The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-13
CONVERSION


country crnm center 10 circumference
was in progress. Ait day long teams
thronEed the thlclet about the little
log church, reaching far out into the
clearing untR Il looked not nnlikea pub
uc sale day ut the couBtry court house.
lobe Jenklm' SAT. In his wagon outside
the CIRCLE OF vehicles. hle preferred the
omen air, TO the stufTy little room over
crowded 10 suifoGNti0n, and the voice
OF the preacher reached him distinctly
where he sat In his wagon under the
limbs OF spreading niue.
A nciGhbOr drew up alongside OF Jen-
ktns, giauclns humor0isly at the three
boards placed Crosswisc the wagon
body; that had served his family for
seats during the tcn-mIle drive to
church.
..Toted a tolerablc big load."'he OBJ
served In the customary dr5iwl. =.
"Yassah," chesrfutty "FtSr Of
oman an tn gals, Lsastwise all OF
'em but one. Nancy she lew sue
warn't Ewin' waste her time llslehh
ter no mo- preacher fo0t!shnes'SS
The neIghbor looked serious. He APP
prOnChed Jenkins wagon and resting
the toe OF his hroEan upon the hub OF n
front wheel leaned forward comIoTEl-
bly, gave Il deprecHtOry squirt Of tObnc.
co Juice before asking In q confidential
'.How's tn So'tlE betwixt Nance an
Ia6e nsconlin' opg'
Jenkins changed his POSITION uhehs'-
Is before he answered.
,.Toe tell the truth sub. they-uIs ant
n.comin' on nary bit. JRbe he comes
an sets an lows ter me tibet he'd IKE
bettern en1in ter hitch with Nancy,
hut when hit comes TO tRlkin' ter Nance
herself boUt hit. JADE ant thar
"Hyah. Hyah! YAH chucEled the
nelg6or. softly, ''Then yuh goes an
an does IRhes co'tin fer him an comes
out the ieetLs end Of the horn. nh?
.'Well. EnLls is contrary cs.itters, sh'
nun, an when I lowed hit 'ud be n
mighty good thing II She war toe marry
Jabe an settle down clost tea her man
AM me. she test LATED an lowed; Let
some OF the Sether gals have 'im-et
they kin get him Thar's plenty OF 'em'
don't want mo skeery young shoat IKE
Jabe a.settin' up toe me
il tormentln' critters, They is wus-
sur'n COWS II yuh want '''n ter do
t'Other Yllh knows but IL yt8f was toe
feed 'em cotton seed in tn rack they.
uns 'tid stnrve toe death befO' they'd
eat hit, / got q mighty heap ~ cotton
iced that ] wants eat up. 80 ! Hes putS
hit up In n pen in the oil Held an When
them COWS go fer hit ] jess makes Inc
chIllen run EN- on. an time they gets
run or q Ieetle them cows low that EFF
the don't git them-ar seed they Jest
nRChelIy can't live: an when the chill
lun lets 'em come they jest climb right
over the pen toe get bite 'er them
seed. / does my women critters Jes the
same way. II wants en- ter 50 thlS-
ser way drives 'em that, an got ten
calls ali married Jess like | wanted
'em he concluded, in triumphant truth
OF the excellence Of his contrary policy.
MI, Jenkins shook his head doubtful
~. ''That-Rr plan nought do fer some
calls he admitted, but with Nance
hits a differ. II was toe tell her l
was Cwine a-huntin' that-ar Jabe tip
ley with shotgun bet she'd low she
Wishs't I'd Eit him. ThRt-0r galls
EWine run me plumb crazy some o
these days.
Meanwhile the perverse object OF the
above conversation sat ON the portion
OF a smooth-wOrn log that did duty for
a back step to her fathers log kitchen,
calmly silelllng peas. A slender brown
thumb was inserted into one end OF the
pod and its contents ousted in very
skillfuI, professional manner. great
nile of the green Ehnles cluttered the
white sand about her feet. among which
two or three very fat, gluttonons dor-
kIns searched inQuirlDgly or fought
clumsIly for any pea that escaped from
the blue, homespun lap OF Nance.
ANYHOW" she remarked to herself,
'lt's a heap cooler and pleasanter mere
than It Is a settin' up In msetin' poll
In an a listenin' to a OIL cav0rt.
90. kaV NFs fERl
elm the sun filtered softly, lying on the
smooth white sand beneath In pleasant
shadows of mixed sun and shade.
Among the branches the mocHngbirdS
and cardinals kept up rival concert.
Under the trees in the deep shade cast
by the lean-to kitchen It Was Very cool
and pleasant. but beyond. over the
fieids OF sibllant Whispering, rank grow
ing corn and blooming cotton. the
neat rose dancing and Quivering, rising
and falling, as II in idabolical Blee, with
each wait OF the heavy, heat laden air.
The harsh Earring OF a wagon broke In
upon the Grooming sounds. 1t was the
family returning from church. Rumb-
ling up the weedy drive the six girls ana
the mother trOoped out OF the groauiuG
wagon and into the Kitchen with much
high pitched chatter.
You ought a-bln thar, Nance. :
'Such preachin' never heard IL
you were To go you'd giI 'lgion shure
'nufF," Each one had some comment
10 make. but Nance said nothing; she
had pulled the crnn" from the big hre-
place and was dishing up the contents
Of the steaminR pots. with quick. dcit
passes, the other women looking on APP
nreCIntingly. but fOrbcaring to soil their
Sunday fiDery by lending a hand. Nam
Cy scarcely needed their chatter, you
could scarcely have told that she heard
her sisters eOOd. humOredly malicious
illusions to Jabe Tipiy'E conversion, his
demOnstratiVe attentions to another
girl, save By slight flush on her SAL
low, little face and an Omlnous snap
ming Of her black eyes Quit yer fool
ishness. gals, n come eat" said the
mother. sharply. judging that the BAN
ter had gone far enough. Dinners
ready" Nancy said tersely. setting the
last dish upon the table and carefully
serving her father before taking her
own seat. During the meal the tax
still ran on the revival and the merits
Of each preacher were freely discussed.
The father said little and nothing at all
10 Nancy, but when the other girls had
retired to remove their iinery, and after
having put the dishes away and set the
kitchen to rights, she came out where
her father was smoking on the smooth.
worn step. he said. after many medita'
tive bufTs, and much unnecessary polk
Ing OF his COrncOb pipe.
Nancy. honey, hit aln't right"
What amt right, father"
Fer 4 young woman creeter toe bt4so
sOt Rgin 'ligiOn nS sou is
Nancy said nothing but drew meditR-
tive patterns with her little brown toes
IN the soft sand,
III YOU was 20 hear thisshcr preach
err he said. difiidenuy, "p'raps hit I'd
make a differ" he suEgested, Us though
the Idea had Just suddenly occurred II
him.