Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-09-08
and the taxes to be kept up: rather.

an that settles It,"
1.-THE right thing" moaned the old
woman as she sank into a chair and
covered her face with her hands. "NIr.
Trabue." she went on fiercely, when
that factory stock leaves our hands we
won't have single thing to our names
that will bring In cent Of income.
You kin see how bad it Is on woman
who has worked as hard to do fer her
children as have. Mr.. Bishop always
said Adele, who is visitin' her uncle's
family in Atlanta, should have that
stock for weddin' gift eff she ever
married, an Alan was to have the low
er half of this farm. Now, what would
we have to give the girl-nothin' but
thousands O. acres O. hills, mountains
an gulches full o. bear. wildcats an
catamounts-land that it I'D break any
young couple to hold on to, much less
put to any use. oh, feel perfectly
sick over it,"
There was heavy, dragging step in
the hall, and long, lank man Of six
ty or sixty-fiye years of age paused in
the doorway. He had no beard except
a tuft of gray hair on his chin, and his
teeth, being few and far between, gave
to his checks hollow appearance. He
was Abner Daniel, Mrs. Bishops bach
elor brother, who lived In the family.
"Hello!" he exclaimed, shifting big
quid Of tobacco from one cheek to the
other. "Plottin' agin the whites? Eff
you are, I'll decamp. as the Teller said
when the bull yeerlin' butted i'm in the
small O. the back. How are you, Mr..
Trabue? Have they run you out O.
town fer some O. yore legal rascality?"
Il reckon your sister thinks It's ras-
calfty that's brought me out today"
laughed the lawyer. 1--WE 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 an not gone too nigh
| the stalks. they mought "a 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 all-fer'
anybody but the'rse'ves. Well, I'll git
along to my ROOM"
Don't go, Brother Alb" 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 jest-eyen the
serious things of life-the sallow face
of the tall man heightened. He stared
into the faces around him for a mo-
ment; then slow twinkle dawned in
his eye.
"Tye never been knowed to take sides
in any connubial tussle yet" he said to
Trabue in dry Tone calf may not
know what he's about right now, but
he's Solomon hisse'f compared to a
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'
a hatrack fer the hall. Betsy had seed
one over at Mason's at the campground
an determined she'd have one. Maybe
you noticed that fancy contraption in
the hall as you come in. Well, ALI seed
niger unloadin' it from wagon at
the door one mornin', an when Betsy,
in feer an tremblin', told i'm what ii
was fer he mighty nigh had a fit. He
said his folks never had been above
hangin' Their coats an hats on good
stout nails an pegs, an as fer them
umbrella pans to ketch the drip, he
said they was fancy spitboxes, an
wanted to know eff she expected body
to do Their chawin' an smokin' in that
windy hall. He said it jest should moi
stand thar with all them prongs an
arms to attack unwary folks in the
dark, an he toted it out to the buggy
shed. That got Betsy's dander up, an
she put it back agin the wall an sale
1t 'ud stay thar eff she had to stand
behind it an hold it in place. All
wasn't done yet He lowed eff they
was to have sech purity trick as thai
on the hill it had to stay in the bes
room in the house, so he put it heer IL
the parlor by the piano. But Betsy
took it back two or three times, an hi
larnt that he was a-doin' sight O
work fer nothin' an finally quit totin
It about.
"But that amt what 1 started in to
tell. AS l was a-sayin', old Jane
Hardeway thought she'd sorter put a
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 ALI couldn't stand to
have things nice about i'm. She said
all the Bishops she'd ever knowed had
natural stoop that they got by Twin
in cabins with low roofs. She wasn't
epreadin' 'er butter as thick as she
thought she was-ur maybe it was the
sort she was spreadin'-fer Betsy
blazed up like the woods aflre in a
high wind. 1t didn't take old Jane
long to diskiver that thar was several
breeds o. Bishops out O Jail, an she
spent most O the rest @ her visit brag-
gin on scme 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 N the children out
O this awful fix. Alfred always would
listen to you"
"Well," and the old man smiled and
winked at the lawyer, "I'll give you
| hoth oil tho odrioo hin Now +bo