The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-14

her'n, she amt been able 10 do
much since the Spring
Anank God. | ain't got no brats to
SCI sick, said the fat man, who was
al old bachelor. Pass around the
sperlts" 1t passed around the entire
eiicie, only making "a break at the
n granger. Jonce again. twice, thrice.
ne man who treated lad the last pun
a. It. and he saw the bronzed bottom
very plainly before he took the meas
VIE down. In the short spaces that
u.lapSed between these rounds various
ttie scraps Of domestic history had
oeen related. The man with the cat
auuirrei had lately lost his wife but
ms sister was taking care of his chill
I'll, ana she was q monstrous man
..Slhg woman. hut she and the chill
a,9h mad been ailing. and not much
npie 10 choc cotton this season. The
49, 49, man had lately been married to q
slIl very much his superior in stature
AH II AL other RESPECTS. and he was
7e.e,TlE tWltted about a report in the
ilel&hporhood that she had Spanked
nm Tor not bein@ as industrious rs
.iie average man is expected by exact
ing women to be
NOW that the heavy and important
BUSINESS OF the dav had been trans
acted the conversation took a serious
pent quite in keeping with it.
Aerlcultures became the leading topjc
OF Talk. with the labor system anG
'iatloIldi finances as flankers
The stranger listened in awe as
each husbandman foret0ld the certain
destruction and Wretched condition of
ms croos OF all sorts. The wheat was
aW1ul thln and had the rust. Oats
hadn turned out what was expected.
somehow or other the stand of cotton
was overrun with grass The corn
was yellow and twisted and WASH t
going to turn out ANYTHING and the to-
bacco plants had been nearly all eaten
up by the flies. These were some of
| the ailments of the crops, and the
merchant, who it was said in the
neighborhood had MORTGAGES on their
little farms and crops, encouraged the
! depressing conversation by quiet uues-
tons. At last the fat bachelor asked,
after an ominous pause, What in The
! hi was the matter with the country.
lanyhoW?"
The little man grinned, as much as
to say that he knew. but his wife had
warned him against telling and he
| had no idea of disobeying her. Re
ceiVing no other response he was
forced to answer his own question.
Said he, slapping his fat leg with his
| chuDDy mana 20 give emphasis to and
| to applaud his own wisdom. what
| the country needs is more money.
more money" The assent to this
great need was unanimous; and con-
tinued he, ''moreE that, this country
amt never going to git right until
the d--n niggers &c to work.
About this no ono of the party eX-
cept the stranger. entertained q
shadow Of doubt, and they made bold
so to express themselves. Having
solved these two problems that have
rested so previously on the minds OF
our poorly paid statesmen the orator
| grew dumb.
Couldn't the old rifle stand for an
other quart. Squire 2" asked it's former
| proprietor.
II think she can" said the Squire
| He brought it. They all drank it, eX-
! cept the stranger.
When the sun was furnishing the
rivers breast. and the shadows We're
growing long, the stranger mounted
his horse and rode away, and as he
rode the sun went down and the
cleaning closed in about him. lie
thought of the men he had left drink
| ing, and for the life of him he could
not help taking a different view of
the causes of the hard times from
those that they had laid down with
such gravity and expressed with so
much emphasis.