Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-19
The World Against Him By WILL N. HARBEN.
 Copyright. 1900. by AN Kellogg Newspaper Company,
CHAPTER I.

he talked, his hearers in the big bare room drowsed, nodded or stared at him with lack-luster eyes. He usually held forth on Sundays when the law and the Lord prohibited work and there was nowhere to go.
 On this sultry afternoon his theme was his own misfortune in being bur dened with a family that contributed raught to his desires. He had never, in exact words. voiced their shortcom ings, but in his secret soul he would nave had them perhaps less like him self, certainly less like his wife, who weighed 200 if she weighed q pound.
 The two girls, Mary Lou, aged IS, and Ann Josephine, 20, threatened, as their bedslats continued to break, to surpass their mother in the flesh they were heir to, and in addition to this impeachment to activity and encourager of sloth, they had come honestly by com bination of their fathers tow-col ored and their mothers red hair, which little suited their f1orid complexions. They had, also, freckles as big as pock- marks, which a diligent application of stump water'' had failed to dim.
 Fanshaw had two sons. Ronald, the eldest child, was not in the room. David, lusty fellow built on his fa- ther's plan, but with a more cheerful face was lying on the high-posted bed in the corner of the room. He always hurled into his fathers tirades against his family comments in favor of his brother, whom he admired intensely.
 You cayn't complain of Ron," he said this afternoon, as he famed the flies from his face with his big straw hat lined with blue calico. "He looks after his own business. Mir. Hague said Saturday before last that he'd ruther have Ron rent land from i'm than any man in the country. He lowed Ron paid every dollar he con tracted to pay an that the niggers liked i'm so much that they'd work l twice as hard for i'm as they would for any body else"
 That. don't do me no good," snarled Fanshaw.
 No, I reckon not" admitted Dave, but you won't ever be ashamed of | i'm, if you are of the rest of us. He's 1 been reaGin' and studyin' every spare minute sence he was knee high to q 1 grasshopper. For the last six months MT. Bedding, the best lawyer in Dan ube, has been providin' i'm with books, 1 an my idea is that he is goin' to make | a lawyer out'n hissef. You caynt hold i'm down; he'll rise like a cork; an as fur good looks, geewhilikins! 1 Did 1 ever tell you-uns what happened at campmeetin' 1 was a settin' un- i der the bush arbor about four benches i from the front last Sunday was a | week when Ron come in dyked out in his best Sunday clothes. You ort ! to a-seed how the folks turned their heads. A young dude behind me aXed {, man next to i'm who in the thunder that was. an the fellow said he wasn't 1 certain, but he lowed it was some chap visitin' at Col. Hasbrooke's from Boston or New York. Then it was my put in. l bent over an informed 'em that it was Ronald Fanshaw, the old est son of Jason Fanshaw. An you [ ort to a-heerd 'em giggle. Then the man that had axed the question come back at me fairly slobberin' in the mouth to keep frum laughin' out loud.
 "'You're away off, my friend.' sez he; you shorely ain't acquainted bout heer. Old Fanshaw is the daddy of the sorriest layout on the face of crea- | ton. 1 hain't never been to his side show myself, but know heap O folks l that has paid their way an never axed fur the money back, nuther.'
 'Then l jest punched my face over to his yeer an said, did: I ort to know im,' I says, tetchin' the butt O my pistol. Hes my brother an when Ineetin' is over men you'll go into the sideshow fur a minute; the tents stretched right out thar in the bushes an the latest addition to it is Buffalo Bill dead shot
 He wilted an got as white as the inside of cucumber, an then the preacher axed everybody to kneel down and pray. I was aXin, the Lord to bless my purpose when them two rig an poled it out over the straw. I half way got up, but the preacher broke offNi in his prayer an begun to talk abdAt the law agin disturbin' public worNaip. an I sunk down on my knees an sAed them two mount an gallop off like tne woods was afire."
 You ort to a-mashed is teeth down his .throat,'' said Mrs. Fanshaw Folks has poked too much fun at us to suit me. In war times you wouldn' t a-stood it, Jade.'' She called her hus- band Jade, not because he was tired or was horse, but because it was the only abbreviation of the name sine knew. ..
 An expression of hot fury lay on F'anshaw's< wrinkled face as he looked cut into the yard where half a hundred ducks, turkeys, guinea-hens and pea cocks were feasting on the remains oi the watermelon the family had just eaten. "AIy Lord,'' he grunted, t'ef I took folks to taw ever time they jo;led about you-uns. I'd have my hands full
 Well, they'd better not let me hee1 'em throwin' off On us,'' declared Dave and he stood up and stretched himself 'But when you come to think of it, Ison
 is so different from the rest of us tha, it's no wonder folks take i'm for one O that highfalutin' crowd. l tell you
 he's no slouch!"
 Dave went out into the back porch
 where a stream of water shot from the end of hollow log into a trough; xI~ k~-. |.