Evening star., 1898-12-17

.1,rr,riSIr.z, TuiI considering it was well to-
ward o'clock Of Christmas eve The
morning had been April weather ful OF
ftfuI sunshine and soft. fawy winds Now
the sky was ieadeu, the wind sat h"fth-
west: lower. ragged clOnds scudding before
i, le, iaI little suitetui snow so-,s' or
dashes OF hail
Tn. Murray outfit came wabDlinS up
Thrrs was q sort Of trrmolo even 10 the
Ioud crackings Of Sonnys whip. Lassa-
phine. at Sonny's elbow, scowled and shy
cred frnpatientIy at The noise. Such useless
noise, The crack of doom could not have
quickened the patient amble at which
Brandy the red OK. and jimmy, the pale
little donkey. drew their Gathering load.
by gonnys, Must be you've fetched
feather bed aIiver' Storekeeper Walker
said holding out both hands. Lassaphne
overlooked them. Instead Of getting out,
she writhed down amid he turkeys They
were fine big fellows. white, and copperas
yellow. and glossy greenish bronze She
had fed and tended and talked to them
since they came out of the egg lump
had come in her throat as she hOppled them
in pairs and laid them upon the scant straw
at the bottom of the wagon The lump was
there still. though Lassa phine was very far
from sentimental person she could nave
sold her flock 70 the turkey drover last
week with the ligh;est heart in the world.
II was quite another matter to seize ana
bind them treacherousy as they fed from
her hand. and deliver them thus to make
sport for an idle holiday crowd.
-'Sa-ay. Jim Walker, Ain't you got new
frUck and stick er red-Strip-ed candy? They
mOuSht tOle this Yer gal er mine ius-de!
Sonny said. stamping his feet hard as he
clamhered down. ''Sihe wants ter spilc our
fuH-Lassap phine does-been a-beggin me
all the way not to have the turkey walk
though she knows | saved them bur-FedS
lest faF nothing else the world
Come. now. Miss Lassaphinei That
won't do, Not never in the Wor.dH' Walker
said Christmas comes but once a year.
you know. Come in. Do! I've got the
very dress for yuu-I0ld my wife so last
night. when the newest goods come in
I.;tssaphine shook her head decidedly. I
don't want no dress you got, she said.
'Nothin you've got-untii the money to
pay for it is in my hand
That won't be long Walker said. rub
bing mis- hands. Look at all them fine
gobbIers, / call it jest a great notion of
your Ta's-havin' 'em walked for-stand You
in twice whut the drOyeGs 5 been payin'i
Eff you don't wanter trade, though, lemme
take you up 10 the house
I don't leave this wagfn till it starts
for home Lassaph'ne interrupted, turn
ing 10 pick up the rope Te.ns her father
had dropped. He had vanished inside the
log storehOuse. As the team crawled a
little from the steps TO make room for
smart new buggy he came out wpiug his
mouth with the back Of his hand, his eyes
So YOU rally did come, jack Good boy!
Man Of his wOrd,' he shouted to the bug
syS driver. LaSsaPhine did not turn her
head yet q slow blush gathered in her olive
checks. She had long dusky eyes with
spark at the bottom, heavy night-black
hair and the pOise and stature OF 4 Greek
goddess. Notwithstanding most women in
the countryside reckOued her ugly. She
was 50 unlike their standard Of pink and
white prettiuess, they could not in the least
comprehend Why 50 many men OF 50 many
minds and fortunes lost their heads over
her.
Jack Chiders, for instance a congress-
mans son. rich and fair looking, though
Teputed wild; Len Haskell, most driving
and thriving Of the young farmers round
about; Doc Grant the bachelor tobacco
dealer. catch for any girl, 10 say moth
ing Of Teeuy Walker, the stOrtbceper's
bashfUi young brother. II was certainly ag-
graVatins 20 good women with girls of their
own to settle 10 have many dangle after
Lassaphine, who cOquetted with all and ia
NOTed none The Murray place was poorer
than poverty. the bare and understandable
fragment OF wide Plantation Its Starye-
ling acres we're either ealled and quilted or
oNerErown with Nasrant hriers. and the big
weather-stained house was ruinous except
in twO or three south-Iooking rooms.
StiN the NurTays managed to live Hy it
LassdphiHe and Sonny and graudpap.
GraElpaF never forgot. nor allowed the
others to forget. what was due to Murray
blood Lassaphine, for example. must
learn 10 read and sign her name must wear
shoes upon high days and holidays and 90
10 church at least once a month. He was
the more strenuous because I.assaphine's
mother had not been person of quality.
but a hill girl. who had, however, been
oblging enough to die while Lassaphine
was Vet in arms.
Drive rOUudt We're a-eoiu' TO walk in
the back lot Sonny called. shaking hands
right and left as he spoke All Lassa-
piune : worShipers were IN the crowd on
the pCrch-hesideS everybody liked Sonny
IN spite of his PCr r,Is
when one was too much for his poor head
Ihat was the secret Of Lassaph!ue's pres
eHce-she could not afford to have him
royS'er away the price Of her frathered
flock. For one thing. there were her church
dues Sonny argued that the circuit rider
n HlteieSs young fellow. well clothed ven
mounted. at no expense for living had
nluch less need Of The - than themselves
I1assaphine listened. smiling ohstinately
She could put IN action. not I'm words her
feeling that IL was due herself to paw re-
EardlesS Of auything else
A turkey walk. understand Is q sort NJ
rural lottery, much affeC ted around hoII-
uaNS IN the mi05lc south. As a Iottary ~
comes under the han Of strict church neO-
TIe- Certainly there is a strong element ~
cbaHce In II. Each walker uays q stir,,,
iateI sum for the privilege of yvJILfrp-tn
tocai par'aHce. buys his reg" After il is
DoHsht hr must walk bfir7f0Ido1 pfvan
number of stems and set the peg firmly IN
lhe ground He who comes nearest to the
STAKE wins the turkey or whatever tba
PIC may ne NpFf1 monty ten a dozen
I'VE birds are walked of. The winners are
iareIy Thrifty enough 10 take home their
i've prizes Instead they hand them over
TO negro cook who serves them ur Mt q
turkey supper toward O'Clock on Christ
mas morning. BY the time the sumner Is
eaten II IS time to go out and shoot anvil
tnrisfsn mas guns or touch of hollow logs
pluegeI- with pound Of powder inside
ne back tot was an acre Of rough turf
sretcHiHg between The s9an-new Walker
house brave In gaudy paiut and the SQUAT
wetth"red store. nesting in the angie of
the crossroads. Half way in Il a stout
stake had been driven. \ nile Of roughly
~Mt'ied pegs lay beside the stores hack
steps As Sonny came down them with
'hfe" parts Of the crowd at his heels ne
htooPed and gathered the pile under his
arm. saying. with nil1 nretense Of mis-
trust; we've ali got so much Christmas IN
Yer bones consarn Yer pictyers we're ~
ii1iI of Tricks IS 50 many unbroke mules
nuI l5F me hest sohbler in the bunch ye
don play uoUe Of EN- 0y, me-
sonny you shorey don't think thev'd
Try IT, With LasSaphiHe a-iookin' at EN- ?''
lhe StoreEeeper called after him from The
door. Len Haskell SHE'D a stone at Walker
Jack ChillerS C"ntent.d himself with a
shake uf the fist. Doc Grant made a Dotion