The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-05

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beside him. but two
After gearing up Tuesday morning and
grooming himself with more than usual
care, he drove around for Molly frst
She came down the steps as he stopped
at the gate, and when he saw her he
cursed some more. She had ON white
lawn dress, the waist made something like
the shirtwaist of the present day, but with
rows and rows of brass buttons upon it
small ones on the shoulders and down the
sleeves and larger ones in quadruple rank
down the front Her hat was a little
straw affair, trimmed with illusion and
fastened al an impossible angle over her
forehead, to leave room for the enormous
mass of hair, her own and another's, in
the back. Her hands We're encased in
pink silk mits and she carried green
silk parasol. But 1t was not the waist
that caused Abijah to curse nor was it
the hat; it was the skirt II was full, very
full, and was kept dlstended by hoops
whose periphery was dozen yards or
more. she had to come through the gate
sidewise. Abijah turned his horse as far
to one side as possible, to allow the pas
sage of the voluminous skirts, but with all
he could do they touched both wheels
when Molly climbed in
She sat down carefully. She had to. And
Abijah sat beside her and together they
drove off for Melissa.
Her costume was the same as Molly's
in degree as well as kind and when the
two girls sat on the single seat of the bug
gy the vehicle seemed filled with skirts
Abiiah saw no room for himself, and said
so.
You can set between u.s." said Molly,
showing into one corner, which caused a
dangerous elevation of hoops on the other
side.
He had some doubts about being able
to sit between them, but he could do no
more than try, and, after much squeez-
ing and EXPLANATIONS they got very un-
comfortably settled ana drove off. the
hoops standing out over the wheels ON
both sides and almost hiding the young
man in the middle.
There We're great many people at Mt.
Repose. A few men dressed like Abijah,
boys most of them were; lots of girls
dressed like Molly and Melissa, and some
men in army blue, pale and manned, home
on furlough or discharge. The speaking
was held in the open air with a stand for
the speakers and backless benches for the
auditors. The crowd made a tremendous
noise getting settled.
The morning speakers were of little note,
candidates for county offices, with merely
a local reputation. In the afternoon was
to come the grand speech, the heavy arti-
lery of the campaign. Brough himself,
candidate for Governor of the state of
Ohio. Save for the occasional collapse of
bench. excitement was kept down for
the afternoon.
When the recess for dinner was an
nounced the two girls spread out the lunch
con they had brought on a table cloth on
the ground. There was fried chicken
pickles, cold green corn boiled on the cob
and piled up like log cabin, two kinds
of cake and four kinds of pie, apple, dried
cherry, raspberry and rhubarb. Melissa
and Molly sat on either side of the cloth
and had to reach way over to get past
their skirts. Abijah sat at one end.
After the meal the girls bundled their
respective properties into their respective
baskets, and when they had finished 1t
was time to get good seats for the after
noon speech. True 10 his promise to Me-
LISA, Abijah had Molly sit in front of the
abolitionist young lady. He sat by Melis-
sa.
The speech was like all others of that
time-defamatory to the South, touching
heavily on the wrongs of slavery touch
ing lightly on the rights of nations, and
winding up with a euiogy on Abraham
Lincoln. Only this particular speech end
ed differently.
Molly had shown no dangerous Butter
nut symptoms during the day. In fact,
she had applauded feebly at times, but
when Mr.. Brough called the whole race
OF Butternuts towards and thieves she
could stand 1t no longer She put on her
Butternut badge, a declaration OF war
then, and turned so Melissa could see It,
Then did Mellssa's instinct for destruction
of all things Butternutly assert itself, and
in the words of old Mrs Meyer, Ger
man by birth, who saw 1t all:
"She crap for dot padge."
But she didn't get It. Molly leaped to her
feet as quickly as her skirts would allow
her to resent the insult. and raising her
green silk para sol, smote Melissa on her
chignon of artificial hair, thereby break
ing the weapon. Then Melissa tried to
slap her adversary, and In lodging, Molly
went backward over the bench behind
her That put an end TO hostlltles The
scene can be imagined better than de-
scribed. Abijah turned away, and Mrs.
Meyer assisted the PROSTATE girl to her
feet and declared an armistice. But the
speech went on unheard. Everybody was
Laughing too much TO listen; everybody OK
cept Abijah. He didn't laugh, he was too
worried.
I'm a dumb fool" said he to his aunt
Maria when the girls had gone to separate
houses to repair damages. I'm a dumb
fool to take a butternut an am abolition
list out together Dumbed If know which
to take home"
Take Melss," said Mrs. Maria.
Course I'd ruther take Meliss." Abljah
answered. But / can't well git outen
takin' Molly. And l dursn't take 'em
both"
Won't WIN Hanson take Molly7" sug-
gested his aunt He used TO spark her"
They've fell out" he complained.
"Well, there's Ben He come alone, and
he can't drive good with a bullet in his
arm. Let him take one Of EN-" ~
HE won't have Molly, and Mellss won't
go with him IL he Is an abolitionist and
got wounded. She said so. Mebbe he
would take Molly though
IAN right. You ask him. said Mrs
Maria. Now look here 'Bijah Hop
kins, want you to talk TO Meliss' bout
the way she acted. 'TWasn'L ladY-like.n