The herald., 1897-02-14

er seen the CLEAN of the steel rails nor
heard the screech of a locomotive. IL
meant a great deal, too, to certain
man in one of the poor, worn-out, dead
and gone villages of the east, whose
father had long ago been adventurous
enough to set out in search of California
gold, and who had gone on his journey
az far west as the pine hills of Louisiana,
where he had had the forethought to
pre-empt a section of land and the lack
of thought to go back east Immediately
thereafter. Perhaps the coming of the
little railroad through this land meant
a great deal to the poor son of the poor
man who had entered 1t years ago, and
perhaps 1t meant more to the land agent
who had the handling of 1t for Its owner.
BY the right of assumption this same
land agent has come to be power In the
neighborhood, and when he laad on q
town site upon the eastern mans land.
so that the little settlement was left as
a. sort of struggling suburb thereto, the
people felt as If the world, had come ana
sat down beside them instead or drag
ging them out to itself
In the new town there was to be q ho-
tel and a station and a postoffice. There
even came to be vague whisperings that
at the next term of court the settlement
would go down to Sparta In body ana
cast its vote for the court house to be
moved to the new town rather than TO
Gibbs or Arcadia. This patriotic senti-
ment grew as the new town grew. There
was something inspiring about the SOUND
of saw and hammer, and the glow OF red
paint on the little squat station. The
women did little else but CAB and gos-
sip, and the men either laid of work IN
a body or took turn about In watching
the progress OF the building over at New
Town, reporting to the rest of the settle
ment after nightfall.
Alxsr. ,t, nd -pi fly1
effect upon 'Kiah and Ria along with
the rest With all the lumber needed
Burnet's mill was kept busy from day.
light until dark, and Kiah found NO time
to slip down from his wagon and give
Ria a lift with the late cotton picking
Perhaps this is why he stayed longer
than usual one Sunday afternoon when
he went to see Ria and talk TO Ikey and
Mrs. Tilly. He stayed so long. in fact,
that Mrs. Tilly, having exhausted her
usual flow of conversation, succumbed
under the soporific influence of her steady
dipping and fell asleep in the chimney
corner. He stayed SO long that Ikey.
who had slipped out the back door, sad
died his mule and ridden away, came
back at dusk to find him still sitting and
shelling peanuts.
Been over to New Town." said Ikey
in a hoarse whisper, lest he should dis
turb the old woman. as he stopped down
and felt in the ashes for handful OF
peanuts. Tell yer, things air boomin'
| over that'a'way 'Kiah."
"Say they air?" said 'Kiah, fitting his
| chair back and running his hands into
! his pockets.
THAT they air." Ikey went on.
TEL yer. that there land agent, he's
| hustler"
SAY he air?" 'Kiah ventured again,
running his hands still further IN his
| pockets.
"Yes, sir; that agent, he's a reg'lar
hustler from Hustleville." said 1key.
who had found good deal of time to loaf
| about New Town and picked up its news
| and its slang.
Tell yer what he's goin' ter do. He
says the road'll be tn ough by Christmas
| an he's fixin' up fer a big barbecue that
day, when the first train gifts here. Folks
are comm from Sparty an down on the
railroad from fur up as Homer. He's
! goin' to git some lawyers here rum
| Minden to make speeches, an the Baptis
! preacher FUN Mount Lebanon, an he's
! got posters struck off an stuck up tell
/ in that he'll give ten-acre lot with a
two-room frame house an th'ow in a
mule to boot to any couple thatll come
to New Town an git married that day
49, i.i N--'s sfs ,tfi"e's, '. f-.- i--'-
offerin, an hit tain't no po' folks oner
| nuther Ten acre don't seem no big
slice er lam, but I tell you, sight er
potatoes an peas an turnips an COL
| lards kin grow on ten acre, an sich as
thatll come in mighty handy fur the no.
tel an railroad folks. Yes, sir, bedog-
, gon eff l amt min to set out an hunt
me a gal oil as I am an put in a bid fur
that house an lot. I'd start out right now
| eff the OF mule warn't so tired. Reckon,
though, maybe / better go feed her an
| wait tell mawnin'."
'Kiah waited till Ikey had closed the
door, then bringing the chair down on its
four legs again he pulled his long legs
up and drew paper from his left-hand
! trousers pocket.
Here's that there poster Ikey was a
talkin' bout" he said slowly handling
the glaring yellow and black bill to Ria.
The girl read it slowly, leaning for
ward to catch the dim light that came
in the little window.
"S'posin' we try fur that house an
lot. Ria" he said, as she handed the
poster back to him.
The old woman raised her head from
the chimney jamb, spat clear of the and
irons into the big bank of ashes and set
tied to her doing again.
Don't keer eff / do, 'Kiah," said the
girl. as the wistful look faded from her
eyes forever-Philadelphi Times.
Why is a woman deformed when she
IS mending stockings?. Because hei
hands are where her feet ought to be.