Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-05-12

Mary, chile, l amt never forgot dem
words OF advice; she wuz good 'ooman,
my mother wuz."
Poor Henry, thought 1.
"Dere's no use talzin', Miss Mary, eff |
you wants ter hev peace yousc bleeged |
ter take a stan frum de fust. Now
deres Henry, you wouldn't think it now
but he wuz ez skittish ez a colt when |.
married him"
IL certainly wouldn't have thought |
So" l replied deyoutly, remembering
the meek-faced little man who called
Priscilla wife.
Hinery sholy wuz mannish, Miss
Mary, but l TUX hit all out of him de
fust year we wuz married." and she
chuckled approximately
Is ! betrayed no wild interest in
Priscilla's matrimonial difficulties, she
proceeded to change the subject with
an abruptness that was startling.
Miss Nary" said she, with the
frank impertinence of an old servant,
sis Mr., Hugh Raney your beau?"
"Of course not!" I replied, rapidly;
she's a friend of Mr.. Fred's."
"A fren' of Mr.. Fred's?" she repeat
ed, thoughtfuIly; "a mighty good fren',
sence he comes ter see him twice a week
an sometimes oftener."
did not answer.
81 member Mr.. Hugh when he warn't
much biggern my Benjie. He's down
right hanson, Mr.. Hugh is, but he amt
much of talller, is he? Ter tell you de
trufe, Miss Mary, l lows ez you talks
too much ter Mr. Hugh; you gifts him
kinder fapdazzled, an you don't give
him a chance ter git a word in idge-
wise"
l stared at Priscilla in speechless in
dignation.
'De oder night l wuz in de hal! fixin'
de lamps, an I TUX notis dat you did
all de tallin' Mr.. Hugh LATED an
lated, but he amt never ascertained no
subject fur hisself."
Priscilla" said I with flaming
cheeks, Il wish you would go on with
your busting"
"Prisently, Miss Mary, presently, but
l hez had hit in my mind fur long
time ter tell you dis (you amt got no
mother, Miss Mary, ckile), and Use
'bleeged ter eend hit. I members hear
in Miss Alice say once (she an your ma
wuz in de garden under de orange
trees); SEE she, Kate SEE she, when
likes man ! never talks, llase hit
pleases me ter listen, an when don't
like him I holes my tongue,sose he kin
say all he hez in his mind right quick,
den l gifts chance fur ter git rid of
him."
I got up and sauntered out of the
room, pretending indifference, but in
reality Priscilla's suggestion was by
no means lost upon me. Hugh Raney
was a thorn in my path, and from all
appearances he intended to continue
enc indefinitely. l had known him as
a child, and upon my return to the plan.
tation, after my mothers death, he had
taken up the old friendship where we
dropped it, years before. A slim, darl,
fellow, with a ready laugh, but abso-
lutely no conversation, he called often
and again at Southmeade, boring me to
extinction and furnishing Fred with a
never-ending material for teasing. II
was true, as Priscilla complained, that
did all the talking, when he came to
see me, but if l had not, | felt sure that
we would have sat and gazed at each
other in solemn silence. But Aunt
Ahce's maxim, in Priscilla's language
set me to thinking, and to such purpose
that when Fred knocked at my door
that evening with the facetious infor.
nation that my little playmate" was
waiting for me in the study, went out
to meet him, resolved to try the magic
effects of silence. The result was
: startling in the extreme. After one OF
two fruitless attempts to lead me out, >
. and finding me absolutely unrespon
2 sive, Hugh pulled his chair closer t.
mine and proceeded to entertain" me
for the first time in his life. Ny dull
ness seemed to stimulate him, for the
. quieter | became the merrier he grew
Whether he attributed my apathy t.
, sudden self-consciousness or apprecia
ton of the situation, do not know, bu
before very long he launched into per
sonal conversation of a type he haC
never before attempted. PrisciIl;
could no longer complain that ''he never
ascertained no subject" for he "ascer
tained' so much in a Comparatively
short time that he gave me ample fooc
for reflection
Priscilla met me with my lamp Jus
5 after he had gone, and the expression o
satisfaction on her features was diff
cult to ignore. | did so, however, ant
went yawning off to bed after first re
preaching Fred bitterly for not comm.
, in.
, Well, the story is soon told NJ,
= caller, finding me so unusually pensiv
r and thoughtful, became so emboldene,
| that after several visits he gave me al