The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-05

summOnses and cross swearing lar lH'o
the afternoon. and when left the bench
my head was singing from the bellowings
of the attorneys. and the smell OF their
clients was heavy upon my palate.
The streets still testified to the fact
that ii was market day. and J evaded
with difficulty the sinuous course OF carte
full OF sodden people. and steered an
equally devious one for myself among
the groups anchored round the doors OF
public houses. Skerawn possesses, among
its legion of public houses, one establish
ment which timorously, and almost inn
perceptibly, proffers tea to the thirsty.
| turned in there, as was my custom on
court DAYS, and found the little dingy
den. known as the Ladies' Coffee Room,
in the occupancy of my friend Florence
Mccarthy Knox who was drinking strong
tea and eating buns with serious simpli-
city. II was a first and quite unexpected
glimpse of that domesticity that has no"
become a marked feature in his charac-
ter
You're the very man wanted to see"
I said as | sat down beside him at the
oflcloth-cover table "A man l know
in England. who is not much of Judge
a four-year- down here and as
should rather be struck by a friend than
a dealer, | wish you'd take over the job"
FURRY poured himself out another cup
of tea. and dropped three Jumps of SUI
gar into it in silence.
Finally he said, There isn't four
,ear-old in this country that I'd be seen
dead with at a pig fair
Iaa strE.
mier authority on horseflesh in the dis
trict.
but IT isn't six weeks since you told
me you had the finest filly in your stables
that was ever foaled in the County Of
Cork" | protested; what's wrong with
herr"
"Oh, Is it that filly said Mr. Knox
with a lenient smile. She's gone these
three weeks from me- / snapped hec
and &c for a three-year- old lronmonger
colt. and and after that | snapped the
colt and 219 for that Bandon horse |
rode last week at your place and after
that again ! sold the Bandon horse for
ELS to old Welby, and | had to give him
back couple of sovereigns luck money
You see, l did pretty well with the flly
after all
Yes, yes-oh, rather" | assented. as
one dizzily accepts the proposition of Il
bimetallist. And you don't know of
anything else-?'
The room in which we were seated
was closely screened from the shop by
a door with muslin curtained window
in it. Several of the panes were broken,
and at this juncture two voices that had
for some time carried on a discussion
forced themselves upon our attention.
Begging your pardon for contradict;ng
you, ma'am, said the voice of Mrs.
Mcdonald proprietress of the teashop,
and leading light in Skebawn Dissenting
circles, shrilly tremulous with indigna-
tion: 'if the servants | recommend you
won't stop with you it's no fault of mine.
If respectable young girls are set pick
ing grass out of your gravel in place OF
their proper work. certainly they Will
give warning"
The voice that replied struck me as be-
ing notable one, well bred and imperi-
Gus.
when | take a barefooted slut out of
a cabin / don't expect her to dictate to
me what her duties are"
FURRY jerked up his chin in a noiseless
laugh. ITS my grandmother" he whis-
pered. II bet you Mrs. Macdonald don't
get much change out of her"
IF l set her to clean the pSgsty /
expect her to obey me-" continued the
voice in accents that would have made
me clean forty pigstys had she desi" !
me to do so.
Very we'll, ma am" retorted Ms. Me
Donald; If that's the way you treat your
servants you needn't come here again
looking for them. l consider your con-
duct is neither that of a lady nor a
Christian.
Don't you. indeed?" replied Flurry's
grandmother. We'll your opinion doesn t
greatly distress me. for. to tell you the
truth. | don't think you're much of d
Judge"
Didn't l tell you she'd scorer" muir
INJURED FURRY, who was by this time ap-
plying his eye to a hole in the muslin
curtain. shes off. he went on, return
ing to his tea. she's a great character!
She's SO if she's a day and she's as
sound on her legs as a three year old! !
Did you see that old syandryden of hers
in the street a while ago. and a fellow
on the box with a red beard on him like
Robinson CTusoe That old mare that
was on the near side-Trinket her name
isis mighty near clean bred. | can
tell you her foals are worth a bit of
money"
| had heard of old Mrs Knox of Aus
sofas; indeed. l had seldom dined out in
the neighbOrhood without hearing some
new story of her and her remarkable
menage. but it had not yet been my
privilege TO meet her
Well now" went on FURRY in his
slow voice, "I'll tell you a thing that's
just come into my head. My grandmoth-
promised me a foal of Trinket's the day
l was one and twenty, and that's FIVE
years ago, and deuce a one I've got from
her yet. You never were at AuSsolas ="
No; you were not. Well, | tell you
the place there is like circus with
horses. She has a couple of score of them
running wild in the woods like deer"
"oh. come" l said. I'm bit of
liar myself
Well she has dozen of them, any
how, rafting good colts. too, some of
them, but they might as well be donkevs
for all the good they are to me or any
one. It's not once in three years she