The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-05-31
eY OPiE READ.

JEFF Slogan and old man Matterson
sat at the kitchen table long after the
remains OF supper We're cleared away.
1t was night OF Renaissance with
the old man, and he told of the bears
and wolves he had slain in the DAYS
when Tennessee was young. s'My old
granddad left ME the rifle" said he.
glancing toward a corner of the room,
and many a time I've been advised
to have a percussion lock put on it.
but fiintlock was good enough for
him and it's got to be good enough
for me- OF course you've seen the
gfn, but I'll show it to you again. -
cts beauty" said JEFF.
"Well, yes, unless you can find
better word. And let me tell YOU
something, but you must not say any
thing about it. Granddad was be-
g.nning to get pretty old and little
things had begun to bother him. One
of his daughters married a no-account
stage-driYer, AMI his half-witted son
cut fellow all to pieces at a sawmili
So he fretted good deal. Well, one
night he was coming home from
muster, and man named Bridge
Peters with him. All at once grand
dad stops in the road and says to
Bridge: If l only knowed which one
of them stars up thar was my unlucky
star, I'd shoot it out. Bridge asked
if he thought his gun would tote that
far, and the old man hooted like an
owl. Don't you worry about that
said he. Just pick out the star you
think is the cause of my bad luck and
out she goes
Bridge was sort of reckless fell
low, so he looks up, he does,
and says: There she is, that star
off there about - feet from the
moon The old man didn't hesitate
minute. He raised his gun-this hero
old one right here-and she cracked
like a whip-aud what do you think
happened? Out went the star like
snuffin' tallow candle. Bridge he
took to his heels, and it was enough
to scare any man, but granddad didn't
run. He walked off slow to show the
other stars that he wasn't afraid but
he begins to git sick at his stomach,
and be the time he got home he could
hardly hold up his head. And, sir, he
laid for four weeks, aud then died.
Jeff looked hard at the old man and
said; 81 don't believe a word of it..
''How do you account for it?"
81 account for it by not believ-
ing it; that's how" JEFF was in
sorrowfuI mood that night, and was
not prepared to believe even the most
apparent truth.
What are you thinkin' about,
JEFF"
Liza Smith and her party"
''Sorter in the dumps because she
didn't ask you?'
"Wel, l don't like it. -
''Why don't you kill her dog?"
"What good would that do?"
"Why, don't you know that the best
way to git even with a high headed
woman is to kill her dog? 1t is
there's sort of a charm about it, and
if you kill a woman's dog, and she
don't find out who does it, she'll fall
in love with you. It's fact; she'll
drap right down into pure love. Say,
that Smith girl has a dog that she
thinks the world OF. Why don't you
kill him as you go by there tonight
or your way home?"
''I'in half a mind to. Got a pistol?"
"No, but you can take granddad's
gun"
SIS she loaded?"
"'Wth a double charge of powder
and slug an inch long"
q half inclined to 10 it. ="
'I'll bet the gal draps down into
the purest sort OF love. 1 jest want
to see it; these amt nothin' pulitzer
to me than fust rate article OF love.
Only when he was ont in the road
did JEFF realize that he carried the old
and, bare of head, sat upon a rock to
let the cool air fan him. From over
the hilltop came the bark of the Smith
girls dog. Je& got up and strobe
along until he came within sight of
Smiths house. He could hear the
merIymaking of the Smith girl and
her guests. Through a window he
saw the comrapy dancing; and the
Smith girl dane ed with fellow named
Alb Squat J4f hated Squat He
was cross-eyed and low OF brow. He
thought that he saw her smile at
Squat and he gripped his gun. But
there was no murder in his heart. He
aspired only to assassinate dog. JEFF
saw him coming down the hill