The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-04

| Henry Schofield. but who was known
| as Schofield's Henry (pOpulaTly abbFe-
waited to SchoheldsO was moved to in
dignation. look at him." he cried.
Look at him, Everlastingly goin' on
| about my bell Let him talk. jest let
him talk" The supper gong doomed
| inside the hotel and HAIRLESS babe the
| bell-ringer goodnight. AS he moved
| away the latter called after him: He
don't disturb nobody. Let him talk.
| Who paws any 'tention TO him I'd like
ITO knOW?' There was a burst Of laugh
| ter from the whittlers. Schofields' sat
| in patient silence for full minute, as
one who knew that no official is too
| lofty to escape the anathemas of envy.
| Then he sprang to his feet and shook
| his fist at Martin. who was disappear
| ing within the door of the hotel. GO
to Halifax" he shouted.
The dining-roon of the Palace Hotel
was a large, airy apartment. rustling
with artistically perforated and slash
ed pink paper that hung everywhere,
| at this season Of the year, to lend fes-
tai effect as well as to palliate the
scourge of flies. There were six or sew
en- large tables, all vacant except that
at which Columbus Lands. the land
lord, sat with his guests, while his
wife and children ate in the kitchen
by their own preference. Transient
trade was light in Plattville: nobody
ever came there. except occasional
commercial travellers who got out of
town the instant it was possible. and
who said awful things If. by the ext
gencies of the railway timetable, they
were left over night.
Behind the hosts chair stood a red
haired girl in blue cotton gown: and
in her hand she languidly waved a
long, instrument made of clustered
strips of green and white and yellow
tissue paper fastened to a wooden
| wand with this she amiably amused
! the flies except at such times as the
conversation proved too interesting.
when she was apt to rest it on the
shoulder Of one of the guests. This
happened each time the editor of the
Herald" joined in the talk. AS the
men seated themselves they all nodded
to her and said. cd evening, Gym
! thy" Harkless always called her
| Charmion; no one knew why. When
he came in she moved around the ia
| BILE to a chair directly opposite him,
and held that station throughout the
| meal, with her eyes fixed on his face.
| Mr.. Martin noted this maneuver-it
| occurred regularly twice a day-with
| stealthy smile at the girl, and her
| light skin flushed while her lip curled
| shrewshly at the old gentleman. "Oh,
| all right, tyntny, ne Whispered TO
| her, and chuckled aloud at her angry
| toss of the head.
"Schofields' seemed to be kind of
put out with me this evening" he re-
| marked, addressing himself to the
company. He's the most ungratefull-
| est cuss l ever come up with. l was
| only oratin' on how proud the city
| ought to be of him. He fairly keeps
| Plattville's sportin' spirit on the cog;
/ NTTt g.. L.
| more money laid on him whether he'll
strike over and above the hour, or I'M
der and below. or whether he'll strike
| fifteen minutes before time. .or twenty
| after, than-well sir, we'd all forgit
the language if it wasn't for Schohelds'
bell to keep us talkin'; that's my claim.
| Dull days, think of the talk he fur
nishes all over town. Think what he's
done to promote conversation. Now,
for instance, Anna Belle Bradlock's got
beau, they say''-here old Tom tilt
ed back in his chair and turned an
innocent eve upon a youth across the
table, young William Todd. who was
blushing over his griddle-c akes-"and
| hear he's a good deal scared of Anna
/ Belle and not just what you might call
brash with her. They say every Sun
dey night he'll go UP to Bradlocks'
| and call on Anna Belle from half-past
six till 8, and when he's got into his
chair he sets and looks at the floor
and the crayon portraits till about Z;
| then he opens his trenholm lips and
| says, Reckon Schotields' must be on
his way to the courthouse by this
| time And about an hour ater, when
| Schohelds' hits four or five, he'll speak
| up again, Say, ] reckon he means
| eight. Long towards o'clock, they
| say he skews around in his chair and
says, Wonder If he'll strike before
time or after and Anna Belle answers
| out loud, 1 hope after for politeness:
but in her soul she says, I pray be-
fore and then Schofields' hits her up
for eighteen or twenty, and Anna
Bellies company reaches for his hat.
| Three Sundays ago he turned around
| before he went out and said DO Won
like apple butter?' but never waited to
find out. It's the same programme
every Sunday evening, and Jim Bard
lock says Anna Bellies so worn out
| you wouldn't hardly know her for the
blithe creature she was last year-the
exciteinent's ben too much for herr"
Poor William Todd bent his fiery
face over the table and suffered the
general sT,l nsi n smoker in helpless silence.
Then there was quiet for a space. brok-
en- only by the click of knives against
the heavy china and the indolent rus
| tie of Cynthia's f1y-brush
Town so STILL observed the land
lord, finally, with a complacent glance
at the dessert course of prunes to
which his guests were helping them
selves from central reservoir, Town
so still, hardly seems like show-dav's
come round again. Yet there's BEN
some shore signs lately: when NV
shavers come honeyin' up with. Saw.
pa. amt they no urrands 1 can go for
We, pa? I like to run 'em fer you. pa
-'relse, oh, pa, amt they no water
l can haul, or nothin', pa?'-'relse. as
little Rosina T. says. this morning
Pa, l always pray fer you, pa and
pa this and pa that-you can rely eth
er Christmas or show-day's mighty
| close
William Todd. taking occasion to
prove himself, recovered from confu-
sion. remarked casually that there was
another token of the near approach of
the circus, as ole Wilkerson was drunk
| again.
| There's a mani exclaimed Mr..