The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-22

| If she hated Rhoda and never wanted
to speak to her again.
''It looks as if both on 'em was
a-playin' at the same game" she heard
Mrs. Corbett say. to Mrs Smith, one
night at singing-school, "an' kinder
surmise Dicks got the start of her.
'Tain't anyways likely as Mr.. Wayne'll
marry her, an 'twouldn't be at all
s'prisin' if Dick did marry Rhody, fer
he's allus had kind O. likin' fer her.
Wall, if Nance loses him she'll hev no.
body to blame but herself, fer Dick
'u'd hev stuck by her if she hadn't
played off on him, to begin with.
On Sunday evening Uncle Josiah
Watkins came in to spend an hour or
two at Mr.. Boone's hospitable hearth.
Uncle JOSH was everybody's relative.
You will always find these uncles and
aunts in all country places. He was
one of those men who always know
what is going on from one end of the
neighborhood to the other, and it was
his particular delight to keep every
body we'll posted as to what was taking
place. He was to Brownville what the
daily mail is to us of to-day, and as
everybody liked the old man, he was
always sure of welcome wherever he
went.
"Try some O. this terbacker," said
Mr.. Boone, taking down big brown
paper parcel from the shelf over the
cellar-door. Got it from down below
this week. It's better than Jones
sells. It's stronger an more satisfy
in"
Uncle JOSH produced a corn-cob
pipe and filled it leisurely. He was
never in hurry about anything when
he had something to tell. When he
had filed the pipe, he raked coal
out of the ashes and deposited it on
the tobacco. After a few vigorous
"draws" the tobacco ignited, and as
blue cloud of pungent smoke curled
about his head, he leaned well back in
his chair and prepared to take. his
ease and retail his stock of news.
"I heerd from my son Philander
last week." he said by and by, after
all the neighborhood happenings had
been discussed. "My son Philander,"
he explained to Mr.. Wayne, who had
also "dropped in" to spend the even
ing, she lives at Catfish Corners,
twenty-five miles off, I reckon, an
mebbe more. Do you know jest how
fur It is, Solomon"
"No, don t, JEST" answered Mr..
Boone; "but I sh'd reckon twas as
much as twenty-five miles, if not
furder. It's right smart ways, any
how. Leastwise, it seemed so to me
las spring when I druv home from
there through the mud jest as It was
breakin' up"
"Wall, t amt less'n twenty-five,
anyway" said Uncle Josi, looking at
the fire, as if he wished it would tell
him the exact distance. "But, as 1
was sayin', heerd from Philander,
an he writ that they'd lost every hoss
as was wuth anything in the whole
neighborhood.
"You don't say sol" exclaimed Mr..
Boone, greatly interested at once.
ssHoss distemper or glanders?"
"Wuss'n that" answered Uncle
Josi, mysteriously. "Wuss'n that,
Solomon"
"Ef there's anything wuss'n hoss
-distemper I'd like to know what t is,
said Mr.. Boone.
"Hoss-thieves allied 'em, announced
Uncle Josi, with very impressive nod
of his head and speaking slowly, that
they might fully understand the
magnitude of his information. 'Ef
boss thieves amt wuss'n hoss dis
temper, I allow I don't know what
is"
'Hoss-thievesr Mr.. Boone re-
peated the words, as if he could hardly
credit the statement, and as if there
was an oninous foreboding of danger
to Brownsville in it. In those days
nothing could excite frontier settle
ment like the report of depredations
by horse-thieves. "Why, hain't
heerd anything O. hoss-stealing' fer q
long time-not sence the fust year 1
come here"
"No, know we hain't heerd on
'em in this part O. the kentry," !"
answered Uncle JOSH. "Fust theywas
over in the east part O. the State, an
then in the southeast, an so on round.
It's my opinion that all the hosses
that's ben stole have ben picked up
by the same gang that's KEEP a-movin'
round the kentry from one place to
another when it got too hot fer 'em,
an now they've got to the place where
my son Philander lives. They'll be
here fust thing We know"
''Td hate awfully to lose Doll an
Nell," said Mr.. Boone, as he refilled
his pipe thoughtfully. 81 would so. ;"
Nell and Doll were probably worth
more than any ether four horses in
Brownsville.
81 jest wish we could git holt O. the
tarnal thieves" said Uncle JOSH.
They'd be purity apt to hev justice
done 'em, eff we could, reckon. Blast
their picters, I hain't no kind O. pa
tience with 'em! Thieves is bad
enough, but hoss-thieves is the wust
kind O. the whole lot"
"I allow you're right" responded
Mr.. Boone, with several emphatic
mods of his head. eyes, Stree; they'd
be purity likely to hev justice dune 'em
eff we could jest git our hans on 'em
once"
"What would the justice you refer
to consist in?" asked Wayne, who
had seemed to be a careless and indif-