The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-08
Copyright by Robert Bonner's Sons.
CHAPTER L
CONTINUED.

Copyright by ROBERT bonner ooHS.
CHAPTER L
"sDeacon SnyderH " exclaimed
Mamie, with a scornful lift of her
pretty nose. "Of course not! It's a
young man from down below. He's
going to have q meeting at the school
house tonight, to see about organic
ing the school, and he wants every
body to turn out. I hope they'll have
one. Wouldn't it be nice? I never
went to one, yon know"
''Of course, it will be nice," said
Dick, who was thinking more ofpros-
pective summer-night walks with Nan
ME than he was of the singing-school.
set needs something like that to make
the neighborhood lively. The folks
don't see half enough of each other.
It ii take their mind off their work
and rest them up little"
= eyes, that's fact" responded
Mamie, looking, however, as if she
hardly comprehended what Dick had
been saying, on account of being
busy with other thoughts. "Oh,
Dick, he's just the handsomest man
7 ever saw! He is, Dick, for facti'
s'It isn't always the handsomest
ones that turn out to be the best ones, "
said Dick, hardly relishing Nannie's
admiration for the singing-teacher.
"He's some fellow, most likely, who's
too lazy to work for living, so he
goes round teaching singing-schools. !"
"Well," demanded Mamie, rather
sharply, eff he teaches singing-school,
I'd like to know if he isn't working
and earning his money just as much
as you are by working on the farm?
I don't see any difference. If he can
earn a living without working on q
farm for it, I don't sees he's to blame
for it."
"No, nor T." answered Dick. "I
don't blame any man for getting his
living in the easiest possible way, if he
does it honorably. What I meant was
that, perhaps, he might be one of
those shiftless, good-for-nothing fell
lows who 60 around sponging their
living, as the folks. say here, and
swindling people out of their money
by getting it under pretense of giving
its value, when really what they give
amounts to nothing. I've seen a great
many such men. But this fellow may
be all right. I can't say he isn't, of
course, but it strikes me as rather
strange that a singing-teacher, espe-
cially a young and handsome one,
should come to such an out-of-the-way
place as this to start school. 1t GER
tainly can't be expected that he'll get q
school large enough to pay we'll, and
because he can't, it looks to me as if
very likely he don't amount to much. "
"Well, I don't know anything about
him." answered Mamie, rather stifiy.
IT do know, though, that he's real
gentleman in looks and appearance"
"Oh, you've seen enough of him to
find that out, have you?" queried
Dick. "You must be pretty we'll ac
quainted, then. Where's he going to
board?"
"I didn't ask him, though had
plenty of chance to; for" added Nan
ME, mischievously, watching the ef-
feet of her words on Dick, who, she
knew, was eager to know how and
where she had made the strangers ac-
quaintance, che was at the schoolhouse
and stayed nearly the whole after
noon"
Dick made no reply, but he did not
look particularly pleased over the in
formation.
"And he gave out notice in school,,
went on Mamie, "that there'd be
meeting tonight. The children will
tell everybody, and the whole neigh
borhood-anyway. all the young folks
will be sure to be there. I declare
it's getting real late, by the looks of
the sun, and I must hurry home and
help mother about the supper, for,
most likely, she'll want to go, too"
Then Mamie picked up her little
splint' dinner basket and trudged off
up the hill, singing Barbara Allen. :"
"She's rather struck with the fellow,
seems to me-" thought Dick, as he
went back to his ploughing. GA hand
same face and good clothes 60 long
ways in girls estimation of man.
They're strange things, these girls.
Gee, there, Dandy, g'lang?"