The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-04-25


know who. you are"
"Oh, that's all right, Pap. aln't
wantik to fight YOU"
"Co'sc you ain't, jason, cause you
ain't no fool, an you know 1t ain't safe
to fool with me. Humph! Set down I'm
the siade'an rest! My land, jason Rob.
crts, I've cut more wheat in my time
an never gruntcd ut 1t than you'll ever
cut If you live to be n thOuSnn years
old. Set down In the shade an rest
Lord! Sich talk makes me mad"
Pap didn't sit down either. Though
they denied him the privilege OF WELD.
Ing Il cradle, he found IN opportunity
to busy himself by putting the wheat
bundles into shocks. This was light
work compared with the other, and,
seeing that Pap was determined to do
something, Jason encouraged him In 1t.
"Iord!' he said, with wink ut the
others. "Pap's jest fell right in whnr
he plumb belongs. Anybody knows
enough to swing Il cradle or bind IN
wheat, but thar's pOw'ful blamed few
who know how to set up Il wheat
shock SOS 1t won't splc If It rains.
Guess Pap's bout the only man here
that can do It,"
This pleased Pap and fully rcconcll.
ed him to his work, and he said moth
Ing more about wanting to swing a
| cradle.
In the afternoon he began to go to
the shade pretty often, and each time
| he went he tarricd longer than he had
the time before. Finally Sam Morgan
noticed this and inconsidcratcly re-
marked:
Guess you're gittin putty tired, ain't
you, Pap?'
| "rircd! Me tired" Pap exclaimed.
| you hcarn me say any word bout
bcin tired. Sam M0rgun"'
mo, but | notice you goin to the
shade right smart more than you
done this mornin"
| "What If you do? "Tain't cause Pm
tired, but jest cause it's so mis'able
| hot"
The men had all come out to the
shade to rest, and presently Sim Banks
came down across the field and joined
them. He had been working in his
own field just on the other side Of a
fence. Hc salutcd them with:
1 l.
"Howdy, SIM" they said in return.
"Ilow you gittin long" he asked.
| "Oh, all right, l guess" Jason re-
piled. "Wc'll git through before night
If nothin happcns.'
| "Tm sorry you all had to cut this
wheat Sim said after Il pause "whcn
| ia done agreed with Mis'us Mann that
ia do 1T. | didn't feel that | ort to
Keep my promise, though, after all
them things she's been a-sayin Of late"
| "Iou done jest right, Sim," Pap
| Sampson announced unhcSitatingly,
IAN nobody can't blame you bit.
| When Mary Mann interfcrcd like she
did to make trouble bctwixt you an
Louccsy, you want under no obliga-
tions to do nothin for her no more, not
n hands turn"
"'Tain't that. Pap, that held me
back from doin as I'd agreed. 'Tain't
that | hate Mary Mann too bad to lift
a finger for her. It's cause OF what
people arc a-sayin, an cause it'd give
'cm room to say more, an-an cause
don't want to do nothin to hurt LOU
eesy."
| Sim paused for moment, but no one
spoke, and presently he went on more
earnestly.
! 81 don't like to have hard fcelin's
| agin nobody" he said, "an specially
| not agin woman, but Mis'us Mann
didn't have no call to go an do the way
she done, for she told a plumb pint
blank lie when she narrated it around
that come to her house that night an
| made love to her. Lord, | never
thought oncet OF dOin no sich a thing,
no more than thought Of stickin my
head In the fire. 1t was her that done
1T, an God knows l tried ever which
Away to keep her from it. told Lou
ecsy jest how it werc but she wont
b'licvc 1t, though l told her ia sw'ar to
1t on stack OF Bibles as high as they
could be piled. | hate Mary Mann
wuss'n l hate the pizencst snake that
crawls, for she's a plumb liar, al she
knows It,"
Sim paused again, and this time Pan
Sampson spoke.
"Sim," he said reassuringly, "don't
none Of us b'lieve nothin agin YOU that
Mary Mann has told, nary word.
Nor, for my part, | hain't a-gwine to
believe 1t, not If she was to sw'ar to It
till she was plumb black in the face"
mo, but Louccsy b'lieves it," Sim
replied sadly, "an I'd ruther anybody
else'd blicve it than her. My land,
looks like she Ort to know 1t ain't so
an that l wouldn't think OF doin ne
sich way. Why, Pap if I was to git
to goin round a-makin love to women
whar I didn't have no right I'd low for
somebody to put bullet hole through
me the very fust thing l knowcd /
can tell you right now, IN mean Jest
what / say, If ever any man made love
to my wife, an / knowcd ii, the minute
laid eyes on that man I'd shoot him
through the heart jest like would
dog. I would shore"
painful silence followed these
words, for no one offered to speak.
The men exchanged significant
glance among themselves, then looked
at Sim in serious thoughtfulness. To
them his threat Significd more, much
more, than he suspected 1t impressed
itself so indclihly Oh their minds that