News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-08-12

heef, sence saw you last, Salu Iue
preacher as he sat down and began to
wipe his perspiring brow with a big
handkerchief.
"Well, l reckon it mought be called
that" Abner replied as he carefully
folded his newspaper and put 1t into
his coat pocket. None of us was ex-
pectin' Of it, anti sorter busted our
calculations. ALI had laid out to put
new high back benches In Rock Crest,
an new lamps an one thing another,
an it seems to me"-Abner wiped his
too facile mouth-"like l heerd i'm say
one day that you wasn't paid enough
fer yore thunder an that he'd stir
around an see what could be done"
Abner's eyes twinkled But, lawsy
me! reckon eff he kin possibly raise
the scads to pay the tax on his invest
ment next yeer he'll do all the Lord ex-
poets"
Huh, l reckon grunted Dole, irri-
tated, as usual, by Abner's double
meaning. II take it that the Lord
hain't got much to do with human
speculations one way or other"
EFF just had that scamp that roped
i'm in before me minute, I'd fix i'm"
said Abner. "Do you know what de-
nomination Perkins belongs TOP
D. mo, l don't" Dole blurted out, IAN,
what's more, don't care"
"Well, | acknowledge it sorter inter
ests me-" went on our philosopher in
an inscrutable tone, "beca Sc Brother
Dole, you kin often trace a mans good
ur bad doin's to his belief in Bible mat
tiers. Maybe you don't remember Jabe
Lyman that stold Thad Wilson's stump
suckin' boss an was ketched an put
up l was at the courthouse in barley
when he received his sentence. His
wife sent me to i'm to carry his pipe
an one thing or other-a pair O socks
an other necessary tricks, a little can
O. lye soap, fer one thing. She hadn't
the time to go, rs she said she had
patch o. young corn to hoe out found
i'm as happy as eff he was goin' off on
a excursion. He laughed an lowed
it I'd be some time fore he got back,
an | wondered what could "a made
i'm so contented, so | made some in
quiries on that line. | found that he
was a firm believer in predestination
an that what was to be was foreOr-
dained. H. said that he firmly believed
he was predeetinated to go to the coal
mines fer boss stealth, an that life was
too short to be kickin' ag'in the Lords
way O. runnin' matters. Besides, he
said, he'd heerd that they issued plug
o tobacco a week to chawin' prison
ers, an he could prove that he was one
o. that sort eff they'd look how he'd
ground his jaw teeth down to the
gums"
"Huh"' grunted Dole again, his sharp
gray eyes on Abner's face as if he half
believed that some of his own theories
were being sneered at. 1t was true
that he, being a Methodist, had not adj
Vocated a belief in predestination, but
Abner Daniel had on more than one
occasion shown a decided tendency to
bunch all stringent religious opinions
together and cast them down as out of
date. When in doubt in a conversation
with Abner, the preacher assumed
coldness on the outside that was often
not consistent with the fires within
him. Il don't see what all that's got
to do with Brother Bishops mistake"
he said frigidly as he leaned back in
his chair.
at sets me to wonderin' what de-
nomination Perkins belongs to, that's
ALL" said Abner, with another smile.
81 know in reason he's big Ike in
some church in Atlanta, fer l never
knOwed a lawyer that wasn't foremost
In that way O. dom good. III bet a
hoecake he belongs to some hifalutin'
crowd O worshipers that kneel down
on saft cushions an believe in scoopin'
in all they kin in the Lords name, an
that charity begins at home. | think
that myself, Brother Dole, fer thar
never was plant as hard to git rooted
as charity is, an body ought to have
st Whar they kin watch it close It'll
die heap o times eff you jest look at
1t, an it mighty nigh always has bad
soil ur drought to contend with"
Just then Pole Baker, who has al
ready been introduced to the reader,
rode up to the fence and hitched his
horse. He mold d to the two men on
the yeranda and went around to the
smokehouSe to get piece of bacon
Bishop had promised to sell him on
credit.
Huh" Dole grunted. and he crossed
his long legs and swung his foot up
and down ncryously. He had the look
of a man who was wondering why-
such insufferable bores as Abner should
$50 often accompany free dinner. He
had never felt drawn to the man, and
at irritated him to think that just when
mis- mental faculties needed rest Abner
always managed to introduce the very
topics which made it necessary for
min to keep his wits about him.
''Take that Teller thar" Abner went
on, referring to Baker. Hes about the
hardest customer in this county, an yet
he's bein' managed right now. He's got
a wife an seven children an is holy
terror when he gifts drunk He used to
be the biggest daredevil moonshiner in
all these mountains, but Alan kept be-
friendin' i'm fust one way an another
tell he up one day an aXed Alan what
he could do fer i'm Alan amt none O.
CHI ffrnt IND ~ tgfi To