The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-01-15

10 me now.
"The river yonder five years ago
last March got on a ripping tear owing
to sudden thaw, and among other
things it done it swooped down across
Ike's barnyard and carried Off lot of
live stock and things, including Ike
himself, who was trying to rescue a
valuable ram he'd paid q big price for
at the state fair.
'IIe went along with the flood and
never stopped till he stuck in the
branches of Il small tree about seventy
or eighty feet from shore near where
Ezra's house stood. And as chance
would have it Ezra heard him yelping
for help and dragged himself out Of
the house. where he was staying alone
with his disease while Martha washed
dishes up to the hotel over ut Bottom
village.
Now, 'twould have been no more
than natural for man in Ezra s po-
sition to have done nothing but cloat
over the situation. But Ezra didn't
do nothing Of the kind. He hustled
around as fast as his disease would
let him to save Ike before the tree
come unrooted.
"IIc got n long rope and tried to
throw one end of it to Ike, but it fell
about five feet short every time, so he
wadcd out into the water, though the
doctor had told him 'twould kill him
to get his feet wet When Ike had
tied one end of the rope to himself
Ezra tied the other end to q fence post.
and the current done the rest.
"That wetting of his feet and legs
was the beginning of EZra's finish. |
That night he had chill, and his dis
ease simply got rampagcous. The doe
tor said twas hopeless the minute ha
seen him and give him q week to live.
If he didn't drop off in the meantime.
And Howell, Ike come around prni-
cnt and humble as anything the OLD
Testament ever produced, saying Ezra
saved his life, for he couldn't swim a
stroke, and asking if there wasn't any
hing he could do to make amends to
lin. There wasn't, of course The time
lad gone by for that. But Ike hung
rOund the place clothed in fguratiye
and ashes most Of the time
ill Ezra passed along to the next
world eight days later"
1t seemed to me rather pretty story
# the grcatcr-love-hath- ath-no-man-t than
his sort and heap GOALS Of fire upon his
lead sort, and l said as much to the
torekeeper
'Shucks! That wasn't Ezras revenge
It all, though 1 thought it was till l
earned different. Ezra was simply
aving Ike for the torture; that was
I'll. Two days before he died he sent
or me, and he says, with shivery
when he'd sent the others out
If the room: old friend, I've got to tell
this, and I've chose on you
It'll be easier dying if I know that
air" knows how I got even
with that cuss. I've forgive him and
all that; but, say and he drew me
down closer to him, 'Pve made him and
Martha promise solemnly, with their
hands touching mine, that they'll get
married as soon as decent, and, oh,
glory, won't she just knock the plaster
off Of him" He was chuckling hard
when 1 left him, and 1 reckon he died
chuckling. My wife said he looked real
peaceful and contentcd and satisfied
and sort of natural in his coffin"
"And 1ko?' I asked after short in
terval, during which the stOrekeeper's
gaze rested upon n distant hilltop where
white stones cleaned in the sunshine.
Once more he sighed, more softly this
time. Poor Ike" he murmurcd. 81
never see man who seemed so glad to
die as him"