The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-28

| ing to Mir. Sanders. "that a person should live In SC small a town and not know whether enc of the largest houses in the place is occupied7"
 "bat, mother protested the young lady, ''why worry about itT .Ipyerybody knows" said Gabriel. that Mss Polly Gather lives in the Gather house.". He spoke before he was aware, and began to blush. Whereupon the young lady gave him very bright smhe .Humphi' grunted kAr. Goodlett, giving the lad a severe look.
 "oh, we'll take the young mans word for it." said the invalid. and we are very much obliged to nin- What IS your nameY' When Gabriel had told her sne repeated the name over again.. T used to know your grandmother very well, she said. Tell her Margaret Bridalpin has returned home."
 Then, ma'am, you must be Margaret Gather" remarked Mir. Sanders. 'Yes, I am Margaret Gather" replied the invalid. q used to know you very we'll. Mir. Sanders, and if had changed as little as you have. I could still boast of my beauty"
 'Yet nobody hears be bragsin' of mine. Margaret" said Mir. Sanders. with a smile that found its reflection in the daughters face: ''but I hope from my heart that home an old friends will be a good physic for you an git you to braggin' ag'in. Anyhow. ef you don't bras on yourself you can take up a good part of the time braggin' on your daugn- ter."
 '.Oh, thank you, sir, for the clever joke. My mother has told me long ago how fuh of fun you are," said the young lady You may drive on now" she remarked to Mir. Goodlet. Whereupon that suriy- looking veteran slapped his masmatcneo team with the loose ends or the reins, ana | the shabby old hack moved on toward Shady Dale. MT. Sanders waited for the vehicle to get some distance ahead, and then he too urged his team forward.
 .~rhe word is home," he said; II reckon Margaret has had her share of trouble. an few slices mora. She made her own bed, as the sayin' is, an now she's layin in it."
 In no long time the wagon reached the outskirts of the town. Gabriel and Ce- phas were on the point of leaving the wagon here, but MT. Sanders was Of anothe: mind.
 Ride on to Dorrin'to wi us" he said, T want to swap joke or two WI Mrs. Ab."
 MrS. AD8OlOul, d8 DuS W1o SaaAC1S Weso the wife of MT. Goodlett. and was mark ed of from the great majority of her sex by her keen appreciation of humor. She was Dr. Randolph Dorington's house- keeper and was a real mother to Nan. who was motherless before she had drawn a dozer breaths of the poisonous air of this world.
 By the time the wagon reached Der ringtols Gabriel acting on the instruc- tons of MT. Sanders had crawled under i the cover of the wagon, and was holding l out a pair of old shoes, so that passer- by would imagine that some one was ly- ing prone in the wagon with his feet sticking out.
 | When the wagon reached Darlington Place, Mir. Sanders drew rein, and hailed the house, having signed to Cephas to make himself invisible. Evidently Mrs. Absalom was in the rear. for the hello | had to be repeated a number of times
 before she made her appearance She came | wiping her face on her ample apron and
 brushing the hair from her eyes
 Were huntin'. ma'am, for place called CIoptons'," said MT Sanders in a
 falsetto voice. his hat pulled down over his eyes. About four miles back we | picked up a oil snoozer who calls him.
 self William H. Sanders. an he keeps on i talkln aDOuI the ClOptOu TidCo. Why, the Clopton Place Is right down
 the road a piece. What in the world Is the matter wi odd Billy? She inquired
 with real solicltude. Was he wounded l in the war?"
 "wall, ma am, from the looks of the
 jimmyton we found by his side. he must 1 a shot hlsself in the neck He's got his
 feet stuck out from under the kiVer." Don't you worry about that" said
 Mrs. Absalom, the climate will never | strike in old Billys feet till he gets bet
 ter acquainted wi soap an water
 An he talks in his sleep about Mrs.
 Absalom," MT. Sanders went on, 'an'
 he cries an says she used to be his
 sweetheart but he had to jilt her beka1e | she cant cook decent biscuit
 '"rhe old. villain!' exclaimed Mrs, Ab-
 saiorn, with well assimulated indignation 1 me can't tell the truth even when he's
 drunk If he ever sebers up in this world | Hi give him a long piece of nay mind
 Jest drive on the way you've started, an ! If you can keep in the middle ef the road
 wi that drunken old stink in the waggin', ! you II come to Cleptons' in mighty few
 minutes.
 At this juncture. MT. Sanders was ] obliged to laugh, whereupon Mrs. Absa-
 lom, looking narrowly at the travellers, | ndu no uIICully III IeCoShibihS lhoIh' i Well my lifer she exclaimed, raising ! her hands above her head in a gesture of
 amazcment. Why, that's old Billy, an | him sober; and Frankly Bethune, an him
 not a primpin! Well, well! I'd "a never ! believed it eff I hadn't "a seed 1t. But l declare to gracious, I'm glad to see you
 ali the sight of you is good for the sore l eyes. An Frank tryin' to raise a beard | Well. honey, I'll send you bottle of Der l gamot grease to rub on it.
 Mrs bsalom came out to the wagon l and shook hands with the returned war
 rurs very heartily, and sharp as her
 tongue was, there were tears in her eyes
 as she greeted them; for in that day and ! time people were not ashamed of their emotions.
 ala -garet Gather has come back" re- marked MT. Sanders. "Ab fetched her in his hack"
 Well. the poor creatur'.' exclaimed | Mrs. Absalom; "they say she's had trou- | ble piled on her horse high"
 She won't have much more in th!s world ef looks is any s.En." Mir. Sanders i replied. She ain't nothin but a Evin, ] skeleton. but she's got a mighty lively 1 gal
 CHAPTER Z-.
 The ctory of Margaret Gather. ! Gabriel and Cephas started toward their ' homes cutting across the fields and