The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-03-20
CHAPTER II.
SOME PEOPLE AND EVENTS.

Il III NlohS SNNh IL ~ III SNSl pbS III
the boardin house an ever calf in the
old mans barn. l have said, an | still
say, that that Teller is n preacher an
that he's IN his way up to Deacon Smy.
lars to make an appointment to preach
at the Coon Run meetin house"
Pap Sampson, you have said that,
an you can jest keep on a-sayin it till
the COWS come home, but l tell you
right now you amt a-gwine to change
my mind one The words spoke at
first | speak ag'ln, an them words Is
thai that Teller amt no more n preach
err than n rabbit is-nary n spcck more"
Jason Roberts. If that Teller amt no
preacher, an you air SO dead shore Of
1t, maybe you'll jest be good enough to
tell us what under the sun he may be-"
Pap Sampson thumped his cane
down on the ground and Strengthened
himself up with the air Of one who has
thrown down he gauntlet and is wait
ing to see If anybody is going to be
~foolhardy enough to take it up.
The young stranger, having quieted
the fears Of the people nj Beckett's Mil,
had departed on his way giving no ac-
coun of himself further than to state
that his name was James Melvin. He
said nothing OF whence he came nor
whittier he was going nor how he hap
pencd to be among them.
Very naturally the people We're GU
rious about him and equally as natural
ly they fell to discussing him as soon
as he was gone.
Pap Sampson being recognized as the
village oracle very properly resented
the audacity OF Jason Roberts in dar-
ing to dissent from his conjcctures, and
In uttcring his last speech he felt that
he had certainly put Jason down for
good and all.
But Jason was more tenacious than
Pap supposed, and after bordering the
matter n bit he said:
~ may be mistaken, Of course, an sc
may you Pap, but mistaken or not my
notion Is hat hat Teller Is rich an tina
he has come here from somewhar tc
buy somethin."
zap gave n contemptuouS milf and
INDUCED In Il little i~ncredulous laugh.
"1Cu have said that, Jason Roberts,
he remarked, IAN mebby you have said
u >" an hiSbps Npu III l.. bul
e you thinks they are true words mcb
by you can go fudder an say what that
Teller is figurln on buyin."
"Oh, | don't know" Jason replied
"Most anything, reckon
"That won't do, Jason. 1t won't nigh
do. You can't edge out OF n box In
that sort Of way. The fact is You ain't
no notion under the sun what tina fcllel
is here for. an you mought jest as well
say So"
"An you amt no notion neither, Pap
no more than / have"
"Ive said what he's here for, Jason
an I've said it boldly, an, as l remark,
ed, the words what l have spoke | stick
to. an I'll continer to stick to 'cm rs
long as Cadets got n button left on his
coat. That Teller Is n preacher, al
hes.
"You have said that, Pap, an thai
amt no use in you chawin your hash
over more than three times. But
know that Teller amt no preacher
cause when he come up here he cuss
ed. He cussed Sim Banks, an he cuss
ed him out plain. He said these words
Nnbih Soub w IL dllOlllcE SuuCI II
or try to move another inch, an IT
blow your head off, Them was tn,
identical words he said to Sim, for
heard him with my own ears, an
guess you heard him, too, Pap"
Il did, Jason. l heard him spcal,
them very words. But what of IT
Strictly speakin, damn amt no GUS
word an low n preacher mought use
1t In n case Of emergency, though II
amt jest proper"
Jim Thorn, who had remained silent
ell this time, suddenly broke into the
conversation by remarking with the
air OF one who has convictions and
VINO is positive of their correctness:
you all ave had your say about
mat man, an now It's time | was bav.
In mine. Some Of you have rcckonod
one thing an some of you have reck.
oned another, but none OF YOU aIn't
reckoned right. / know what TINT fol.
Ter Is, an l stand ready to bet n boss
on It,"
VIVA are the word you lows ia
speak. Jim Thorn" Pap SAMPSON osl,.
ed contemptuously, az you knows 81
much about itf'
The word I low to sneak IS lost
thls, Pap Sampson, an you All will see
IL are a true word IL you live long
ehough: That man Amt nothin more
nor less than n rascal bidin out from
tne law. That's the word | sneak. nm
It's a word I'll stand to if it kills me"
ihefe was n moment Of GREATNESS
siiehce while the people looked from
ohe 10 another. and nobody noticed
that ono of the company colored and
after shooting a contcmptuous glance
at Jim Thorn turned her face awov
II person was Louise, the younp
ana beautiful wife of Sim Banks. no
man who had fled before the advance
or n herd of cattle.
The people of Beckett's Mil wera
ike the rest of humanity I'm h thew
were more ready to believe Ill OF n fol.
low creature than they were to believe
or him. For this reason the mn.
Joflty or those present fell at once in
win Jim Thorn's idea and proceeded
10 announce their belief that he was
right. ."
10 be sure, Pap Sampson shook HID
mead and thumped the earth with hjo |
and stoutly maintained that be |
was correct. So did Jason Roberts |
contend that he was right. Those two
men had taken positions, and they fell
nat 1t was incumbent on them to main. |