The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-04-10
A TALK IN THE TWILIGHT.

~ as.
'Old Iii crazy! Why, snakes an cat.
crpillarS, stranger. what you mean by
u>i>in Sich Il question us that"
II thought from the way he acted
THAI he certainly must be crazy"
Great poSSumS an pcrSimmonS. Talk
bout old Iii bcin crazy. You don't
know nOthin bout that old boss or you
wouldn't never ask no SIGH Il fool thing
us that. Why, old HIS the smurtcst
man in all these parts. He Sot on to q
jury oncct down at the county seat"
''That Sot"
"iou bet it arc. Yes, ~sir-ce!'
Wonder why he behaved so strange
~ with me, them"
why, that's plain enough when you
come to tiggcr it out. You jest happen
ed to run acrost him on one of his Off
days
"Of days?"
Yes, one OF his on days"
What do YOU mean by that?"
Don't YOU know"
81 certainly DO not
"Waal, by shucks. you shorcly don't
know nothin bout the ways an doin's
of folks ycre'boutS, What | mean by
His OF day is that this is his day for
chillin."
"Al, he has the chillS, does hc?"
ITO be shore. Why shouldn't he
have 'cm?'
II don't know, I'm sure"
Course, he has the chills, an he
shakes ever other day. He was scttin
out thar on that log a-waitin for his
chill To come on when you seed him"
And that was why he behaved the
way he did,
"Of course. Thar hain' many PEG.
pie, | can tell you. wants to be both
cred with questions when Il chill is
comm on. an if II Teller was to shoot
YOU under them kind Of provocations
you wouldn't never git no court to
hang him.
THE court would consider the shoot
ing justiiablc, you think"
You bet it would. Lord a-massy. |
wouldn't nigh Kill nobody for nothin
else on earth. | guess, but | Jest most
know I'd shoot Il Teller if he come
a-pickin an a-naggin ut me with fool
questions when my agcr was a-workin
on me"
You say Mr.. Jenkins shakes with Il
chill every other day."
ITO he shore, | said that. Why
wouldn't he shake ever other day."
Its a regular part of his life. is it?"
Jest as much Il part of his life as
eatin an Slccpin is. Yes. Stree. Why,
say. If anything was to happen to old
iii so that he missed havin his chill on
his rcglar day ] reckon he'd feel more
lost than if his old woman was to die.
In these parts agcr is Il part of n fell
lcrs rights an privileges, same as vot-
in az holdin Office is"
"Indccd?"
you bet your hide"
Does Mr.. jenkins live near this?"
NO. not as you mought say right
near. He lives over t'othcr side OF
Coon Run river. Hain't been over in
that settlement. | rcckon!"
mo"
"Waal, you won't lose nothin, | guess.
II you never do go over thar"
"WhyY"
"Oh, them folks over thar amt Jest
the sort a body keers to have much to
do with. L.eastwisc | find 'em that
away"
care they bad characters?"
mo, | don't know as you can put it
that away exactly, cause they're
peaceable enough an honest an all that.
They're jest SO different from we uns
over here"
I'm what way are they different?"
WAL, for II thing they're so dog
gone ign'unt. Why, say, them folks
over thar hain't got no more edication
than a gang Of possums. not n blame
bit more. Sich ign'unce Is plumb pitt
full shore. | allus feel sorry for them
that hain't got learnin, don't your"
Melvin looked at the old man in open
eyed astonishment and muttered an as.
sent. 1t occurred to him, however. that
II the people on the other side Of Coon
Run were any more lacking in learning
than Turner was their condition, as far
Ms education goes, was pitiable indeed.
But he was very far from giving utter.
ance to any such thought, for already
he had learned that the average Pos.
sum Ridger was a sorely sensitive indi.
vidual, who was liable to AXE offense
on the smallest provocation.
There was a silence Of two or three
minutes. and Melvin's thoughts Lad
drifted back to Becketts Mil and to
the little scene there that day in which
he had been a participant. And in
the center Of that scene there was
one figure that stood out boldly and
distinctly from all the rest. What the
others a or what the others did he
ala not know or care, but every word
uttered by Louisa Banks and her every
movement and every look was as WV
Idly before him now as 1t had been Mt
that time. Nor was this strange for
10 him she was the only living reality
>ere. The rest were only so many 6e.
ur9s whose trivial deeds and existence
were unworthy Of a thought.
He recalled the expression on her
face at the moment when her eyes met
his, and now 1t was a wonder to him
how he had e managed to hold him.
self so well In check as not to betray
even a hint Of the great. consuming
passion that filed his heart. Z"
Suddenly his wandering thoughts
were recalled by Turner yybo renawod