The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-30

I He was turning away when Hep
stead caught him suddenly In his arms,
as he might q child. and then seated
himself upon a chair with the wrath
full schoolmaster struggling upon his
knees.
soothingly. Il Jest want to say a few
words an then We can go. Mebbe We
did git a little ahead In that lickin'
an this'li sort o. even up Now We say
I'm the weakest scholar ye're ever had,
an l guess likely ye're right. But it's
this way. You've been brung up in
learnin'. an I've heered say your pa
an grandpa was schooimasters. Let
ters an figgers are mixed up thick in
your blood With me it's dif'runt. My
pa an grandpa didn't know their let
tiers, like me. We belonged to the
woods"
why didn't you stay there?" snap
ped the schooimaster. still struggling
to release himself.
Well, ye see I'd done some gocd-sis-
ed things that brought me friends an
a pretty big pile o. money. an s'pose
I got to feelin' mighty friendly toward
myself When my friends said the only
thing I needed was education. an kept
on sayin' 1t, I got to thinkin' mebbe
they was right, an come here"
1
struggle against the impossible and
sat quietly upon the knee. And now
you are going back to show your
friends that they were mistaken in
their good opinion
Hepstead laughed with the gleeful-
ness of a boy at the approaching holt
day.
NO ne answered. I've Jest thought
some more an found t would be a mis-
H. a. L. LIT. ia.
meant for the woods. I've done good
work there, an can do more, an it's
a strong, hearty life. could study an
git an education, know, for I've never
yet set out for a thing that / didn't
git; but I would take the best part o.
my life. I'm slow at such things, an
would have to dig out every letter an
figger with a pickaxe, one at time.
An in the end would 1t be with the
trouble? All my intrust Is back yon-
der in the woods. an we don't need
much learnin' there. Then I've got
this"
He allowed one hand to slip down
over the schoolmasters shoulder until
1t reached the other hand, which had
drawn a small package from his pock-
ct. This was carefully united and
opened and then held before the school,
masters face.
KNOW what I ISL ne ASKED
why, / think-yes. 1t is a faded rose
bud, a wild variety that grows among
the rocks"
That's right" with a rapturous
chuckle. The Indian summer brought
1t. There's a girl back where come
from, the prettiest an best one in all
the world, but she's like me in not
KNOWN a letter or figger. When I
come here she bid me Godspeed, for
even though she believed the learnin'
would draw me away from her, she
thought I would be for my good. That
rose bud was picked at our first I'M
derstandin', an her sendin' 1t means
she Amt so strong as she thought an
can't give me up; an l. schooimaster."
with a sudden boyish laugh that shook
his huge frame made up my mind ten
days ago that was payin' too big O
price for the learnin'. I'm goin back
to her, straight That all. Now We
can go. only wanted We to understand
the reason. Mebbe there's been a girl
somewhere an at some time that you
used to know"
He released the prisoner ana rose to
his full height. stretching himself nm
ally from the thralldom of the school
room The schoolmaster stood for a
moment gazing at the floor. Then he
held out his hand
II wish you well, Hepstead," he said.
in a low voice. TT may be you are
right"