The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1901-05-16
A WARNING.
BY MRS. MURFREE.

black, so black that the great cfdSf
aud chasm were hidden, the forest was
iost in the encompassing gloom, the
valley and the distant ranges were
rope-alI the world had disappeared
There was no wind and the dark
clouds above the dark earth hung
low and motiOnless. Solomon Grow
found it something ofan undertaking
to grope his way back from the little
hut of unhewn logs, where he had
sta bled his fathers horse, to the door
of the cabin and the hOme-clrcle
within.
He fumbled for the latchstring, and
pulling it carelessly, the door flew
open suddenly and he almost fell into
the room.
"Why d We come a-bustin' in hyar
that thar way, Sol?'' his mother de-
manded rather tartly. 'Ef We he'd
been raised 'mongst the foxes, We
couldn't show less manners.
door slipped out'n my hand, ,
said Sol trifie sullenly.
Waal-air We disabled anywhar
80 ez We can't shet it, en- asked the
father, with a touch of sarcasm.
Sol shut the door, drew up an in
verified tub, seated himself upon it,
and looked about loweringly. He
thought he had been needlessly az
fronted. Still, he held his peace.
Within there was a great contrast
to the black night outside. The ash
and hickory logs in the deep fireplace
threw blue and yellow flames high
up the wide stone chimney. The
Pickering light was like some genial,
CHEEKY smile forever coming and go
ing.
1t illuminted the circle about the
hearth. There sat Soils mother, idle
to night, for it was Sunday. His
grandmother, too, was there, so old
that she seemen to confirm the story
told OF these healthy mountains, to
the effect that people were obliged
to go down in the valley to die, else
they would live forever.
There was Soils father, a great
burly fellow, six feet three inches in
height, still holding out his hands to
the blaze, chilled through and
through by his long ride from the
church, where he had been to hear the
circuit rider preach on forgiveness
OF Injuries.
He was beginning now to quarrel
vehemenrly with his brother-in-law,
Jacob Smith, about the shabby
treatment he had recently experience
ell in the non-payment OF work-for
work in this country is sort of cir
medium; man will pillow all
day for another man on condition
that the favor is vigorously recipro-
Gated.
Jacob Smith had been to the still,
and apparently had imbibed the
spirit there prevailing, to more effect
shan Soils father had absorbed the
spirit that had been taught in the
church.
In plain words, Jacob Smith was
very drunk and very quarrelsome, {
md very unreasonable. The genial
freight that played upon his bloated t
ace played also over objects much {
,easanter to look upon-Over the
strings of red pepper PODS hanging t
rom the rafters, over the bright c
of color in the clean I
patchwork quilt on the bed, over the 1
shining pans and pals set aside on
he shelf, over the great curious S
rame of the warping bars, rising up '
lmong the shadows on the other side /
ii the room, equidistant pegs still |
holding the sized yarn that Soils
mother had been Wrapping. prepara- c
'ory to weaving. t
On the other side, too, was little S
low headed child sitting in IA cradle, C
which, small as he was, he had long l
,go outgrow for bed. +
1t was only pine box placed upon l
rude rockers, and he used it for a
rocking chair His bare, fat legs I
lang out. on one side of the box, and g
.s he delightedly rocked back and t
iorth, his grotesque little shadow 1
waved to and fro on the wall, and
fouted him.
What he thought of it nobody can s
ever know; his grave eyes were fixed
upon it. but he said nothing, and the '
8 lent shadow and substance swayed 5