The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1897-01-02
SH0CKYWON THEDAY

The sun shone, suit raw, nipping wind
blew In from the river. There was no sign
of thaw, save upon the southerly edges of
the deep ruts in the.street before the court
house. The door Of it, too, was deserted,
albeit it was the first Monday in January,
with sheriff's sales to,come off, in which q
large part of the county felt the liveliest
interest.
The eager onlookers Yad lounged inside.
Now they stood in gossiping groups about
the big, redhot stove II wanted still half
an hour of 10, the time sat for sales to be-
gin. Until the hour had struck It was I'M
likely that those most intimately concern
ed would show their faces; so there was
no restraint in the speech that ran about
the room.
"Hit's or plumb shame, neither mo- ner
less. I'd say that eff Iwuz goin to be shot
for it," a tall, thin boarded man said for
the third time, giving the stove door kick
rs he spoke.
II dunno erbont that" returned his
neighbor meditatively, He was round to
righteousness, with big hook nose stand
ing ont over huge double chin. Seems
ter me-" he went on. "mo' like err jedg-
ment Ye CANT deny eff Easton Clark had
"a paids much 'tention ter his farm as he
done ter that thar fiddle he'd not "a been
whar he is terday.'
you're right, Brother Bemish. He
wouldn't now, Shore" said third, lank,
sour visaged man with tract in his hand
and pair of open saddlebags flung across
his arm. GAS you say, hits er clear case
o. Judgment To think O. Easton Clark,
brung up as he wuz in the nurture an ad.
monition o. the Lord, flddlin these SO
years fer every dance in ten miles round
an not for no money neither-jes fer pyore
love o. the soundp'
"H-m-ml I reckon ye think it wouldn't
"a been no sin eff Majer Clark had took
money fer it an give the money ter hep
ye an yer tracts, Brother Barker" said
tall young fellow who stood little aside
with his hands in his pockets, his hat tip
ped back on his head, his springy, well
booted feet set ostentatiously in the first
dancing position.
A minute Brother Barker eyed him in
frowning silence, then broke out in his
cracked, high keyed pulpit voice:
Robert Lumpkin, ye speak as one not
hayin understandin, one yit in the gall
o. bitterness the bonds o. iniquity-yit
the treuth is the treuth-it has made me
mad ter see Easton Clark a-lettin ye sim
ners dance without payin the fiddler when
he could Jest as easy got SO o night to hep
spread abroad the pyQre gawspil,
q 'Well, I'm shore the old ina er wuz
liberit ernough. So long as he had money
he give SO a year ter every church in hear
in of i'm, though he didn belong ter none
of 'en," young Lumpkin said with spirit.
Before the minister could reply the tall
man who had spoken first broke In: well,
I'm sorry fer the majer, though maybe
hits his own fault. Don't seem like no
man in his senses would "a done whut he
did-borrowed $4,000 on morgidge ter put
inter er patent fer maxim soap outen
nothin--but the Teller that got hit-that
thar Cowlck of ,Georgy-he wuz or slick
one ter talk, I tell ye He took the majer
in slick as er gouge. Majer's SO honest
hisself he never dreampt ernother man
that spoke fair IN WIZ pretty behaved
could be er liar an or cheat"
aye better say he's sech or gambler he
wuz willin ter take all sorts er chances.
1t wuz jes' that-nothin mo-. Didn't he
never tell ye how he come by Marg'ret-
that thar fiddle that he talks to, same 8 1t
wuz er human critter?" Brother Barker
raid acridly, his eyes squirting toward
Brother Bemish, who nodded approval in
such fashion as to set all his big person
shaking
"No, never quite got the straight of It,.
Tell us how it was, won't YET" Lumpkin
asked, drumming on the wall as he spoke.
Brother Bemish nodded in satisfied way
and began in his heaviest drone:
"I've heard Easton tell the tale a-many
n time. Ye know, his gran sir raised him,
same as he's raised 'Lizabeth. Seems like
the Clark stock has ter skip every other
rineration. When Easton come ter be 90,
the ole man he give i'm all the crap they'd
made that year on the plantation an built
him er flatboat ter carry hit down ter Or.
leans a-tradin. As ter whut Easton done
with it nobody didn't never rightly know.
He tells that he got good money outen the
stuff. Then he got ter thinkin he want
never likely ter he in that town no mo- in
his lifetime, so he sot in ter see IS much OF
it as he could. Ye may jedge that cost
like smoke. 'Twa'n't so mighty long be-
fo' he found he had jest or hundred dollars
lef' in his pocket an told hisself he'd bet
ter walk home. SO as ter have that much
ter show his gran'sir.
GAS luck would have II, though, that
very night he stepped inside one er their
gamblin houses, on thar he saw er little
WALLER old Frenchman a-playin roulette
like he wuz possessed. Every time he lait
on the black an fer erwhile he jes' raked il
the money. But his luck couldn't last
Soon he'd lost all he'd won an all he hat
besides Then he jumps up like er crazy
man an says tor Easton that had beer
rtandin behind whar he sot: Sir, We lool
pitiful an honest. Lend me now, dt
beg of We, $780, I make ye all sure O
1t two, three times ovair. Den, when
have 1t, why, break dis bank, dat els
will ruin me-
"Well, Easton he tried ter reason will
the man an offered ter give him $50 eff he't
promise ter quit playin, but that wuz nj
go, an the Spshot Of 1t all wuz that h
went with hhe French felier ter is room
they wy close by-an thar he lot in
have the 400, takin Marg'ret fer security
He didnx want no security, but the othe
would |ave it that away. 1t was RICH
piti1A though, Easton said, ter see hin
hui d kiss the fiddle an call it his child
Avore ter it he didn't mean ter par
it an asked its pardon fer whut lie
"