The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-27
OLD KING.
BY PAULINE PHELPS.

| & BY PAULINE PHELPS .ts z. Copyright. 1904. by Daily Story Pub. Col 'He lived up there in that little house. top the mountain. just 't'other side of the brook. without a wife nor chick nor child, an not a neighbor settin' foot in- side the door once . blue moon. Kind of Lonesome existence. 'twould be for most folks-drive me crazy in less'n a week. but King liked 1t; an if he hadn't, there wouldn't none of us ever heard him say word. He want no hand to make a fuss over things, old King want Stayed there after his mother died, keepin' batcheior's hail; never goin' any where. except over to the center for his paper once week. or maybe to town meetin': never taikin' any. an' never lookin' at a girl-kept on that way for spell of IS year, an then fell in love with Lucy Pettibone to the end ont. Her mother made the match; 'twa'n't none of Lucy's choosin'. He'd ought to known 1t! He'd ought to know there want any thing in an old crank like him to take a young girls fancy, an one that was writin' steady to another beau besides. But he didn't, s'pose He spruced up an tried to be social; an when the en- gagement was out he bought a new broadcloth suit, an come to church with her a-wearin' it. Lord. I can shut my eyes an see 'ern now, a marchin' up the aisle-he proud an high-headed, an she looldn' as If she wanted to drop through the floor. She's 'shamed of him, an she knows it, folks said, but he can't see it. Thinks she's in love with him. like as not. There's no fool like an old fool says they
 That was Sunday An the next morn in Lucy ran of an met Phil slocum an married him, just week before the time set for the other weddin'.
 They hated to tell King when he drove up to the house that day. but they needn't have. You'd thought twas stray critter for all the concern he showed. Set there like a graven image, with his hands on his reins and his lips close together, an heard the whole thing from beginnin' to end. An when they got through
 " Is that aiI?" says he. kind of quiet.
 That's. all,' says Pettibone.
 "sThen git up, Prince, says he. I guess I'll go home an do the chores
 An that's just what he did. an kept a doin 'em for 20 years; an if her actin so made a difrence, there couldn't none of us see 1t. He want no hand to make fuss over things. old King want
 Phil an Lucy come back after year or two, an settled at Phifs fathers. Marthy--that was the one my sam mar ried-was born there. an Lucy died in the upstairs west room; caught cold hangin' out clothes one day in January, an died the next March. There come up sort of blizzard the day of her funeral, with wind bIowin' an snow piling up in drifts; want but ten folks went to the grave, an old King was one of 'em. Come a wearin' them broadcloth clothes he'd bought for his weddin'. an stood there in them an see her buried; an you couldn't tell no more from his face how he felt about it than as if he'd been carved out os wood. Some said was because he hadn't forgiven her. an some said twas because he had; but what they said didn't make no difference to him.
 Meet him sometimes in the winter snow blowin' an wind whistlin', an he a footin' 1t over to get his paper-always went just such day, whether twas
 warm or cold. Pretty bad weather. King.
 Don't you want to ride? I can git along all right says he. Pass by there in the mornin' when rheumatiz had hold of him. an he'd be just crawlin' out to milk the COWS. Must be hard for you to travel
 on them feet of your'n. Don't you want
 some helpH If he did, he wouldn't own