The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1900-11-15
CHAPTER I.

weighed 200 IL she weighed pound.
The two girls. Mary Lou, aged is
and Ann Josephine. 20, threatened, a'
their bedsiats continued to break, e
surpass their mother in the flesh the,
we're heir to. and In addition to thi,
impcdiment To activity and encourage
Of sloth. they had come honestly by {
combination OF their fathers tow-col
ored and their mothers red hair. which
little suited their florid complcNions
They had. also. freckles as big rs pock
marks. which a diligent application ot
stump water" had failed to dim.
Fanshaw had two sons. Ronald. tn,
eldest child. was no, in the room
David, iusty fellow built on his IA
Tiers plan. but with n more cheerful
face, was lying on the high-postcd bed
In the corner Of the room. lie always
hurled into his fathers Trades against
his family comments 10 favor OF his
brother, whom he admired intensely.
"Iou cayn't complain Of Ron," he
said this afternoon, as he famed the
flies from his face with his big straw
hat lined with blue calico. ''He looks
after his own business. Mr.. Hague
said Saturday before last that he'd
ruther have Ron rent land from i'm
than any man in the county. lie
lowed Ron paid every dollar be obn.
trac,ed to pay an that the niggers
liked i'm so much that they'd work
twice as hard for i'm as they would for
anybody else"
THAT don't do me no good snarlcd
Fanshaw.
"No, l reckon not" admitted Dave,
"but you won't ever be ashamed OF
i'm, II you are Of the rest OF us. He's
been readin' and studyin' every spare
minute sence he was knee high to a
Rrasshopper. For the last six months
Mr.. Redding, the best lawyer In Dan
ube. has beaS providin' i'm with books.
an my idea is that he Is goin' to make
a lawyer out'n hisse'f. You cayn't
hold i'm down; he'll rise like n cork: |:
an as fur good looks, gecwhilikins !.
Did ever tell you-uns what happened
at campmeetin'? 1 was settin' un-
tbc ourh DOuT DtUfntS
from the front last Sunday was n
week when Ron come in dyked out
in his best Sunday clothes. You ort
to a-seed how the folks turned their
heads. a young dude behind me axed
u man next TO i'm who in the thunder
that WAS, an the fellow said he wasn't
certain. but he low, i il was some
chap visitin' at Col. Hasbrooke's from
Boston or New York. Then q was ms
put in. ! bent over an informed 'em
that IL was Ronald Fanshaw, ihc old
est son OF Jason Fanshaw. An YOU
ort 10 a-heerd 'em giggle. Then the
man that had axed the question come
back at me fairly slobberin' in the
mouth to keep frum laughin' out loud.
"'Nou're away Oft, my friend seq
re; you shorcly amt acquainted bout
hecr. Old Fanshaw IL the daddy OF the
sorricst layout on che face o! crea-
tion. ! hain't never been to his side
show myself, hut know n heap u folks
that has paid Their way an never axed
fur the money back, nuther.'
"Then l jest punched ms face over
to his yeer an said, did: 4 ort To
know I'M says, tetchin' the but:
o. my pistol. Hes my brother. an
when meetin' is over men you'll 20
into the sideshow fur n minute: the
tents stretched right out thar in the
bushes an the latest addition TO 1t is
u Buffalo Dill dead shot
''lIe wilted an got as white rs the
inside OF cucumber. an then the
preacher axed everybody toI<neel down
and pray. was akin the Lord 10
bless my purpose when them two riz
an poled IL out over the straw. half
way got up. but the preacher broke
OF in his prayer an began TO talk
about the law agin disturbin' public
worship, an I sunk down on my knees
an seed them two mount an gallop of
like the woods was afrc."
"You ort TO a-mashed is teeth down
his throat" said Mrs. Fanshaw.
"Folks has poked too much fun At us
to suit me. In war times you wouldn't
n-stood II, Jade" She called her hus-
band Jade, not because he was tired
or was n horse. but because IL was tha
only abbreviation OF the name she
knew.
An expression of hot fury lay on
wrlnkled face as he looked
cut into the yard where half a hundred
ducks, turkeys, guinea-hens and pea
cocks were feastlng on the remains OF
the watermelon the family had Just
eaten. "My Lord" he grunted, ''ef !
took folks to taw ever time they jCked
about you-uns. I'D have my hands full"
swell, they'd better not let me heer
'tm THROWN OF ON us" declared Dave.
and he stood up and stretched hims elf.
But when you come To think OF Il, Ron
Is so different from the rest of us tha.
It's no wonder folks take i'm for one
o that higbfalutin' crowd. l tell you,
he's no slouch!"
Dave went out Into the back porch.
where a stream Of water shot from
the end Of hollow log into trough;
the water came from spring on bill
side half mile distant. The inventor of
lhis. .cuide nqueduct was Ronald Fam
shaw; he was only bog when he con-
ceived the ideay but he gave every spare
to Its construction. lie had
felled the trees. dug the long ditch