped out with Tim in his
arms IN a red-headed mood, and used a
KIND Of rude eloquence that turned Dams
| added energies toward the rehobilitafio,
| Of the FIX" rather than TO retaliation
parson Taliaferro got a piece of scant-
ing from the nearest house. and slim
ping ii on the fore-axle dragged fba vn-
hicle up the hill, while the dancine-mas-
| ter picked his way daintily but family
with Dan staggering behind under the
weight of his own profanity and tho
tavern keepers whiskey. 1t was the
| house. sure enough, where the dancing
| master was TO stop, ami while the farm
| hanls were putting the surrey to rights.
the party waited in the country parlor.
| While two single wasted wire-faced
| damsels came shyly in to greet their
teacher who was to tell them how to
step out into society. Naturally. the sub
Ject went into the moral and intellectual
good that came from suitable grace OF
Dody. which grace came from dlncing.
/ lessons, according TO the wafer-yoiced
dancing master, and the two ''youne
ladies" smiles expanded like fhe stretch
/ OF a rubber band, while the mother said
TO be sure TO her husband. who in
| turn replied, directing his attention To
the dancing well, sir, if il
| hadn't been that way, | should have
| never gone to the expense of having Won
| come here. At this point Parson Italia.
| ferro, Tim sitting observantly by. threw
| cold water on the occasion by turning
on the gospel hose rs follows: you tall
| about so and so coming from grace Oh
body, | tell You no good comes save by
the grace o God, and to them who re
hounce not the pleasures of this world
snail come hereafter that outer darkness
where there shall be a weeping and a
| crashing Of teeth" He probably never
| knew that his note was at all dscordant
1t was according to his ideas of the har
monies and that settled it, but his shell
| Went against a blank wall Of silence
while the faces Of the two "young ladies'
Strengthened ont into a long narrow line
of shy disgust.
The surrey was somewhat lighter
now, but not much, reasoned Parsor
lTaliaferro to himself, with the dancing
raster left far behind while the
mountains above them threw a
deeper and darker shadow. Then
too, in the sinister blackness
of great heavily rolling cloud seemed
to be enveloped all the most vicious an
ger of the sky. The electric display was
frightfully brilliant, and Tim quailed, bu
his daddy drew him close to his breast
and putting his lips down to the child'S
face he kissed him, saying, without 4
tremor: "Thou art my hiding place ant
my sheldw Tim understood and was
comforted, for his Dad had communi
Gated with him mostly in Bible language
Dan Ward was not man to be phased
by any danger his physical courage was