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

a firm step. tUntiitieilast few months he
had kept Nhe nntroubled gaze Of child
hood. Now there was suggestion Of
rheum In the EYE corners, besides new,
tense lines all around the mouth. He
stopped tea Efizabethlieoked the taller of
the pair. She wasa tall girl anyway. with
square shoulders, a long neck and small
hands, thoroughbred lin Zine despite tho
rougbening OF hard work. She had small,
proud stepping feet, too and carried her
head high. Dark brown eyes looked ut
you from under straight. level brows.
Her skin was rich olive, stained with the
most vital red at the cheeks and lips.
| Even the hudsile of shawls she wore
could not wholly mask the litheness OF
her figure. AS she came through the door
each man there involuntarily barred his
head. Shocky Waters made haste to set
chair for the major. Bob Lumpktn fetched
another for Elizabeth. Bixby the sheriff,
shrank out of sight IKE one suddenly dis
covered doing an i'll deed.
Elizabeth's head bent lightly in greet
! ing, then she looked Mt the clock. 1t
/ lacked minute of IL. Without hesita-
| tion she stepped forward, took the fiddle
from its case and laid 1t within her grand
! father hands.
He took it tenderly and laid his cheek
to it, whispering; "Marg'ret, Marg' ret
! how could l put We in pawnl Ye that
named for my Marg ret, dead and gone. l
wish l had died first. Now ye must be
sold at 12 o'clocS-the laws says it.
done 1t myself, Marg'ret. ! amt got no
right even ter break We up and save We
| hat Inv rtr1 hu
| IL won't last long without ye.'
'Lizabeth at his elbow alone heard
what he said A touch made her tnrn to
face 'Bige Potter, lean, oily, smartly
clothed, smiling at her cadaverous tri.
umph.
"If you had any feelin for anybody but
yourself, you'd put stop to this, )" he said
Under his breath, nodding toward the old
man.
'Lizabeth's lip curled.
~ am all you have left him. Don't try
to take that away, too" she said in his
own key He wheeled sharply about.
| gnawing his under lip. The clock was
striking. The sheriff had laid hands on
Marg'ret and was crying, with a wild at
tempt at POPULARITY: Gentlemen, ladies,
niggers and the rest of mankind, here's
fiddle--a fine fiddle--a reg'lar Jim Crack
Corn flddle-that'll come mighty near ter
playin itself How much fer it9 Bid live.
ly, now Warranted not ter wear, tear.
rip, ravel, run down at the heel, ner cut
in the eyel How much do hear? Five
dollarsS TEMP Oh, shucks! Gentlemen.
no time fer foolin. Bid somethin respect
able. This yere instrument cost err hun.
dred dollars, remomberl Bid fer old &C.
quaintance sake. The last one o. We has
danced ter her musicl Ask 20 pardon,
Brother Barker, l forgot you wuz here.
Who bidsf Who bids? Who bids9 Ten,
ten; now gimme the twenty Twenty
five do hearf Thanky, Shocky. That's
sort O. like it.
"A hundred here No use in maxim two
bites of cherry" 'Bige Potter said
shortly.
MAKE it two hundred" said Shocky-
"Three hundred, called Potter.
Five hundred even," Bob Lumpkin
shouted, setting his hat SO far back that it
tipped off and fell. But nobody laughed
at the diverting spectacle, for Potter was
shouting, his face apoPlectic. "a thou
sand A thousand!'
1.-TWO thousand" sang out the thin
bearded man. shocky had just whispered
in his ear.
"Make 1t threep' Potter shouted furi-
ously.
"Make It fourr' retorted Shocky. Bob
Lumpkin began the double shuttle as some
slight expression of his Joy.
Five thousand My debt, an--ari--
intrus'f' Potter cried In white rage
mo good. Six won't git ye, Marg'ret
Shocky half chanted half cheered, hopping
| from one foot to the other. The sheriff
seemed to him, had surely lost their minds.
He became more than ever certain Of it
when 'Bige Potter shouted: Seven thou
sand must-I win have that fiddler
eye can't have her, 'Bigy man! Here's
eight thousand over here" Shocky said
tantalizingly.
Potter choked and gasped, Eight thou
sand five hundredr'
"Ninep' shouted Bob Lumpkip, while
the others held their breath. All eyes
turned on Potter. Once, twice, thrice, he
opened his lips closed them with no sound
and fell sullenly back as the sheriff
cried:
"Nine thousandl Coin at 90, 900! Nine
thousand once Twicel Three times--an
out. Sold to Bob Lumpkin's bid Whar
the moneys ter come from maybe the Lord
knows. don't for certain"
"Don't ye be Uneasy over that Mr.. Sher-
If. I'm here; don't ye fergit that, Shocky
called out as Potter skunk away. "Money
talks, most as prutty as Marg'ret here.
I've got the cash fer We. So gimme the old
gal Jes' one minnit, majer; then she's
your'n ter have an ter hold--witness these
presents"
Major Clark stood up very straight.
Elizabeth was sobbing on his shoulder
She had faced ruin with laugh. Rescue
broke down all her fine courage. The old
gentleman lifted his hand and asked in o.
voice whose tremor he tried in vain to
mask: "Shocky, what is all this aboutp
What does 1t meanP Ills it possible
that have got back my land?"
eyes, majer; yer fiddle, too, bless Godv'
Shocky said, and as he spoke all heads rev.
erently bowed. Now, all on ye, looky
thar, holding the fiddle to the light "See
them thar letters inside O. Marg' ret Fecit
Stradivarius. Cremona, they say. Idon't
know whut they means; they're all err
foring tongue ter me. But this much dun
no--Mr. Rayne took notice on EN- while
he wuz here last fall an writ back ter one
O. his chums that he'd found er fiddle
down in these rooral precincts that wuz
with er mint O. money. 'Twus that letter
he lost an l found fore hit wuz sent.
Shouldn't be s'prised Of somebody else read
hit while hit wuz lost.
Anyway, he told me he'd try ter buy
Marg'ret, only 1t 'peared ter him er sinful