The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-09-18

| "ooAu hot nave KNOWN Ialr TRIAL
from an unfair one.
I His mind had gone far. far back to
the days Of his childhood, to the
little mud-chinked log cabin in the
clearing where he had lived with his
father and mother. He remembered
his thin, sickly mother, who worked
SO hard and had so many aches and
pains, yet was nevertheless always
"kind-spoken." There were many
little mounds in rude inclosure
which, in n more civilized region
would have been considered none too
good to serve as a pig pen. for Of all
the children she had borne, Alpheus
alone survived. His father, too, was
kind to him, and when he took his
cotton into town, in the autumn,
would bring Alpheus stick of
striped candy"
But the mother died, and after
trying to do for himself" Alpheus'
father brought home the widow Jor-
dan with her noisy, quarrelsome
brood of children. She took dislike
to Alpheus at first sight. 1t was not
Alpheus at first sight. 1t was not
Jealousy-with her cOnrse, buxom
good looks, she would have thought
she had NO occasion to be jealous
OF her sickly, faded predecessor, or
any OF her belongings-but she de-
clared that the young 'en was jes'
too pizen ugly to live; as ugly as a
yalier niger dog" AS she and all
her progeny were black-haired and
bhck-eyed, Alpheus' tow head was
naturally not admired by her. He
skunk out of her sight as much as
possible, but she quickly appointed
him the drudge of the family.
MARY Belle" she would say, don't
you spile your skin over that fire.
Alpheus has got to stir that pot"
Or, Here, you Alpheus, do you think
I'm goin' to let my Jim break his
back totin' them buckets O. water
from the springs?"
Alpheus' father had at first tried
feebly to protect him; but he was
weak-minded man, easily reduced to
submission by his loud-tongued wife,
and though he might pity his son in
secret, he dared not raise his voice
to defend him.
The Jordans were all better looking
and quickerwitted than Alpheus. and
this; tormenting him in various
ways.
"He amt none O. our kim they
would explain to visitors.
Jim, who was the nearest his age,
was especially malevolent in his de-
vices for the discomfiting of Alpheus.
The only time Alpheus had ventured
to resent Jim's aggressions, lis step.
mothers heavy fist had hammered
into him the wisdom of suffering in
silence. As their mother made
drudge of him, SO the young Jordans
made him the butt of their clumsy
ridicule. 1t was Jim who gave him
the name of "Fiddleneck" by which
he became known throughout that
piny woods settlement. The rural
sense of the appropriate was tickiad
by the title. Don't it jes' hit off that
long, red neck O. his'n!" exclaimed
Abram Beechby. "Jim shore is the
fellow to give names that Sticks"
Yet Alpheus was a good, harmless
creature, who would have asked moth
ing better than to live on kindly
terms with his step-relations. As he
grew older the settlement had no
definite grievance against him; but
when one is shy and awkward it is
easy to get the reputation of being
"sullen-like'-and the second Mrs.
White spared no words to make it
believed that her stepson was hard
to get along with"
III.
Shortly after Alpheus reached man
hood his father died. and the larger
part of the little farm fell to his
share.Mrs. White was indignant that
the law gave her only third, and,
in fact. went into Mysteries when she
learned that the whole farm was not
to he hers.
"Oh, my Po' paltry thirds!"she
CALCULATED, with tears of wrath. IF
Wis am 'iJtsl, tHtlc never WIS on
jcstice in the world. Here's me that's
worked like niger on this place,
an done for that man year in an
year out, an wore myself out tryin'
to raise his brat fittin'--an' here I'm
put off with thirds!"
But the law is law. Alpheus glad
ly gave up the cabin to his step
mother, and built himself another
as far removed as possible from the
old one. He began to plant on his
own account, and became modestly
successful, owing to his industry. All
of which did not endear him to the
Jordans.
Jim had also reached mans estate,
and in gala attire, profusely scented
with cinnamon draps," with his
black, curly hair well oiled. he vas
typical piny-woods lady-killer. IN
addition, he was a hard drinker,
poker player, and an idler-in short,
thoroughly worthless; but his mother
and sisters admired him greatly Ms n