The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1897-02-19
CHAPTER I.

ShAflEf l..
Topmark's store stood end ON co the
big road where it ran down hill to Cross
Walnut creek. The storehouse was a
log structure, with cringing frame
addition across the back. In front there
was ramshaokle shed porch, with a
clattering floor, and some tottering steps
at one edge. from which the women
customers who rode got up or down
from their horses They were not over
many. For the most part the store got
its trade from the abundant freedmen.
Some part of the blacks had small
holdings Of their own. A much larger
moiety worked upon neighboring planta,
dons. either for wages or for share of
the crops But, howsoever employed,
they had trick of coming to buy at all
hours of the day and night. Mr.. Top
mark, the storekeeper, bemoaned the
fact no little. 'It is tkSill convenient
est thing" he said. ''Ef the niggers'd
jest come either all by day er all by
night, a man'd know when ter be thar
an needn't bother an go ter expense
keepin no sech trial as that thar trifiin
Teddy Barton, who can't be depended
on more'n five days in the week.
Teddy, you see, considered himself
a society man of the giddiest type. He
thought nothing of riding Is miles and
back to a party, which, in his Judgment
at least, would be fat failure lacking
the light of his countenance. But he
had the redeeming quality Of coming
cheap to his employer, and the further
merit of being humbly respectful to that
PERSONS face, though among his own
mates he told wild tales of "the sass he
give ole Top jest whenever he had
mind
Nobody believed him. Nobody ever
did believe anything Teddy said. The
bare fact of his saying it indeed made
against the acceptance of anything un-
less there was mighty good outside
proof. "That thar boy-he'd ruther lie
than ter drink whisky er eben dance"
big Matt Taylor, the blacksmith, said
Of him, with a kindly, oontemptuous
laugh. There were not lacking people
to say, though, that it was Teddy's fac
lie untruth which had got and kept
him his place as Mr.. Topmark' general
representative.
Still there were limits to Teddy's use
fulness Mr.. Topmark knew him too
we'll to trust him with any matter too
parlous for general gossip. Possibly that
was why he said affably upon "a July
evening:
"Teddy, amt thar no frolic nowhar's
in strikin distance ternight? You amt
been ter one in ten days, an do reckon
q heap of the fair sect is pinin fer the
sight of you.
Teddy giggled and admitted that
"mayby two or three gals over at Squire
Bynum's would chune up an cry eff he
didn't git thar fore 10 o'clock. " So,
after bit more chaff, he went gallop-
ing away, waving laughing goodby to
Luley, the eldest Of Mr.. Topmark's
three small daughters. She was prim
miss Of s. Annie and Jinney, the 9TH
ers, were respectively and 8. They
were all miniatures of their mother,
who was Of the softly curved, plump,
white rabbitty type. She esat little way
off, watching her children tumble and
play on the piazza floor. There were no
lights outside, but broad yellow radi-
anoe fell from hall lamp on the hud-
died heads, making plain all the intri-
cacies of their touseled gold
"You Children better not make SO
much fuss. Pappy'll send you off ter
bed. It's time you were there now-way
after 8 O'clock" Mrs. Topmark said,
with a slow, indulgent smile. Jinney
disentangled herself and toddled across
to her father. He sat easily in a big
splint rocker, but there was no ease in
his face. Instead it wore strained
look, yet he smiled obviously upon the
child, catching her up and making a
great ado of standing her upon her head.
At once he set her down and rose pre-
cipitately, saying:
"Ain't that Jest the beat Of luckr Ef
Teddy was here, wouldn't a soul come
a.nigh the sto' fer two days mayby, yet
thar's somebody hollerin now, an I've
got ter go tend ter him er else lose my
trade ter that feller at the crossroads. "
''It is aggravatin; but, them folks
most always come erbout this time in
the week-Thursday nights, you know, y
Mrs. Topmark returned placidly. Her
husband heard only the first words. He
was half way across the hundred yards
Of turf that separated the store from the
smart new house, brave in cream walls
and scarlet window sash, that lately had
replaced bis fathers SQUAT log dwelling