The Advocate and news., 1899-03-01

cOul0 % only NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 0PPlS
hensiOn and avoidance on the one side,
disappointment and upbraiding on the
other.
But before long a change came, there
was a declaration Of war, a call for
troops; and then, before the family rea-
lized what was 10 happen, Link had vol
unteered and been accepted, the first from
his county to Join the immunes.
After he left, Uncle Nose did not even
look toward the river. Wash skulked
down and flshed under the big tree for
while, then wandered off into the woods
to look at his traps The next day he
tried again, but he did not like fishing
alone. He soon hid his pole and wan
dered of into the woods. The third day
after dinner, instead Of hurrying out to
dig bait, as usual, he looked wistfully at
Uncle Nose, as the old man rose and went
out to the truck patch behind the cabin.
"Ain' yo' gwine fishin' no mo-, gran
pOp?' asked the dlscOnsolate Wash who
had followed him.
Uncle Nose leaned upon his hoe handle
and looked at him benignly
mot till yo' pap gifts back, honey" he
answered. Oars heaps O wuk Toun' dis
place now. Yo' pap been do hit mawn-
ms an arter he done git frou wuk at dc
saW-mill nights, an cepn' TUX his place
hit'll shore fall on yo' nanny, an she
hab mo- now den she ought. No, no,
honey, yo'll halter look out TO de fish
an let de ole man ben his back ober de
taters an inyuns an t'ings."
The boy dug his heel into the sand.
"I reckon yo' ain car TO- flshin' no.
how, gran'pop," he said, irritably. "If
yO' did yo'd fix de wuk some way"
Uncle Nose sank the blade Of his hoe
among the weeds at his feet.
"Is been fishin' off an on mOre'n fifty
years" he said, defensively, FAN yo' ain
more'n ten. Dat means l car TO hit five
times more'n yo'. But we mus'n leabe wuk
fo good times, honey. mout fix de truck
patch wuk, lax yo' say; but dar's odder
tings. / aim to hep yO nanny bout
her chickens an washin' an housewuk.
She ain strong lax she mout be-"
Wash dug his heel deeper into the sand
and shifted. AS he heard it, sudden
hardness came into the old mans eyes.
"An' dar's anudder ting" he continued
leaning again upon his hoe handle and
looking straight at Wash. 'I am to chop
an pile up a heap O. nice wood TO- yo
nanny. She had to go out un'er de trees
most cherry dayto pick up bits o stick an
bark an chips to kin'le her fire, case dey
ain nOt'in' roun' de woodpile 'cep'n big
sticks witch yo' pap brung an witch ain
chop up. aim to cut hit all an pile hit
ginst de do, whar hit'll be handy TO- yo
nanny No, no, honey; l cayn't go
flshin' nohow. Yo mus do de fishin'
yo'sef now"
Wash dropped his gaze to the ground,
an unusual thing for him. WoOdcutting
was one Of his chores, and he had been
shirklng.
"Ps gwine wuk hard wen rs bigger"
he muttered deprecatlngly. my nanny
say boys mus make most O. dere play
time. Wen rs man rs gwine wuk
hard lax my pap, an'--an' be a soger,"
for in spite of their antagonism, Wash's
idea OF his father embodied all that was
manly and heroic.
"Yo' nebber be lax yO' pap" Uncle
Nose said. "He study an wuk hard
wen he's boy, Yo' mo lax ole ragged
Jake" Then his gaze dropped in sudden
abashed consciousness Of having up
braided his favOrite; and, II the boy had
waited moment longer, he would have
heard contrite, Don yo min, honey;
hits jes' de ole man talkin'. Yo's a good
boy, shore 'nough good boy"
But Wash did not hear He was speed
ing toward the woods with dim eyes and
heavlng breast. He was not like disrep-
utable Jake, the scott of the entire com
munity! II his father, or any of those
who were accustomed to upbraid him, had
said the words, he would not have remem-
bered them a minute; but from Uncle
Nose, from whom harsh word could not
be wrlng except by direful provocation
the words cut like truth. He knew 1t,
even while he denied them in his anger
They stung him as he sat under the big
tree, and by his traps; when he went to
his bed In the loft, they troubled him;
they were In his last thought as he fell