The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-01

fllle VI lO-uaN. IIcGpy ilPo, iihS 4N"H
ME Boone's, had always had pecu-
liar witchery and charm about them
for young men, and sometimes old
ones, since Adam stole his first kiss in
Eden.
Of course, Mamie had many admir-
ers among the young men of the settle
ment, and plenty of enemies among
the girls, who knew well enough that,
had she chosen to do so, she could
speedily have brought all the back
wood gallants to her feet, and kept
them there, thus monopolizing that
very necessary element to the peace
and prosperity of such a place as
Brownsville was at that time, where
the girls were in proportion of two to
one with the young men. But that
was before the dawn of monopolies,
and Mamie was of too thrifty dispo-
sition to keep beaux dawdling about
her when they might much better be
at home helping their fathers clear the
farms they had staked out in the wild
erness.
She was something of firt, and
liked to make the girls jealous and see
the young men cast furious glances at
each other on her account, but that, 1
take it, is natural for the average
girl. She can't help it. 1t is born in
her. All of us exult in sense of
power, and why should pretty girls
like Mamie Boone not find certain
satisfaction in the knowledge that they
have only to say the word or give the
look to have the young men fall down
and do them homage? In doing this,
they are only allowing human nature
to come to the surface, and human
nature is about the same thing the
world over. They mean no harm by
it, and it is only when girl allows
ambition to trample good sense under
foot that any real harm is done.
But Mamie, while smiling upon most
of the Brownsville boys, had one
sweetest smile which she kept for
Dick Brayton.
Dick was good-looking young fel-
low, who had come from 'down be-
low''-"down below was anywhere
forty or fifty miles from Brownsville,
and had reference to no particular
place or point of compassionate six
months before the opening of my
story. He was quite unlike the young
men of Brownsville on his advent
among them. His hands were white
and soft, and his dress and general
appearance indicated that he had not
been used to hard work. When in
terrogated about it, he had answered
that he had been at work in store,
but, getting tired of being housed up,
he had determined to strike cut in
search of new field of labor, and be-
hold him at Brownsville looking for q
job.
"Seems to me it's ruther odd fer q
feller that's ben ust to soft work to
come up into this region lookin' fer
suthin' to do, Deacon Snyder had re-
marked, when Brayton appeared upon
the scene. "Most young men now'days
want as leetle as possible to do" This
with sarcastic emphasis and severe
look at his son Ezekiel, who had, on
several occasions, expressed a desire
to ego down below" and hire out in a
store.
Dick Brayton had seen Mamie first
at meeting in the log schoolhouse. He
fell in love with her at first sight, and
the very next day applied to her father
for work on his farm.
"What can you do?" asked Solomon
Boone, as he proceeded to fill and light
his corn-cob pipe. eyer hans don't
look in fust-rate trim fer loggin', an I
sh'd ledge that yer muscle wa mt jest
what's needed in breakin' new land"
"That's so, suppose" said Dick, in
reply. "I haven't had much practice
in hard work, but can learn to do it.
I'm stout and healthy, and it won't
take long to tougher me to it. I've
got grit to stick to thing when I un-
dertake it. You can pay me what you
think I earn, at first, and if [ improve,
you can increase my wages. [ leave
that to you. Only give me trial. If
I don't come up to requirements, you
can turn me off, That's fair, isn't it?'
Eyes, that's fair enough" answered
Mr.. Boone. Il kinder like yer style,
an Til try ye."
So Dick Brayton became Mr.. Boone's
"hired man," and came to live under
the same roof with Mamie.
"I'll bet that'll make match," Mrs.
Snyder said to her neighbor, Mrs.
Jones, when Dick was installed as
"hand' on the Boone farm. ''Nance,
she's got some kinder high notions in
her head, an this feller III make hel
bleeve he's leetle better'n the boys
round here; an whatever she says,
that her folks'll say yes to, you can be
sure on. She jest twists 'em round hel
little finger easy's a string. It's al
Nance says this, an Nance says that
with both of 'em. They spile her
Yes, Mis- Jones, I'll bet anything
you're a mind to, Nance Boone ii have
that young man. I noticed she acted
kinder struck after him the fust time
she see him. Them whiskers rounC
his mouth did it, I s'pose. I declare
Mis- Jones, I do abominate then
things. Our Ezekiel, he's tryin' tc
raise some. He's took to scrapin' his
upper lip twicet week, regular, bu'
they won't grow, to speak on. Hi:
father, he makes him hoppin' mad al
visin' him to put cream on, an let the
cat lick it off. -
It seemed. as the summer wore on
that Mrs. Snyder's prophecy was likel.
TO come true Dick and Mamie 90