The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1904-12-23


fn< the merchants. Hmhouse. a fat. red
faced man with . dyed and waxed
mustaehe. came roGnd 10 him from
bebjsd the counter
-Leokin' fer George IN bet. he
said in a friendly. half confidential
tone. Hes jest gone. squire Hill
yer had years before been justice OF
ths peace. Il went with Inn clean To-
the door Of the warehouse an seed
fhaf he went in"
Then he was
The wust I ever seed. squire Oh.
he could walk all right an knowed
Whist he Was about. but bs's q Teglar
rippiR terror. He come In here. l
reckzJn.- about an hour -asD. an tuck q
couple OF drinks an then set own
over thar al The little table L lowed
he was asleep, he was so quiet an
reckon evsrytsody else did, fer Bascon
Truitt from over in the mountains
come in an begun to talk about old
man Buekley's sentence. He hadn't
said a word that was wrong, bur
George heard te an riz suddenly an
come uD to, him 'Yo're a-sayin' that
TO insult me- he sHfd. right in TRUTHS
face. AS big. as Truitt Is you could
"a knocked I'm down with feather
but he told. George as straight as he
could that he never knowed he was
thar an dent meaw no harm nohowr
but. sir, George hauled away an hit
i'm in the law. Ut popped like tine re-
port of pistol, AM Eruitt mighty nigh
went down. We parted 'em without
any trouble I'm fact Truitt thinks the
world an ALI Of Inn George did i'm a
favor a long time bsek, an instead o
gittin' mad about ii Truitt is worryin'
ever offendin' the boy He would have
apologized to- In. burt we all persuan-
ed i'm to wait till George was at his
self"
The merchant took long, trembling
breath.
81 WISH Hillhouse," he said, that
yuu wouldn't let i'm, have any more
LIQUOR If you kim git around It,"
-Git around itg' laughed the bar
Keeper. ''If you'll show nae mixer o
drinks in this. county that would re-
fuse that TELLER when he's of I'd like
to, see i'm. 1t would cost Inn his life.
He's one man.. sauire;. that ortn't to-
fetch drap, AM between you an me
L don't think anything but this scrape
of his daddy's would have started i'm. :.
George Buckley Is the high strung sort
that makes either the finest citizens ur
the scum O. creation"
81 reckon yo're right" agreed Hillyer.
and. turning, he, went down to the
warehouse, which. was. I'm the next
block below. He. found the front door
atar. and saw Ill light burning In his
clerks room i'm the rear- Entering
and softly trcading over the rough
floor, which was, strewnl with chan anu
grain and the metal ties OF cotton
bales. Hillyer stood In the doorway or
the young mans. room In cloud or
cigar smoke George Buckley sat near
n little table. withOut his coat. his col
lar off and his powerful neck showing
through his open, shirt He glared up
at his employer and then rose to his
feet and looked straight at him.
George" the old mann began In
voice. that quivered through excessive
embarrassment, IL WAS troubled SO
much about you that l couldn't sleep,
so, 1 got up an come down. seed
wore Light an couldn't keep from conn
in in
st don't see that you need bother
about me-" was Buckley's surprising
retort. I'm no blood kin of yours,
Mr. Hillyer."
George, I'm as good friend to you
as | know how to be, an l jest want
YOU to know that, an eff thars any
way under the sun that kin help you
I'll do it,
..Then let's me m you come to an
understanding, said Buckley. Il don't
know exactly how to size you up. I've
been thinking about you all this even
ing. and if l don't understand you bet
fer than | have done for several years
YOU and will part. You can keep the
money I've made and saved up, ana
if | could do it I'd throw the education
you gave me in your face. My lntelh-
gence has been insulted. You have
done all these things for me under the
DfcteIlSe OF kOVe, but IL was NV t
Now let's understand each other
Hillyer turned as white as death
could have made him. His eyes sank
to the. floor. and, with hating STEP ne
went to the young mans bed across
the room and sat down on the edge
of it. ;,
"You do me great wrong, George
he faltered IF you knowed my
heart
"Well. that's all I'm asking. want
to know what it all means. | tell you
I'm no fool It's not whisky IN me
TALKING either. for I've puzzled o. er IL
for years, an now that this thing mas
happened-rn' l don't care whether !
stay in your town anyway-Im Soih
to be told the truth. What Ola you
give me my education for, and TINS
start in the world? Why. as iook
at you gazing at me now it seems 10
me YOU are the very personlficaton Oh