The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-08-28
ne looked thoughtful and said:

he looked thoughtful and said
81 shouldn't hardly think you'd like !
to say that, william"
Say IL, man alive! Why. don't /
know it2 Do you think I've been livin |
ways that way~
The deacon spoke the words IN an |
angry treble. accompanied by an I'M |
patient and deprecating gesture. "An |
besides, JOEL" he went on, his voice !
rising to still higher key, "look ut 1t |
this way, II 1t amt too late: You've !
got little money put up in the saw
ms bank. How long do you suppose
It's goin to last If you keep onT'
To financial consideration Of the
question Joel made no Immediate an
swer. He seemed to be actually rcck
oning up the costs. After mcditatin2
quietly for a little while he composed
ly replied:
well, suppose it does cost Il It'll,
more? l guess It's worth the diif,r
ence."
The calm reduction of moral dcprav
tty to n matter of dollars and cent.
brought the deacon to his feet with III
impatient start.
"An your friends, your new friends"
he exclaimed. What do you suppose
they'll do when your moneys gone
Are they goin to stand by you them
"Come, William, you talk rs II wa.
goin to commit IL crime instead of just
followin out a mans natural way
There amt much danger of starviI
| anyhnwb Jpnl'S tppntinnrn ton v.n>
| beginning to show itself. "If you're
goin to go back on me now, we'll,
/ suppose there's other places | can Z,
| to. | wasn't eXpcctin to stay In tn,
old house much longer anyhow. But
| l didn't think this of you, William. II
ain't deserved for you to get mad"
''rryin TO play rcproachful ch? JUS,
look back over the last 80 years o.
more. Amt always been all Il broth.
er could be? Amt Martha been morc'n
flesh an blood sister could be? An
how about your home? Aiu't ii been
all q reasonable man couu wautT
The deacon'S voice trcmblcd q little
as he rapidly summed up the list OF
unnppreciated kindnesscs.
"Wcll, William, l nin't forgcttin all
that not bit OF 1t. But what If Il
man after awhile gets tired of lviu
day in an day out in rut? What II
he wants to get out into n bigger, bet
ter life7 I suppose wouldn't though
OF 1t II the railroad hadn't been pu
through. l got to goin there frs
when they was layin the tracks. Wcll
that was all right enough. IN them
"Thatll do! Enough Of that! won
hear 1t from your lips"
"An them
stop, man! l say stop, in the nam,
OF what little regard for deccncy you'v,
got left! l won't hear from YOU!
didn't come out here to listen to you
boastin an plumin yourself about you
reckless. senseless goln on"
The deacon's bloodlcss lips tremblc,
as he fairly thundcred the comman,
and shook his clinchcd fist in unbridlc,
! wrath. 81 won't have 1t made an,
worse by your goin into all the details
, of what you did," he went on hotly. :"
wanted you to listen to reason, IN
wanted 20 talk TO you like a brother
But there ain't any reason left In you
It's gone too far. an Martha an Pm to,
late. You're proud OF that broader lif
you talk about, are your All right
then. Now listen to what I've got t,
! say. The ways still open for you I,
turn over now leaf an come back al
! be one Of us as you was before th
LOwdens an their tavern came I,
Quaker Church. It's got to be ono O.
the other. an you've got to decide righ
now. Either you quit this new. broad
sr life that you've been harpln on O
you must get along without Martha al
me from this day forardw
The deacon pronounced the scntenc,
In excited, impassioned tones. 9TH,
ways open. Which do you take?" h,
repeated. wiping away the beads O
cold sweat that stood out upon hi
brow.
Joe"s flushed face turned pale at tn,
deacon's words. They cut him like {
SHARP knife, and his brother knew It
But quickly the scornful look returned
and he met the issue squarcly hal
way. Without n tremor he stepped
close to his brother and. placing hi.
hand gently on the others shoulder
eXclaimed:
"William, William, If 1t was the last
Thing on earth didn't expect this OF
you! If 1t was anybody else, ia n
said he'd gone clean crazy. You ar
mother never did circulate much
around among the neighbors, but
never once had an idea either of you
had anything against Mis- Cook.
can't understand 1t. Her husbands
been dead for three years now, an dur.
In that whole time she's hardly been
outside her dooryard. It's goin to be
bard to tell her that this Is our wcddin
present from you an Martha, but cnn
90 1t, an l will. One thing has got to
% settled between you an me, howsom-
ever" Here Joels words became delib.
crate and foreboding. ." ain't goIn to
eeand up an listen to anybody throw
miserable slurs on the woman that's
goin to be my wifo. not even you, my
own brother an deacon In the church,
who ought to be above such thing. I
want you to understand that IL the
kowden boys did build their tavern
esross from her house she ain't respon.
edble nor the worse for 1t. An as far as