Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-06-09
CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER IL
For the next few days the course Of
events ran smoothly on the surface.
Dick Bufford, with loquacious urbanity,
soon made himself general favorite.
At the stillhouse knot of admirers
usually gathered round him at leisure
hours, while many Of his offhand say
ings became as current conversational
coin to be tipped from tongue to tongue,
accompanied by slow horseplay of bu-
collie wit and laughter.
Bile Teeters, the proprietor Of the
stillhouse, Flowed that Dick Bufford
had more sense in the holler side Of his
noddle than all the balance Of Unclo
Sans gaugers rolled inter one. He's
p'intedly got sense enuff ter let whisky
alone. Just dram now and then, moth
in more, and bar'ls of hit a-settin
round. Oh, he's master manp
The fact that a man could be gauger
and not drunkard presented to Mr..
Teeters' imagination the juxtaposition
of qualities humanity recognizable only
on the score Of superlative abilities.
Jim Cheek was Sc carried away by
Dicks transcendant cleverness that
when the latter in careless way sug-
gested boarding with him during the
brief time his official duties rendered
his stay imperative our honest black
smith assented at once.
Don't ye bring him here" said
Darthuly to her husband that night
when he announced that Bufford would
bring his traps up ''termorrer. -
Jim gazed at his wife in mild eyed
astonishment and noticed that she look
ed pale and worried.
"Thar now, Darthuly, ye do look pes
tered, but hit won't be for more nor q
week. Moneys money these yer hard
times, and I'll help ye when I can git
outen the shop"
Don't ye bring him here" " she said
pleadingly, placing her hands on his
shoulders and looking earnestly at him.
He totally failed to comprehend the ma
ture of her disapproval and said mildly:
"Hit's already agreed on. Ican't very
we'll back down now. But don't see
why ye should be so pestered about hit,
Darthuly."
She Withdrew her hands, and her
great, dark eyes blazed petulantly as
she replied:
''Ef that thar feller comes here, Jim
Cheek, and anything wrong comes of hit
member, I've warned ye.
She withdrew abruptly to the kitchen,
leaving Jim to look after her regretful-
", as he scratched his head and ac-
knowledged to himself that women
were powerful curious. A man can't
Jest never tell which side Of the fence
they're a-goin ter lean ag'in.
Bufford soon made himself quite as
much at home there as he had elsewhere.
Darthuly avoided him, seldom speaking
to him except when necessary-a state
of things which he ignored by treating
her with systematic Difference and po-
literess. This became grateful to her, in
its very contrast to the boorish absence
of courtesy prevalent among the noun
taineers Even Jim, with the kindest OF
hearts, had few of the minor urbani.
ties of manner that so smooth social in
tercourse under unfavorable circum-
stances. He was loving and true, yet he
never handed her chair or offered to
get water or deferred gracefully to her
varied whim as Bufford constantly did,
regardless Of her cod Indifference or
studied ignoring Of his civilities.
"Why, Darthuly," said Jim one day,
when they two were alone, II RELY
can't see what ye mean by snubbin the
gauger so, like yer allays a-doin.'
Her only reply was to raise to his her
wonderful eyes, their clear depths trou-
bled by sadness now habitual to them.
As he looked, slight blush appeared on
her cheek and she withdrew her gaze,
but said nothing. Indeed she moved, as
she herself felt, like one in dream,
dreading to awake, yet palsied by the
helplessness that was upon her.
Dick petted the spoiled baby, allowing
it to pull his hair and slobber over him
with jovial placidity that caused Mrs.
Cheek to eye him furtively when she
was not observed. He said no more to
her of their mysterious past, and she
felt grateful for his forbearance. Yet
one morning, while Jim was clinking
away at the shop, as he sat playing
with the child, he looked up suddenly
and detected her watching him intently.
"Ah, Meg, Meg" he said in new
and tender tone, "to think of you with
baby like this gets away with me"-
mot that name heec!' cried she,
covering as though his words had been
blows. II cannot endure it. Let it be
dead forever
In her earnestness she dropped her
mountain dialect even while mindful Of
the danger attached to tho mention of
her former name. Reaching up quickly,
he took her hand, saying: