The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-05-22

A Peculiar Condition.
~~A~~~A~~~~~


it with one that will be credit to tn
neighborhood. love and honor you
Mr. Bodman, but | can never marry
man who will take me to place where
l will be continually tormented by
such an eyesore as that When l Sc
a good pavement laid there l will come
aud tell You that am ready to keer
my part of the bargain"
In his dismay Nicholas gaspcd out
many an incoherent argument, but the
widow gave him to understand that
the interview was ended, and he took
his hat and umbrella from the tree in
the hall and went home, with feelings
strangely at variance with the I'M
speakable torture that had unnerved
him upon going out an hour before.
The business interests of the family
had boen'so wisely invested by his
father that Nicholas grew rich in spite
of himself, but the real estate, which
was under his direct supervision, re-
manned as it was when it descended
to him.
The only repairing that was ever
done to the sidewalk was to lay down
a new board now and then when the
old ones became SO badly damaged as
to endanger the safety OF the lives and
limbs of pedestrians.
Its disgraceful appearance finally
became just cause for common scan.
dial, and one night the Indignation of
patriotic citizens reached such pitch
that committee of the most infuen-
tial men called on Nicholas and threat
ened to enforce the law then extant to
the effect that any property-owner
who maliciously refused to make the
improvements required for public
safety and the public good should for
felt his possessions to the state.
But that was the most unpolitic step
they could have taken, for what had
hitherto been mere carelessness on
Nicholas part, then developed into
willful, unalterable stubbornness, and
he vowed that he would see half the
people in the Twenty-sixth Ward break
their necks wLiIo walking over his
pavement before he would expend one
penny in improvements
And that was the way the matter
stood when he proposed to Mrs. Rose
water. The condition imposed upon
Jim put him in an unenviable predica-
nent He debated it all that night,
nd all the next day. Then he came to
conclusion. He would keep the
Doard sidewalk.
The three months of summer passed
way aud Mr.. Bodmau's courtship was
gain limited to casual glances inter-
hanged between him and Mrs. Rose
'ater at the church door or round the
liar rail on communion Sundays.
One morning in the latter part of
eptember Nlcholas was awakened by
lie rat-a-tattat of many hammers on
lie boards beneath his window, and
pom looking out he fonnd that force
workmen had como down on him
nawares and attacked him in his lair.
fter breakfast he sauntered leisurely
1T into the street and accosted one of
lie laborers.
"Can you tell me, she asked, "fhe,
ime of the contractor who has charge
this work."
"Daws n DAVIS, Hanover building"
id the man as he tore up another
rye section of crumbling sidewalk.
In the afternoon Nicholas went
'wn to the Hanover building and G
ught an interview with the firm of f
avs & DAVIS. a
"You are laying n sidewalk around |
y corner lot at Pine and Worthinp- {
n streets, he said stiffly. az never S
thorized the work to be done. Will l
n kindly tell me to whom the bill v
Il be sent?" n
DAVIS, ST., whistled. il
at was a lady who came to see us
out it, he replied II was not TO n
anything about it, but I guess it Il
Il be all right. Here's her card" II
1t took them four days to complete r,
sidewalk. On the morning of the W
tn day after the beginning of the o
rk Nichols sat beside his window O
1 surveyed with keen satisfaction Ell
J smooth white walk, and wondered is
at wonld come next. W
He was looking in the direction of
s. Rosewater's home, and pretty tr
N he sow her come swiftly down the o,
ps aud cross the street His breath fr
ne in hard, short gaspi when Sue IL
) ushcred into the library and bur. W
d up to him, Ia