The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-28

you a mighty purity bow, but you went polite enough for to take off your hat. Then the youngest, she's the daughter, she says, says she, Is that reely him. ma?' and tother one says she Elf it's him, honey, he's swunk turrtble." T wonder who in the world they can be?" said Silas Tomlin as if talking to | himself.
 You'll think of their names arter awhile" MT. Gobdlett remarked by way of consolation, but his tone was so sus- picious that Silas turned on his heel
 he had started out-and asked MT. Good lett what he meant.
 "Adzackly what said, nuther more nor | less."
 This episode made small impression on | Gabriels mind, but 1t tickled Mrs. Good letts mind into activity, and the lad
 heard more of Silas Tomlin during the next hour than he had ever known be- | fore.
 When he was young man, silas joined | the tide of emigration that was flowing westward. He went to Mississippi, where
 he married his first wife. In year s time he returned to his old home. When asked about his wife-for he returned alone-he curtly answered that she was well enough off.
 But there was a persistent rumor, com ing from no one knew here, that when child was born to Silas, the wife was seized with such a horror of the father
 that the bare sight of him would cause her to scream, and she constantly inn
 plored her people to send him away. It turned out that the lady. in regard to whom Silas Tomlin expressed such
 curiosity, was a Mrs, Claiborne, of Ken
 lucky, who. with her daughter. had refu- 1f,.k tw. A1T OH the Federal army. Finally when peace l home in Georgia, and she selected Shady
 Dale as her place of abode on account
 of its beauty.
 Evidently the new corners had resources. for they arranged to occupy the Gather house, taking with Miss Polly Gather, furniture and all This arrangement re- lieved Miss Polly of the necessity of living on the charity of her neighbors,
 under pretence of borrowing from them. But so strange a bundle of contradictions
 Is human nature that no sooner had Miss Polly begun to enjoy the abundance that was now showered upon her than she l took her ear-trumpet in one hand and her work-bag In the other. and went | abroad, gossipng about her tenants.-
 not maliciously. but simply with desire to feed the curiosity of the neighbors. There was one piece of information she gave out that puzzled the community no little According to Miss Polly the Clai- | bornes had hardly settled themselves in | their new home before Slias Tomlin call ed on them. 'I can't hear as well as
 I used to-" said Polly-she was deaf as | a door-post-'but I can see as well as
 anybody. And I tell you, Lucy Lums-
 den'-she was talking to Gabriels grand | mother-"as soon as old Silas darkened 1 the door I knew he was worried I never
 saw a grown person so fidgety and ner- vous, unes 1t was Mcajah Clemons. and
 he's got the rickets, poor man. So I says
 to myself, I'll watch you. and watch 1
 did. We'll when Mrs. Claiborne came into
 the parlor. she bowed very politely to
 old Silas. but I could see that she could
 hardly keep from laughing in his face;
 and l don't blame her, for the way old Silas went on was perfectly ridiculous.
 wish you could have seen him, Lucy
 Lumsden, do indeed And when the door
 was shut on him, Mrs. Claiborne flung herself down on a sofa, and laughed until
 she frightened her daughter. I don't com plain about my affliction as a general thing. Lucy. but I would have given any
 thing that day if my hearing had been
 as good as it used to be-"
 And though GabrieTs grandmother was