The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-30
covyrishs. 1905, By HARPER a BROTHERS
CHATTER EN.

CEaP.cER EN.
T1NE morning shortly after tbs
Ia al Mrs. Hillyc: met Jim kenner
LIN Es on the main street Of the VII
lage near the warehouse and
paused to chat with him. I'm still
workin' on yore case" shc told him.
"The only trouble IS that you are too
backward to help. serve you up with
different gravy At every meal an keep
you on. the sideboard TO eat cold 'twixt
meals, but eff you don't come up some
time an take g hand she'll want 4
change O. Diet
kenner's honest face rcGGeIcd. ''I'm
afeard I'm gittin' too Old. Mrs. Hill
yer" he laughed in high pleasure. Il
give you my word, worry ali the time
about my age
worry" she laughed. What does
age amount to? The older man gifts
in this life the younger he is in the
next, an, from all accounts, the next
is better an keeps body at stand
still. Lord, you don't look like fel-
Ter that worries about anything unless
it's fer the lack O some devilment.
Mr.. Hillyer's told me how you love to
gag old Hanks. I reckon since Bob's
done the way he has you'll have it in
fer the old man, or, rather, he'll have
it in fer you all, beca'se Mr.. Hllyer
says Hanks predicted from the first
that Bob I'D come to no good. I hain't
seed Mr.. Hillyer since Mrs. DugaD
told me about it, but it'll worry i'm
like rips, fer, you know, jest day be-
fore yesterday he let Bob have another
two thousand to enlarge his business
on. Enlarge, I say. A boy O that age
ort to be spanked fer what he's done
Jest when folks was braggin' on i'm,
an'"-
"Why, Mrs. Hillyer''- -Kenners eyes
were wide open in astonishment =
"what are you talkin' about:''
''Talkin' about? jim kenner, do you
mean to tell me that you, the biggest
man gossiper in Darley, don't know
what Bob Hanks has gone and done?'
I'm ct the fust Of it, Mrs. Hillyer."
"Well, he simply got that little Or
phan sal, Dora May, some'n' or other,
from Louisville. out O Mrs. Styles
boardin' school last night an driv FER
in buggy to Springtown an got s
country preacher to marry EN-"
'Good Lord, Mrs. Hillyer!'
sThat's what he done" went on Mira.
Eillyer. ssThey spent the night at the
preachers house, tuck breakfast, an
driv back to Darley. They've put uE
permanent at the Johnston House. Mrs.
Dugan went up and seed whar Bob
had registered r. o. Hanks and Lady
bless you! An that chit Of gal II
short dresses hardly below the knee:
Mrs. Dugan says while she was thar
a-lookin' old Hanks come in as yallar
as a squash an aXed if they had riz
yet. The clerk told i'm no-that the
bridegroom had told i'm to say that he
was not at home to any callers, an ef
it was about business they wanted to
see i'm to refer 'em to his head sales
man at the store. Did you ever? Is it
any wonder his daddy wouldn't set i'm
I'D in business? The wust big head on
earth is the sort that young boys he's
when they think they can start in to
raisin' a family. Bob couldn't stand
prosperity, reckon. Mrs. DuSan says
Mrs. Styles has dismissed school fer
the rest O. the week an is walkln'
about the campus on her hands with
'er feet in the air. It seems that the
gal was put in Mrs. Styles care by
some kin O. hern, an the old lady don't
know what she's to do about it. TLar's
some secret about who an what the
gal is anyway. Mrs. Styles is afeard
it will bust up the institution. Mrs.
<Dugan says it will help the school
that folks will send the'r scrub gals
thar to git 'em married off. Hain't they
heard it at the warehouse?"
.sThey hadn't when left about twen-
ty minutes ago, Mrs. Hillyer."
"Well, won't stop you. see Mrs.
Stillman leanin' over the fence without
a bonnet or shawl in this wind. I'll so
an ease 'er up. I know yo're eechin'
to tell it to yore gang
A few minutes after kenner had eX-
ploded his information at the office old
Hanks came in. He was pale, and his
skin looked as dry as old parchment,
but he was eating roasted peanuts,
breaking the husks with steady, prong
like finger nails he sat down with
out word and dropped a handful Of
hulls into the stove
"Jim," he said suddenly to Kenner,
what did you ever do about that &C
count Bill Haskill was a-owin' you?"
ST got.it yet" said Kenner, throwing
a knowing smile around the room.
"Well, eff you'll discount it enough to
make it interesting, I'll buy it. I've
got i'm tied up with piece o land O
his'n, an I want the land
ST reckon we kin make deai,'' said
the cotton buyer as he wiped smile
from his facile mouth with his long
hand. II reckon you heard that Bob
had taken to hisself helpmeet:'
The group hung on the old mans re-
ply. Hanks crushed another peanut In
his hand and raised the best part Of it
to his lips.
81 don't care what he does" he said.
'T told you all you'd make fool of
i'm, an now I reckon you see was
right" He was staring accusingly at
Hillyer. 'You started it," he blurted
out. THAR amt one boy in forty mil
lion that kin keep from gittin' the big
head with sech responsibilities put on
I'm all Of sudden, but I hain't a-carin.'
I reckon you know how to sit gore
money back
"Oh, I don't know that this means
absolute ruin,' said Hillyer in his own
defense. Somehow I'VE got faith in
Bob yet. a boy full o puppy love Will
sometimes act reckless, but it may end
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