The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-01-28

he would, and the Squire holding the
| spreader. And when it was all done
the doctor was for putin bandage
on to keep things quiet till the wounds
all healed up; but Abe just begged for
one sight of himself, and he stood I'D
and walked over to the clock and
looked in the glass, and says he:
$50 that's the way look, is it?
Shouldn't have known my own face
never saw it before. How long must
| keep the bandage on, doctorY
ooh, if the eyes amt very sore when
you wake up in the morning you can
| take it off, If you'll be careful"
wake up. DO you suppose I can
sleep when such blessing has fallen
on me? I'll lay still, but il forget it,
or you, for one minute this night, I'll
be so ashamed of myself that it'll
wake me right up"
Then the doctor bound up his eyes
and the poor lad said THANK God"
two or three. times, and they could see
the tears running down his cheeks from
under the cloth. Lord. 1t was just as
pitiful as q broken-winged bird
How about the girl? Well, it was
all right for Abe-and all wrong for
Ephe-all wrong for Ephe. But that's
all past and gone-all past and gone.
Folks come for miles and miles to see
cross-eyed Abe with his eyes as
straight as looms leg. Doctor Brain
ard was great man forever after in
those parts. Everywhere else, too, by
what heard.
When the doctor and the Squire came
to go, Abe spoke up, blindfolded as he
was and says he:
"Doc, how much do you charge a
Teller for savin' his life-makin' a man
out OF a poor wretch-doin' what he
never thought could be done but by
dyin' and goin' to kingdom come?' Z
"Oh,' said Doc Brainard, says he,
"that amt what we look to as pay
practice. You didn't call me in; came
of myself, as though it was what we
call clinic. If all goes WELL and if
you happen to have barrel Of apples
to spare, you just send them up to
Squire Cations house in Chicago, and
I'll call over and help eat 'em."
What did Abe say to that? Why,
sir, he never said word; but they do
say the tears started out again, out
| from under the bandage and down his
cheeks. But then Abe he had a five
year-old pet mare he'd raised from a
| cOlt-pretty as picture, kind as a
kitten, and fast as split lightning; and
| next time Doc came down, Abe he just
! slipped Ollt to the barn and brought
the mare round and hitched her to the
goin says Abe:
Don't forget your nag, doctor; she's
| hitched to the gate"
Well, sir, even then Abe had the
hardest kind of a time to get Doc
Brainard to take that mare; and when
he did ride off, leading her, it wasn't
half an hour before back she came.
lickety split. Doc said she broke away
from him and put for home, but I al
ways suspected he didn't have no use
| for boss hetcouldn't sell nor hire out,
| and couldn't afford to keep in the
village-that was what Chicago was
then. But come along toward fall Abe
he took her right up to town, and then
the doctors practice had growed so
| much that he was pretty glad to have
her, and Abe was glad to have him
have her, SEEM all that had come to
him through havin' eyes like other
! folks-that's the schoolma am, mean.
How did the schoolma am take it?
| Well, it was this way. After the cut
tin Abe didn't show up for a few
days, till the Inflammation got down.
| and he'd had some practice handlin'
his eyes, so to speak. He just kept
himself to himself, enjoying himself.
He'd go round doin' the chores, singin'
so you could hear him a mile He was
though ashamed to go to singin' school
| with the rest Then when the poor boy
began to feel like other folks he went
right over to where the schoolma'am
happened to be boardin' round, and
| walked right up to her and took her
by both hands and looked her straight
| in the face and said:
do you know me-"
Well, she kind of smiled and blushad,
and then the corners of her mouth
pulled down, and she pulled one hand
away, and-if you believe me-that was
the third time that girl cried that sea-
| son, to my certain knowledge and all
for nothin' either time.
What did she say? Why, she just
said she'd have to begin all over again
| to get acquainted with Abe. But
| Ephe's nose was out of joint, and Ephe
| knowed it as we'll as anybody, Ephe
did. 1t was Abe's eyes to Ephe's nose.
| Married? Oh, yes, Of course; and
| lived on the farm as long as the old
folks lived, and .afterward, too; Ephe
staying right along, like the fool al
ways had been. That Teller never did
| have as much sense as a last years
birds nest.
Alive yet? Abe? Well, no. Might
| have been if it hadn't been for Shiloh.
When the war broke out Abe thought
he'd ought to go, old as he was, SO he
i