The times., 1898-04-24
New York Cotton Market.
BROTHERS..
(From the Chicago News.)

(From the Chicago News.)
The patriarch sat on the stone porch.
An old cob pipe, the smoke ooZing Ia
zily from it's mouth. prOtruded from
the recesses of his white and bushy
beard. His eyes were fixed on the
mountains five miles away, over whose
dark green sides the black, sharp shad-
.ows of the clouds were wandering. The
| old man was in a pensive mood, SO un-
usually pensive as to awaken the Gu
rlosity OF the storeSeeper VINO had been
| Watching MIN sitting upright on the
| bench, his gaze tastenend on the dis
| tant Mills.
what are you thinking Off the
! young man asked.
Il was Inlnklng of Hen Wheedle. l
hain't thot OF him Ter a year, so sais
| to mysen To-Day, L sals, You otter think
of Hen Wheeole' An set right down,
an "a mighty good time 1--we mad medy
! tatin over him."
! The miller, who was seated on the 9TH
er end of the bench, laid down the
| country paper ana locked at the old
| man over the top OF his spectacles.
Mighty souls!-- he said. Why Hens
| ben over the mountain nigh on TO torty
! year"
''rhats jest the pint" said the pa
| triarch. when folks is gone one otter
think on EN-"
10 the old man there was nothing
| beyond the mountains but infinite
| space. To him the world was bound
| ed by the range of green hills before
! him and the range back by the river.
! The two sprang out Of space at a
point some miles to the north, went
! their own ways some fifteen miles to
| the south, joined and made the valley
and the world. To go over the noun
! tam to him meant voluntary annihila-
! ton. He stepped off into the blue be-
! yond and became nCthlngness. in tne.
| seVenty-I.Ve years of his life he had
| known men to have come back again,
! but it was like rising from the dead.
! You know Hen Wheedle?' he IN
! quired of his companions.
! He was afore my time, but I've
heard on him." the miller replied.
Hen an me was like brothers, the
old man went on. The light in his pipe
! had gone out. He applied a sulphur
match to ii and sneezed violently.
He done wrong, but he's suffered in
nardly fer it, and ef he ever comes
back III put this right hand in his n,
an say, Hen, you done wrong, but
you've suffered innardIy and / for
! give yen
No sulphurous fume was playing
around the old man now, but he
sneezed again and choked himself with
| a piece OF canton flannel that served
him as a handkerchief.
Hen an me was born an raised on
! 'joinin farms. Hen an me was broth
ers from the time we was big enough
to gether eggs. At school a boy thet
| licked me had TO lick both. A boy
thet was licked be one was licked be
! both. tell you, we was a pretty pair,
| we was so pretty thet Melissy Flower
| couldn't pick atween US. She was
| girl Mighty souls! I'd a bin glad to
| hev he'd her, an sod Hen; but then
| the trouble come. | didn't want her
| without Hen hevin' her, and Hen did
mt want her without me hevin' her;
consekently they was a hitch. The
winter we was twenty-one years old
we seen a good deal Of the girl at
| singin school an spellin bees. We
used to go over to Flowers an sing
duets 10 Melissy's melOdium playin'.
| 1t kept gettn' worse with both of us,
! till one night we was comm from her
| house an got 10 where the road der
! vided, one fork runnin' TO our house
an one to his'n. My, how clear L re-
member it,
Hen l sails, lookin' right inter his
! eyes-it was moonlight an 1 could
read his very thots-'Hen, it seems to
| me- like you've been thinlin more'n
usu1 of Melissy lately
I wus thinkin' the same of yOu,'
sails he.
You're right. sais I; but 1 don't
want to treat no buddy of mine mean
An I'm thinkin the same ez you,
sails he.
I'VE wus quite a piece then I sails,
! Hen, eff ever l make up my mind 1
can't stand it no longer, I'll tell you
An eff ever | git the same way,
I'll tell YOU he sais.
I'VE shook hands an went home.
! Il s'pose we'd a get along fer good
many years ez things wus he'd it not
a ben that a young town feiler from
up the valley comm drivin' down in
| slick clothes, in a slick buggy He
comes oncet, and then agin. L got to
| thinkin' about this here Perry feller
more'n 1 wus thinkin of Melissy. Some
| times | thOt l was goin' mad. but yit
| | didn't like to do nothin' On Hens
! count. One afternoon | come down
| here TO store. an | seen Perry driVin'
| thro'. Somehow 1 got Uneasy. onrast-
| less, an final l couldn't stand it no
| longer. After supper / went over to
| Wheedle's to git Hen, 'lowin we'd go
| down to Flowers an settle the busi-
ness be lettin' her choose. But Hen
| wasn't in, an | set down on the pump
trough an waited. My. but them hours
| did go by slowl L could look down the
| hill to Flowers place an see the light
| tWinklin in the best room, where L
knowed Melissy was with Perry. The
! light seemed allus a-twinklin' to me to
| hurry up; but | sails to meself; No.
Hens my buddy, an I'll treat no bud
| dy of mine mean.
BY an by the moon come up, an
| the chickens in the barn quit clickin'
| at the rats, an the light down to Flow
| ers went out. Still | stuck to the
| pump trough. | begin TO get doZy, an
| leaned me head again the pump. When
| | come to me senses the roosters wus
| CROWN an the light Wus beginnin' to
creep up over the ridge yonder. | went
! home an eZ | come around the house
| | found Hen asleep on the back steps.
| Hen, what hev you been doin.' l
| sails, when he opened his eyes an rub
| bed 'em.
! 'Waitin fer you, he sails. I come
! last night to git you to go over to
Flowers; Perrys there
| Il thot he'd die when he heard how
I'd slep' on the pump trough. We he'd
| to make the best Of a bad bargain.
| thought; we'd no time to lose. so airly
ez it was, we went over to Flowers
by an by Melissy came down to- git
I breakfast, an when me an Hen sleeps
! into thekitchen / thCt she'd faint.
why, you're airly.' she sais.
We've come airly a purpose, Me-
| lissy.' sails |. Hen an me wants you
to choose between US