The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-02-24
.unAP,rER XIV.


Hillyer asked eagerly. 81 sent out
home fer YOU an none o. yore folks
knowed a thing about you. The truth
is. l got worried l tod George l was
afeard you'd gone to-
That's whar l went" said Truitt
his glance on Georges expeetant face
san the Lord went with me, I hu-
inflated that skunk, an, as. fer as I'm
concerned, I'm willin' to drap the mat
ter Ell was the man most inter
ssted I'd be satisfied. A..
"Wtat did you do. TruittT' George
was eying him eagerly, his eyes burn
Ing sullenly: ,.........
Truitt made a detailed explanation,
leaving out nothing. He spoke of it as
IL lit had +beeff@an- ordinary business
arrangement that was finally settled
Satisfactorily.', But. he ended, Il
never .feitsas mean, somehow, in my
life. I'm-.soFry, he wouldn't. hit hack.
I'll be- burned eff lie didn't Jest wiggle
an say souoh"- w.I4en I~tWiSted his year.
Geofge. tsly-beE;:A oil OFT hot. to; give bis
woids. a1i0ti.ery tbqpgAt, =. What he said
to you was jest what o SneHkin' cow
ard would say. He's got less sand in
his gizzard nj amy mani l. ever rllr
across. ]. i slf1be-+ you are satiSfedtt;,.
"Yes5 dmasatis1tud said George sims
ply, .aniRsias1eS teSdeds hisr hand, ..;and.
I'm glad there was no bloodsLed Mr..
Hillyer told me what he did yester-
day In q-passtOn, Well: all. ,haye to.
find some way out Of our troubles other
than ,bioodshed." - -, .5.,g :. i
nAtsad. knows I,,agree with you on.
that" said Hillyer feelingly, and he
turned and walked out of the office.
.f"But that, .haint all done" said
Truitt, leaning against Georges desk
and looking down sheepishly.
mot alp exclaimed Buckley.
mo, l got~my foot into some'n' else
Jest after + landed in town l come
down here; but you wasn't about.
Then; as had nothtn' to do an re
membered that l had promised Major
Cranstop to come in an, give i'm an
estimate on movin' several hundrel !
acres O. tan. bark on some o, his noun
tain land; went n-tharsl He's n
sick man. They got i'm. propped up incl
a big chair In tie settiIf room, an his
wife an daughter are nussin' him like
q baby. But he wanted to see me, an |
they made me come in. His gal is a
beailty, George but you know ttat-an' |
1 never seed 4 body seem as much wc"-
ried over sick pusson as she was over |
her daddy. She loves every hair o. his
DID, white head. Whenever he'd have
q spell o, coughin' she'd actually ,tul
pale an run fer his medicine, We!
when got through with him | started |
Off, but she follered me out on tie
lawn. She wanted to ak me, she said,
eff rally thought her pa looked bad
She said SHE was afeard the doctor was
keepin' back some'n' ur was behind t.
times an hadn't diagnosed the case
right. eased er all / could, laughili'
at her fears tell she sorter got in
good humor. an then in roundabout
way, fore she knoweQ what was On
foot, | led UP to my trip to Atlanta,
Heavens, Truitt, you didn't tell her
that?" George cried.
yes; had to, George said the. old
man, his eyes averted. "Some say shes
thinkin' o marryin' that man beca'se
her sick daddy wants her to, an I'll
never be satisfied eff l let woman
harry a thing like that belieyin' lie |
was honorable an brave like her daddy
an" like soE .ebody else | know. No;
would thaE,i anybody to tell daugh-
ter o mine sech thing, an felt like
1t was my duty" '@';s'
George bit his lip and stifled an ey-
Of irritation, but he met the.
old mans look presently with steady T
stare. -,V ,.r.rs ~ ~ '~-
'sW.hat did she say, Truittf" he asked
finally, so = -"
SAY? l hardly know" said Truitt.
"Her face g6t the purtiest color ever
seed, an while | was talllin' she kept
sayin', Go ON, go on, Mr.. Truitt, go on"
an right in the middle q some things
she'd Jest laugh out an kiver FER mouth
with that white hand O her'n, but she
kept sayin', Go on, go on! an'ilookeG
like she jest couldn't wait fer me 10
git through An when / finally got
to whar lifted Sim by one o. his+side !
straps out o. his chair she jest hollered:
NO, you didn't rally. Mr. Truitt. !. Did
you do that to the governor O. Georgian
I told yer certainly did, an sh
laughed like sne'd bust. She follower
me clean to the front gate. You ma!
think she's purity woman, but I'll bet
she never looked as purity to you as she
did then. The wind was devilin', her
hair. an her cheeks looked like ripe {
peaches. seemed ike she'd sorter tucl; S
a likin' to me, fer once or twice she &
forgot an put her hand on my arm. K
Then she said, MFR. Truitt, believe l
kin trust you with a secret an l want
to tell you somen'.'
Il told 'er l was a graveyard itself !
when 1t come to keepin' secrets fer
women folks, but she sorter hung fire
Her face got serious, an she wouldn't
look me In the eye like she had been
a-doin'. | told 'er not to be afeard o
me an she started in agin, but |