The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-05-18
THE WORLD AGAINST HIM
BY WILL N. HARDEN
CHAPTER III.

as Ronald approached. "au' may make
the biggest cracklin' in eternal fire, ef
ever I'd believed a brother O. mine
could be seen in confidential confab
with daughter of old Hasbrooke. Ii
I'd a-hud a bottle along, Id a-swore it
was a delusion, but l hain't fetched
drop sence ten o'clock this mornin'."
Ronald hated himself for being
obliged to make excuses for her.
"She simply happened along where
was fishing, Dave. | hope you won't
talk about II, and cause any miscon-
struction to be put on it,"
"You don't mean you an her could
git acquainted like that, in sech a short
time" remarked David, as they walked
along the sandy road side by side.
81 have met her once before-a year
ago. She was in Regan's meadow. and
got frightened at his bull. drove the
bull away, and she-she stopped to
speak to me again to-day. That was
all"
But David's fancy for the novelty of
the situation from his standpoint was
not easily cooled. Ii was plain 10 Ron
aid that he was still turning it over in
his mind by the low grunts and ex-
CARNATIONS of wonder that seemed jolt
ed from his lips by his heavy strides.
"Well, I'm shore glad of one thing"
he said, finally, land that is that the
colonel didn't happen along just like
/ did"
His brother knew what was coming,
and yet he asked: "Why, DaveP"
Because the old codger'd "a raised
more sand n a Texas tornado, that's
all. Why, Ron, are you a blamed fool,
with no more sense than last yeer's
bird nest? Don't you know nobody by
the name O Fanshaw never stood on
level with them sort o. folks? Eff
went up thar on business, or ma, or pa
or either of the gals went to sell 'em
eggs or socks, wouldn't we go TO the
back door, like all the rest of our sort?
Why, Ron, jest now you was settin'
cross-legged on the colonePs piazza a
smokin' one of his seegars like priv
ileged character. Ha, ha, don't know
how IL knocked the wind out of mel"
Ronald, his face dark and his brow
lowering, found himself reduced TO say
ing:
81 hope you won't mention il at home,
Dave"
His brother stared nj him curiously.
"You know | can hold my tongue"
he said. ~ wouldn't go round shootin'
of my mouth about a thing like that
oranything The colonel would shoot
the top o my head of; he's wheel boss
i tell YOU"
Ronald brought him to a stop in the
center of the road.
Dave, do you really think we nre so
degraded as THAR"
NIhe burly fellow shrugged his shout
ders.
I'VE are as good, I reckon, as the gen
eral run of our own sort" was his an
swer, and he smiled so broadly that a
brown tobacco quid showed between
his big yellow teeth. but, as the fellow
said: Dang the sort reckon the
Almighty made us out O. scraps when
He was too tired to watch what He
was dom. / reckon we are some bet
tern cornfield niger, but we'd jest
be blind to our own imperfections ef
we didn't admit that thar is folks as
much higher'n us as we are higher'n
tadpoles.'
THAT is a dangerous philosophy,
David" protested Ronald, deeply stung
by his brothers words. "lf you ever eN-
peer TO rise in the world. YOU must re-
member-keep the idea always before
you-thot man is what he makes him
self"
"Shucks thar hain't a word O. that
So" gruuted David. Col. Hasbrooke is
our big man, an he han't what he
made hissef. His father owned 600
slaves, an land enough TO start a re-
public on, az government bonds, an
storehouses In Atlanta, an what not.
No, the colonel is a sample O. what his
daddy done fur i'm; you can bet yore
sweet life on that! An as fur that mat
ter, men you is jest what Jade Fan
shaw has made out'n us. tell you,
blood has got a lots TO do with it. Col.
Hasbrooke's father fiji in the Mexican
war, an the colonel stuck hissef up TO
be shot at in defense O his niggers in
the civil war, but Jade Fanshaw's daddy
before i'm was sent up fur house
breakin, an instead o. shoulderin' his
musket TO drive the yelpin' Yanks out
o. the south Jade hid in the mountains
up in Tennessee, an turned bush
whacker, an lived on what he could
rob from helpless women an Children
/ hope nobody round heer won't find
all that out. We've got black eye
enough, as it is"
81 always try 10 forget that" sighed
Ronald.
"Ah, my honey" CALCULATED the un'
couth philosopher, in a triumphant
tone, "but Col. Hasbrooke don't try &c
forget nothin' his daddy did. Not on
yore tin type! I've heerd he has his
pas uniform in a big glass case, an q
picture of i'm on hoss in full tilt after
the enemy. They say the old Teller
fit like q tiger cub with one yeer shot