Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-07-01

the hall, and long, lank man of six
ty or siXty-tlve years of age paused in
the doorway. He had no beard except
tuft of gray hair on his chin, and his
teeth, being few and far between, gave
to his cheeks hollow appearance. He
was Abner Daniel, Mrs. Bishops BACH
clor brother. who lived in the family.
Hello" he exclaimed. shifting big
quid of tobacco from one cheek to the
other. "Plottin' agin the whites? Ef
you are, I'll decamp. us the Teller said
when the bull yeerlin' butted i'm In the
small o the back. How are you, MIR.
Trnbue? Have they run you out o
town fer; some o yore legal rascality? ~
Il reckon your sister thinks it's ras-
cality that's brought me out today"
laughed the lawyer. Eve are on lit
tie land deal"
"Oh. well. I'll move on,'' said Abner
Daniel. II Jest wanted to tell Alan
that Riggs hogs got into his young
corn in the bottom Jest now an rooted
up about as many acres as Pole Bak-
er's plowed all day. Eff they'd a-rooted
in straight rows nm not gone too nigh
the stalks, they mought IA done the
crap more good than harm, but Their
aim or intention, one or t'other, was
bad. Folks is that away. Mighty few
OF 'em root-when they root at ALTER
anybody but the'rse'yes. Well, I'll cit
along to my room"
Don't go, Brother Abb" pleaded his
sister. II want you to hep me stand
up fer my rights. Alfred is about to
swap our cotton mill stock fer some
more wild mountain land"
In spite of his natural tendency to
turn everything into n jest-even the
serious things of life-the sallow face
of the tall man heightened, He stared
into the faces around him for mo-
ment; then slow twinkle dawned in
his eye.
Eve never been knowed to take sides
in any connubinl tussle YETI he said to
Trabue In n dry tone. "Alf may not
know what he's about right now, hut
he's Solomon hisse'f compared to q
Teller that will undertake to settle a
dispute betwixt man an his wife
more especially the wife. Geewhilikins,
! never shall forget the time old Jane
Hardeway come heer to spend a week
an ALI thar an Betsy split over buyin,
n hatrack fer the hall. Betsy had seed
one over at Mason's ut the campground
an determined she'd have one. Maybe
you noticed that fancy contraption In
the hall us you come In. Well, Alf seed
a niger unloadin' 1t from n wagon at
the door one mornin', an when Betsy.
in feer an trenholm, told i'm what 1t
was fer he mighty nigh had fit. He
said his folks never had been above
hangin' Their coats an hats on good,
stout nails an pegs, an MS fer them
umbrella pans to ketch the drip, he
said they was fancy spitboxes, an
wanted to know eff she expected a body
to do Their chawin' an smokin' in that
windy hall. He said 1t Jest should not
stand thar with I'LL them prongs an
arms to attack unwary folks in the
dark, an he toted 1t out to the buggy
shed. That got Betsy's dander up. an
she put 1t back agin the wall an said
1t 'ud stay thar eff she had to stand
behind It an hold It in place. ALI
wasn't done yet. He lowed ef they
was to have sech purity trick Us that
on the hill 1t had to stay In the best
room in the house, 80 he put it heer in
the parlor by the piano. But Betsy
took 1t back two or three times, an be
larnt TINT he WINS a-doin' sight o.
vvnrlr Far not o,.p tq,,n Sxf,.p
u about.
But TINT ain't what started In to
tell. AS was a-sayin', old Jane
Hardeway thought shed sorter put O
word in the dispute to pay fer her
board an keep, an she told Betsy that
1t was all OWN to the way the Bishops
was raised that All couldn't stand to
have things nice about i'm. She said
all the Bishops she'd ever knowed had
natural stoop TINT they got by Twin
In cabins with low roofs. She wasn't
spreadin' 'er butter as thick as she
thought she was-ur maybe 1t was the
sort she was spreadin'-fer Betsy
blazed up like the woods afire in a
high wind. 1t didn't take old Jane
long to diskiyer that thar was several
breeds o Bishops out O Jail, an she
spent most o. the rest o her visit Drag
gin on some she'd read about. She
said the name sounded like the start
Of 'em had been religious and sub
stanch."
Brother Abner," whined Mrs. Bish-
op, II wisht you'd hush all that fool
ishness an help me IN the children out
O. this awful fix. Alfred always would
listen to you.''
"Well," and the old man smiled and
winked ut the lawyer, "I'll give you
both all the advice 1 kin. Now, the
Shoal River stock is good thing right
now, but Of the mill was to ketch on
fire an burn down thar'd be a loss.
Then rs fer timber land. 1t amt easy
to sell, but 1t mOught take start be-
fore another flood. I say 1t mought.
an then agln 1t moughtn't The mill
mought burn, an then agin II
moughtn't Now, eff you uns kin be
helped by this advice you are welcome
to 1t free O. charge. Not changin' the
subject, did you uns know Mrs. Rich
ardson's heffers got a calf2 reckon
she won't borrow 30 much milk after
hers gifts good
Trabue smiled broadly as the gaunt
man withdrew, but his amusement
was short lived, for Mrs. Bishop began
to cry, and she soon rose in despair
and left the room. Alan stood for O
moment looking at the unmOyed face