The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-06-09
THE WORLD OVER"
ry Chariot, r. Van Woglum.


mlie.
It's been mud for hull week." said
he.
Ben oughter hev' cleaned the
Wheels" she replied
mo time fer anything, 1t pears like.
He's taken the other rig today; thatll
DE covered like the first is"
An yaller mud is so betrayin'."
Martens head nodded affirmatively
There's no scch mud this side OF
9ldtown. and everybody knows who
q. IS there" said he, wisely.
A.rs. Martens head followed his ex-
.nple.
Zen has drove there lots the past
Woe.Ls" OF sudden she leaned for
ward, cycling her husband with keen,
ontemplative gaze. They say she's
mighty pretty; that folks all like her,
nee they know her. But she ain
nGch where work is, they say, an Sue
81 says-but faint fair to tell all Sue
US. You know Ben dent like her. :
Ben wants to do his own courtin','
smiled back the old farmer. Nov that
other gel expects all the waitin' on
orser new game for Ben
The waitin' on, yes. He's been
spoiled considerable. All the girls
like Bentley can't help it, can they?
only now he seems SO awful willin' to
gc-;o Oldtown," faltered the mother.
She's at the bottom CT good deal
in the town, lately. Most every
youngster primps up to go past the
place Her father died-left her a
Confederate sword an his blessin', an
Of course Dick had to take her in.
Them two are the last OF their family,
so Dick told me once-both prouder'n
lucifer, if they haven't money. Do you
s'pose she fetched them fine manners
and relic gee-gaws for our COWS an
chickens to look at?" scOrnfully. AN
Ben has education; his eyes are quick
Tor pretty things. It's ruff1es an rib
bons an smiles as warm mans heart
not stormy day toggery with leather
faces above them. It's kinder natural
like that Ben should take the cleanest
not complainin' of it,
Silence followed; supper was ended
at the Marten farmhouse The same
sun that f1ickered in the windows at
Springville, played hide and seek in
Dick Dunston's cherry tree. Under its
boughs stood Phyllis, her dark eyes
aglow, cheeks flushed, hair blown by
breezes from the flaming west.
Isn't that enough?' called a voice
from the very centre of the tree Ben
Marten glanced through the leaves, to
the figure below. Intervening space
aettled him.
Phyllis bit cherry after cherry, wait
ing for more to follow that first con-
signment thrown into the hat she
held.
You're having all the fun," said the
deep voice from the foliage above her
An injured tone crept into it. The sun
was getting low; time was so woefully
short for him.
you speak not truly" answered
Miss Dunston, calmly, munching away
at an especially luscious cherry. "Be-
side, you're learning to be chivalrous,
kind sir!''
"Chiv-be-"
SSH" she cautioned in quick in
terruption "Of course you wish to say
something horrid. You aren't accustom-
ed to waiting on ladies, are you? They
generally wait on you, do they not? In
deed, l know all about it. No wonder
you look ashamed. You are so weighted
with self-importance and conceit that
it's strange the tree holds you."
"It won't hold me any longer, Phil
Dunston," he exclaimed.
A cracking and swapping Of &pughs
told his intention. But he reckdQAd
without her wit. In a twinkling the
ladder was jerked away. 1t fell with
crash. while Phyllis sprang lightly to
one side, still holding the hat. Ben
was left suspended from the lowest
limb, yet one so high from mother
earth as to make the drop neither wise
nor easy.
va 90 IL uNCc AOA0 JOo, oACOt nAA,
said Miss Dunston. at Is realty strong
er than thought. Just stay where you
are, please The dominic is walking
past-Mabel, too-and declare II tb e
isn't Sue Then a ripple Of laughssr
broke on the girls lips. The sound
told him Of further rehabilitation and
mischief. "They can see that your legs
aren't quite straight-you thought
them just perfection, didn't you?-and
that your back is getting all bumped
up from ,work-you believed it the
finest back for miles around, didn't you
and that you're not one bit handsome
when you are learning chivalrous man
ners"
'sThe ladder, Phil"
Ben's voice was stern that time.
'You should go south for true chiv-
airy. They get it from the titled Eng
lish ancestors Of long, long ago. That
is what makes the south famed for its
manners. If were there and wanted
cherry the gentlemen would rush to
climb the tree. They would never
dream of asking if few in hat were