The National tribune., 1897-08-12

said Miriam in frank extolment OF her lovers
strength.
s.Too bad to waste Clay on sieh a feller as
Biz Jim Hoskins,n drawled Bildad, who
had inherited his fathers slowness of speech.
I'D "a liked to've got at him. He's about
nv size. I've heerd that he threatened Z
take hit out o. nTy hide fur Reub's l1ekIn
Little Jim, though Little Jim's older N
Reub, an an inch taller
ssNigher two inches" remarked Robert
InruIe. desiring to give his son due credit.
~ do wish yo' boys wouldn't fout sich
trash ez the Hosknses," said the mother in
gentle reproof .''Taint right. They're too
low-dcwn. Yer father'd never fout any o.
them"
'sHe larruped Big Jim's father with an
ox-gad bekaze his mother sassed yo', Reuben
reminded his mother.
THAT wuz quite different thing, she
said, judicially. ''That wuzzent foutin'
him. That wuz treatin' him Ell he deserved,
like yo would mean dog or hoss. lie
didn't put hisself on an equality with him.
Yer father was haulin' his wheat to Chii-
howee. when he met Jim Hoskins On the
road So he Jest took his CAD to him. We
alluz believed Jim Eamstrung that purity
white mare o. mine for revenge. He cleared
outen the country right alter and went t
Mizzoora, an didn't come back fur several
years Yer pap had jined church then, an
wuz tryin' to furgive his enemies But ole
Jim was mOuty keerful to keep outen his
| way"
"Those Hoskinses air the sons of Belial,
said the Elder "There never was one o
them that had any more grace in them than
rotten aig. Their great-grandfather was
run out o. Virginny for stealing hogs, and
came to these parts. His breeds multiplied
like the frogs in Egypt, and they re curse
to the land"
''Reub, honey" said the mother, throw
on a stick O. lightwood. I've dropped sew
eral stitches"
Reuben tossed fat pine.knot on the glow
ing embers. and the whole room was filled
with a blaze of ruddy light. The great wooden
clock in the corner, its weights made OF iras-
ments of cast-iron-" pot-metal, -iaDoredly
struck g. Robert Inrue rose at once TO wino
it, the boys laid aside their work, Miriam ana
her mother ceased their knitting, and began
preparing the house for the night. Miriam
drew the hickory broom from behind the jam,
and as the first safeguard against fire, COM
meuced carefully sweeping all the shavlngs
and other '' litter" on the floor into the fire.
place. The Elder produced his leather-cov-
cred hymn-book, aad began turning over Its
leaves for hymn for the evening deyotions
rush out baying and barking, and the shriu
voice OF woman call:
"Hello-the house"
go to the door, Reub, and see who 1t Is,
said the father.
BY the narrow lane of light which shot from
the door to the front gate Reuben saw woman
standing there, with babe IN her arms.
"Who is it?" he called.
"Hirs me-SaIly Hoskins Call off yer
dogs"
Reuben siIenced the dogs, and reported to
his mother. "Hits Sal Hoskins with her
baby"
'sal Hoskins!" repeated she in surprise.
"What kin she want here, an at this time O.
night? / wouldn't ak her in in the daytime
| but something's the matter, an hitd be too
| bad to keep any human crtter out there IN the
night. Tell her to come in, Reuby."
| The others looked at one another in astonish-
ment, but said nothing. The mothers wish
was law as to who should be admitted to the
| honored precincts of the home. The moment
| that she decided the caller was to be received
Reuben's natural chivalry asserted itself. lie
| sprang down the path. took the child from the
| woman's arms, and saying Mother says y're
| to come in" carried it back into the house.
| When the woman came into revelation OF the
| freight she was seen to be tall and slender, a
year or two older than Marian, but many years
| older by the lines in her face. Like Miriam's,
her gown was of linsey, but it was old and
stained. and the limp sunbonnet on her head
looked mean and poverty-stricken in COMPARE
SOC with the white stiffness of the one which
adorned Miriam's head in the daytime.
There is nothing more eloquent of the differ
ence Of the castles IN the South than the SUM-
bonnets of the women. Those worn by the ne
gresses and Sang-digger women are limp
slouchy, faded and dirty-mere rags; those
worn by the better class clean, shapely, and
| stiff as a board.
Sit down, Sally" said Mrs. Inrue, not un.
kindly, aud motioEing to Reuben's chair.
The woman sat down, took her baby in her
arms and was silent for minute while the
rest waited for her to speak.
Mis- Inrule," she began at length, "y're
'stonished T. see me heah. But years ago ye
wuz monty kind T. man afore she died, an {
me when wuz leetle gal That wuz Ions
time ago, but hits more'n anybody else's bin
sence. Ye hant had anything . do with me
sence, an don't blame ye. l growed up wild
an wuzzent any credit T. my mann, who sartin
ly wuz a good woman. even if she did marry
my cad. The wust thing | ever did wuz &c
take up with Big Jim Hosk ns, but Eve left him
| furever. I'd ru Uer die myself an kill my baby
a hundred times over than t go back t. him
an lead the life he's led me. Eff y'll take me
an baby in an keep US Pll work my finger.
ends off fur ye. Ell ye don't I'll jump with
him inter the rst big pool l kin fnd even e
| Eey T. walk & Ielllc0 Creek ma nit. I've
wanted t. lead better life ever since baby wu7
borned. I've tried hard to do hit. I've done
all / could T. make Big Jim Hoskins better
man. I've patiently stood MS laziness an
drnkin', and even his poundin' me. I've pui
in his corn ropfur him this year all by my
self, doin every lick O. the work, from breakin in
up the ground, while he's been off tendin' per
litikal meetins an drinkin' and fiambusterin
round holerin' fur JEFF Davis an secession, an
belerin' about the North takin' our niggery
way from US. tole him a month ago that i
he ever beat me agin I'd leave him, if | died
in my tracks a-runnin. Ter-nght he come
home an beat mo wusser'n ever. Ez soon ei
could git away from him / picked up baby
outen the sugar trough and run away. Biz
jim ID went over with the rest T. Scroggs:
t keep up their carousin'. Thar's 'nuthei
reason why come heah. Big Jim's madder' u
piZun agin Mr.. Pollock, thar, an means some
wickedness agin him. He's talkin' about way
layin him ter-morrer. ez he goes home ovei
the mounting. The rest air all aigging him
on. believed that hit wuz my duty T. come
heah an warn him. Now, what air ye gwint
t. do with me?"
"Ye kin stay heah all night" said Mrs. In
rule "an in the mornin' we'll talk hit over
All our beds in the house is full, but thars
shake-d0wn in the loom shed that Miriam kiI
| fix up SOS T. make ye comfortable fur the night
Mrry take her out thar and do the best ye kiT
fur her."
Miriam took from crack in the wall the
weaving-lamp, o quaint device used to light
tho loom when working by night. 1t was 8
small iron pan. hanging by chain from spike
suf,i icl. tr1S r7ak in IN a