The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-01-01
.SHOCKYWON THEDAY

The sun shone, but raw, nipping wind
blew In from the river. There was no sign
Of thaw, save upon the southerly edges OF
the deep ruts In the street before the court
mouse. The door OF 1t, too, was deserted,
albeit 10 was the first Monday In January,
with sheriffs sales to come off, In which
large part OF the county felt the liveliest
interest
The eager onlookers had lounged Inside.
Now they stood In gossipine groups about
the big, redhot stove. 1t wanted still half
An hour OF l2, the time set for sales to be-
gin. Until the hour had struck 1t was un-
likely that those most intimately concern
cd would show their faces; 90 there was
no restraint in the speech that ran about
he room.
"Hit's er plumb shame neither mo- ner
less. I'd say that eff wuz goin TO be shot
or H.. tall, thin bearded man said for
the third time, giving the stove door Kick
as he spoke.
~ dunno erbout that" returned his
neiphbor meditatively He was round to
righteousness, with big hook nose stand
ling out over huge double chin. seems
tor me-" he went on "mo like er jedg-
ment Ye CANT deny ef Easton Clark had
n paid's much 'tention ter his farm as he
done ter that thar fiddle he'd not "a been
" har he Is terday.
"Youre right, Brother Bemish. He
lwouldn' Z now, shore, " said IA third. a lank,
sour visaged man with tract In his hand
and a pair of open saddlebags flung across
his arm. "As you say, hits er clear case
lo' iedument. To think O. Easton Clark.
,lbrunp up as he wuz In the nurture an al
lmonition o. the Lord, flddlin these bo
. wears fer every dance In ten miles round
:, IN not for no money neither-jes fer pyore
love o. the soundl'
"H-m-mi reckon yc think 1t wouldn't
a been no sin Of Majer Clark had took
money fer it an give the money ter hep
sc an yer tracts, Brother Barker. said
!, tall Young fellow who stood little aside
with his hands In his pockets, his hat tip
ned back on his head, his springy, well
booted feet set ostentatiously In the nrst
d dancing position.
A minute Brother Barker eyed him In
browning silence, then broke out In hi;
= cracked, high keyed pulpit voice;
Robert Lumpkin, ye speak as one not
havin understandin, one yit In the gal
n, bitterness. the bonds o. iniquity-yi
. the treuth is the treuth-it has made mt
mad ter sec Easton Clark a-lettin ye sin
ners dance without payin the fiddler wher
he could Jest as easy got SO night to he
spread abroad the pyore gawspil
~ "Well. I'm shore the old major WI
= liberal ernough 80 long "a he had none.
be give s2 a year ter every church In hear
, lin OF I'm, though he didn't belong ter non
lof EN-" young Lumpkin said With spirit
, Before the minister could reply the tai
man who had spoken first broke In: We'll
I'm sorry fer the majer, though mayb
.hit,s his own fault. Don't seem like n
III man In his senses would "a done whut
Ice did-borrowed So, 900 on morgidge ter pu
inter or patent fer maxim soap QUITE
noth,n-but the fcllcr that got hit-tha
. thar Cowlick OF Georgy-he wuz or slic
one ter talk, l tell ye. He took the maj'
. IN slick as er gouge. Majer's so homes
/ hisself he never dreampt ernother ma
that smoke fair an wuz pretty behave
A could be or liar an or cheat"
a aye better say he's sech or gambler J
= wuy willin ter take all sorts er chance
q 7. wuz les that-nothin mo-. DIDN'T
q never tell yc how he come by Marg ret
.ha. thar fiddle that he talks to, same g
q ..r, or human critter9" Brother Bark
, sa,d acridly, his eyes squirting towal
= nro,her Bemish, who nodded approval
: srch fashion as to set all his big perst
x. shaking. ,,,
Ta,, us how II was, won't ye'" Lumpk
led n sked drumming on the wall as ne spoS
nm Brother Bemish nodded In satisfied WI
and began In his heaviest drone'
"I.ye heard Easton tell the tale a.mai
n t,me We know, his gran sir raised hii
same es he's raised 'Lizabeth. seems u
tho Clark stock has ter skip every otn
oinerntion When Easton come ter pe
the ole man he give i'm all the crap tne,
made that year on the plantation an pu
him or f,atboat ter carry hi' down .er
Y laans a-tradIn. As ter whut Easton no
with Il nobody didn't never rightly kno
F.. He tells that he got good money ou'eh :
= stuff Then he got ter think,n ne wa
never likely ter he In that town no mo
All his lifctime. SO he sot in ter see huch
and a ma be could Ye may jcdge thas .,
ion: Iike s,noke. 'Twa'n't so mighty iong
ai' ~ ho found he had Jest cr hundred uoii'
- ,af, ,n his pocket an told hisselt nc u
80 walL home. SO MS ter have that mt
ter show his gran sir. =,
"As luck would have IT, though !,
~ vcrv MIG ht he stepped inside one or ,n
~ ,,a,nbl,n houses. nm thar he saw or III
iA Saiier old Frcnchman a-payin roui.
% like he wuz possessed Every time ne
AN ~ Tho black an fer erwhilc he jes' rake'
II M ~. money. But his luck couldn't J,
I'M, .n0 n'u s,y ,ost III, he'd won an all he
a.. La.