The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-15
CHAPTER XXI.
Gabriel As an Orator.

CHAPTER XXxli'
Gabriel AS an Orator.
During the period that interviewed be-
tween his escape and the announcement
of the restoration of civil government IN
Georgia, Gabriel settled down TO course
of reading in the law office of Judge VAR
deman, Colonel Toms brother. HIS ex-
perience in Judge Vardemans office de-
cided his career. He was fascinated from
the very beginning. He found the dullest
law-book interesting; and he became SO
absorbed in his reading that the genial
judge was obliged to warn him that too
much study was sometimes as bad as
none.
Yet the lads appetite grew by what it
fed on. A new field had been opened
up to him, and he entered it with de-
light. He pursued his studies In a staSe
of exaltation that caused the days to fly
by unnoted. He thought of home, and Of
| his grandmother, and a vision of Nan
| sometimes disturbed his slumbers; but
| for the time being there was nothing
real but the grim commentators and ex-
Founders of the common law.
When Mr.. Sanders returned home,
| bearing the news of Gabriel's escape,
7 Nan Darlington laid seige to his patience,
and insisted that he go over every detail
| of the event, not once but a dozen times.
How did Gabriel look when he ran from
| the depot at Malvern? Was he fright
ened? And how in the world did he man.
age to get in the wagon, and crawl on
the inside of the sham bale of cotton and
hide so that nobody could see himY
What did he say and how did he look
when Mr.. Sanders found him asleep in
the cottonbox-bale, whichever you might
call 1t?
why, honey. I've told you all I know
an a whole lot more" protested Mr..
| Sanders.
well, tell me this" Nan insisted;
what did he talk about when he woke
up? Did he ask about any of the home
folks?"
"Lemme see," said Mr.. Sanders, pre-
tending to reflect "he turned over in his
box. an got his har ketched In rough
| plank an then he busted out cryin' jest
like you used to do when you got hurt.
| l kinder mouched him up, an then he up
an toll me a whole lot of stuff about a
young lady; how he was gwin to win her
eff he had to stop chawin' tobacco, an
cussin'. I'll name no names, behaze /
promised him l wouldn't"
Il think that is disgusting Nan de-
clared. do you mean to tell me he new
er asked about his grandmother"
| ''Fiddlesticks Nam he looked at me
like he was hungry, an I told him all
about his grandmother, an he KEEP on a
lookln' hungry, an l told him all about
! her neighbors. What he said I couldn't
tell you no more than the man in the
moon. He done jest like any other
healthy boy would a. DONE an that's all
| l know about It,"
That's what I thought" said Nan,
YEARLY; boys are so tiresomei"
We'll, Gabriel didn't look much like
boy when l seed him last He hadn't
| shaved in a month of Sundays, and his
beard was purity nigh as long as my lit
tie finger. He couldn't go to a barber
| shop In Malvern for fear some of the mig
gers might know him an report him to
! the commander of the post there
begged him not to shave the beard off
He looks mighty well wi it,
! Ills beardP' cried Nan. IF he comes
home with a beard I'll never speak to
him again. Gabriel with a beard! 1t is
too ridculousr
Don't worry" Mr.. Sanders remarked
soothingly EFF I get word of his comm
I'll get me a par of shears an meet
him outside the corporation line, an lop
his whiskers off for him; but I tell you
now, it won't make him look bit purifier
/ mot a bit"
you needn't trouble yourself" said
Nan, with considerable dignity. II have
no interest in the matter Ut all"
We'll | thought maybe you'd be glad
to git Gabriels beard an make it into
sofy pillow"
Why. whoever heard of such thing?"
cried Nan. In common with many others,
| she was not always sure when Mr.. San
ders was to be taken seriously
One day while Gabriel was deep in u
law book, Colonel Van Vardeman came
in smiling. He had a telegram in his
hand, which he tossed to Gabriel 1t was
from Major Tomlin Perdue, and contained
an urgent request for Gabriel to take the
| Hal ha1 urba
would meet the prisoners who had been
released pending their trial by the state
courts an event that never came off
Gabriel lost no time In making his ar
| rangements to leave and he was in Hal
| cyondale some hours before the Atlanta
train was due. When all had arrived they
were for going home at once, but the cit
liens of Hocyondale, led by Major Per-
due and Colonel Blasengame, would not
hear of such a thing.
mo. sirs!' exclaimed Major Perdue
1--WE have long been wanting a red-letter
day in this section, and now that we've
| got the excuse for making one, we're not
| going to let 1t go by. Everything is fixed
or will be by day after tomorrow. We're
going to have a barbecue half way be-
tween this town and Shady Dale. The
people of the two counties haven't had
a Notification since the war, and now that
/ VIC nave TIC eACuSe we re not going 10
turn 1t loose until the Publication is
| over"
And so 1t was arranged Notice was
given to the people in the old-fashon way
and nearly everybody In the two counties
not only contributed something to the
barbecue, but came to enjoy it.
The details of the barbecue were In the
hands of Mr.. Sanders who was famous
in those days for his skill in such mat
tiers. The fires had been lighted the night
before and when the sun rose long lines
of carcasses were slowly roasting over
the red Goals, contributing to the breezes
an aroma so persistent and penetrating
that 1t could be recognized miles away.
A speakers stand had been erected, and
everything was arranged just as it would
have been for a political meeting. There
was a good deal of formality too. Major
| Perdue prided himself on doing such
things in style. AS the major managed
the affair, the friends of the young men
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