The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-08-16

drawl of the piny-woods.
It had a comical sound and some
one Uttered in spite of the solemnity
of the occasion.
"Did you ever see convicted man
who thought he had had fair trial?"
one lawyer asked another.
But Alpheus had had no thought
of a fair trial when he spoke; he
would not have known q fair trial
from an unfair one.
His mind had gone far, far back to
the days of his childhood, to the
little mpd-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 q rude inclosure
which, in a more civilized region
would have been considered none too
good to serve as n 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
irving 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
iealousy-with her coarse, 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 ZEN was jes'
too pizen ugly to live; as ugly as a
waller niger dog" AS she and all
her progeny were black-haired and
black-eyed, Alpheus' tow head was
naturally not admired by her. He
SUNK 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 q
: weak-minded man, easily reduced &c
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
they were not slow to make him fee
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 venturet
, to resent Jim's aggressions. Ibis step
mothers heavy fist had hammered
into him the wisdom of suffering II
silence. AS their mother made 6
drudge Of him, SO the young Jordan.
made him the butt of their clumsy
ridicule. 1t was Jim who gave hin
the name of "Fiddleneck" by which
: he became known throughout thai
piny woods settlement. The rura
sense of the appropriate was ticklat
by the title. Don't it jes' hit of thai
! long, red neck o. his'n!" exclaimed
Abram Beechby. Jim shore Is The
fellow to give names that sticks
Yet Alpheus was good, Harmless.
. creature, who would have asked moth
ing better than to live on kindl,
!, terms with his step-relations. As HI
grew older the settlement had M
! definite grievance against him; bu
! when one is shy and awkward it II
easy to get the reputation of being
"sullen-like"-and the second Mrs
: White spared no words to make i
believed that her stepson was hare
: to get along with"
III.
, Shortly after Alpheus reached man
. hood his father died, and the large
\ part of the little farm fell to hi
r share Mrs. White was indignant tina
: the law gave her only third, and
| In TaCt, went lutO HyStcliSS WhSh oh'
: learned that the whole farm was no
v to be hers.
I "Oh, my po' paltry thirds!"sh
circulated, with tears of wrath. Il
this amt onjest, there never was on
a iestice in the world. Here's me that
4 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 altman here In
n put of with thirds!" -
Il But the law Is law. Alpheus glad
4 ly gave up the cabin to his step
. mother, and built himself anothe
!. as, far removed as possible from tn
a old one. He began to plant on hi
o own account, and became modestl
i successful, owing to his industry. A
of which did not endear him to tn
o. Jordans.
:" Jim had also reached mans estate
20 and in gala attire, profusely scenic
G. with cinnamon draps," with hi
N black, curly hair well oiled. he wa
a typical piny-woods lady-killer.
N odd;t;op he yvas n hard drinker,