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

with an old FASHIONED Nuitc fcIAHoa
| and an +. The house. like many others
I'm the place. stood ON n big lawn shad-
ed By large oaks. magnOlias and mui-
berry trees A wide walk bordered
with stunted rosebushes OF some cheap
variety and covered with gravel
reached from the gate TO the steps
Along the side fence was row OF bee
hives. and frisking about in the yard
was a young calf.
Mrs. HiIlyer was in the sitting room
/ with her niece. rather plain girl OF
thirty. Miss HOrtense SD0wden. who
had been living with the Hlllyers since
the death OF her parents. twelve months
before. They both rose at the sound
of the merchants step in the wide. un-
! carpeted hall. and when he had enter
ed they stood waiting for him to sit
down before resumlng their seats at the
! open fireplace. in which some dry hick,
! oty logs ON old fashioned brass headed
dog irons were cheerfully ablaze. fur
nlshing the chief light Of the shaded
room.
well, anybody would know from
| his looks how the case come out. SAID
| Mrs. Hillyer as she sat down ana
spread out her calico skirt. An ef 1t
had "a been dark could "a read the
news in the way he put his feet down
| in the hall" She was short. cheerful
| looking woman past fifty. Her eyes
were almost black. very keen. and they
| flashed at all times with merriment
that seemed as much part of her as
electricity is part of an electric Dat
ferry. Her hair was abundant and red
dish brown and fell in intractable
| waves over her brow and ears.
| "Yes. It not only went clean agin the
old man. but Judge Moore p'intedly 20
fused TO cut it down TO fine Hill
yer's voice had tone of deep DE
| lection as he said this, and he kept ms
| eyes on the fire.
| AN | kin see you mighty nigh had
a spasm over it." replied Mrs. Hillyer.
.Iawsy me. eff never found anything
TO worry about till worried over the
inst punishment leveled on the head
| O. that old scamp I'd go to my grave
without gray hair or a wrinkle.
/ That's the trouble with you an George
both You are not carryin out the
Scriptural injunction not to kick aglh
| the pricks / don't know exactly what
the good boOkysays about it. | disre-
member. In fact, l don't know that
ever run acrost 1t in print myself. Dut
Won bet it's thar. My father, who
eat an slep' with the Bible IN ms
hand. used to always keep sayin', when
folks was continually a-complainin'
Don't kick agin the prfcks An ne
| was right. Ef you set down on BOARD
with a tack in it. the harder you set
the more tack you git an that's SO
with life. It's full of tacks. an don
Won forgit it. The Lord put old Buck
lev in Jail to keep i'm in bunch OF MS
kind. SO the devil wouldn't root around
among good folks so much to keep up
with i'm. but Oh, no! You amt
a-goin' to put up with it, an right now
yore face is sour enough iooKln 10
Smile cream in the middle o Decem-
ber."
az was thinkin about George" said
t1il,ver softly. Its mighty nigh kill
in i'm"
"Thats so, Aunt Martha" spoke up
Hortense Snowden. ITS awful on
him, Why, just think of it. The best
people In barley receive him ana IKE
him. He was rising rapidly put-
thing like this, as proud and sensitive
AS he is, will almost kill him.
"You kin laugh an make sport as
much as YOU want to- said Hillyer,
more boldly, IAN you needn't KICK ag'n
nothin' unless you want to, but it's jest
like Hortie says He won't be able TO
face the music. He's all right when
be amt driv' too fur but this has al
ready started i'm to drinkin' az IN.
"Oh. uncle. you don't mean II.
eyes. it has" groaned the merchant,
San the Lord only knows wbar It's 60
in to end"
"Huh! say. then, George Buckley
hain't the man tuck i'm fer retoftei
Mrs Hillyer. 81 wish | could ketch
i'm takin' dram on account o TINS
thing. I'd give i'm talk that ua MAKE
i'm
"Go gift blind, soakin' drunk inter
rupted Hillyer as he rose and went OUT
through the kitchen to the stables to
soc if his favorite horse had been at
tended to. When he was gone, ms
wife got up and punched the hre WIN
the poker.
81 reckon you think I'm hard heart
ed" she said to her silent niece, 'put'
Hortie. it's the only way to git on Win
i'm. You don't know nothin'. l never
let yore folks know what I've Deen
through I'd "a been crazy or dead
long ago eff the Lord hadn't showed me
how to make light o serious things.
I've had heap O tough times, but
believe this is a-goin' to be the haru-
est"
"Why, Aunt Martha, what do you
mean?"
Don't you see into it?" Mrs. Hillyer
nut the poker in the chimney corner
and leaned forward. This has fetched
nm wore upcles old trouble. Things