The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-08-09


Willows down by the spring, crying
like a schoolgirl that has just dis
covered her idol is brass. Billy cleared
MS throat two or three times, got down
on his hands and knees and drank
from the spring, then sat down on a
rock and awaited developments.
What seems to be the matter?"
he asked when the last smothered sob
had trailed off into dewey silence.
Nothing" answered Mary, drying
her eyes on the corner of her apron.
What folks usually cry about, said
Billy dryly. What do you think is
the matter?"
81 don't think" fiared up Mary, 81
know it."
"What?" asked Billy.
"Its about SAM" she replied show
ing signs of relapse.
Billy took out his knife and began
trimming at 1t idly. Where there are
symptoms of tears it is always best
to wait, you will have to any way.
With little wordless coaxing Billy
got the whole story.
Sam was Marys sweetheart, and
they were to be married in the fall.
The Hindu Seer had told her that her
lover was false, that he really loved
a girl in town.
"Pshaw!" said Billy, picking at the
earth on his boots with the end of
the willow stick, Sans all right"
"Now, Uncle Billy, you needn't try
TO smooth things; it is so. He hasn't
missed it on any one else, and | just
know what he said about Sam is true.
Another thing that proves it is, he had
q letter last Sunday from Sarvis Point,
and he wouldn't tell me what was in 1t
nor who it was from. And I'll never
GO with him again as long as | live
Billy got up and went tc the house
without arguing the matter
"Bob," he said to the hired man,
"you go ahead with the work this
evening, I've got little knockin'
around to do"
There was an unusually large crowd
Sn the shade of the big oak back Of the
blacksmith shop. Some were waiting
for horses to be shod or ploughs to be
mended, but most of them we're there
to talk about the Hindu Seer.
Billy sat down against the tree and
leisurely famed himself with his
SLOUGH hat as he listened to the stories
of the Seer's wonderful power.
Stories of how he had told that Mrs.
Hobbs had a relative that died of a
lingering Illness, that Miss Combs had
passed through great sorrow, that
Edna Carter was to take long jour
ney, and similar stock prophecies
passed unheeded 1t was when Deacon
Wade gave his experience that Billy's
interest was so far aroused that he
quit tanning, rested his hat on his
knee, and squinted his left eye thought
fully.
81 never believed much in sperits,"
said the Deacon, "but that fellow can
shore tell some mighty queer things.
He told me had buried somethin' val
uable, and it was stole by tall man
with sandy hair and cross eyes.
"As matter of fact, done that very
thing. Eight years ago last September
! sold span of mules for three hun
dred dollars, and that evenin' | got to
worryin' about robbers and hid it by
that old Jonathan apple tree. The next
morning it, was gone. Tim Runyon
and Claud Tayer were the only ones in
the neighborhood that knew had the
money, and Tim was tall and was
red-headed and had cross eyes,"
wasn't it funny though" said Tar
heel Jones, how he hit it on old man
Sawyer. The Hindu had called for
any body that wanted to-, to come up,
and that fisty old cuss hops up, wag-
ging his head and winking right and
left, and marched up to the platform.
"The Prophet shet his eyes and wav-
ed his hands before him few times
old Sawyer stood there winkin' like a
pup with it's eyes jest open. see,'
said the Hindu, four wives. One was
worked to DEATH one starved to death,
one died to get away from you, and the
other and before he could finish, old
Sawyer was wavin' his arms and
sayin,' You're liar and humbug,
liar and humbug!'
Nobody knowed before that old
gawyer had been married but twice,
but he owned up afterwards, and told
that Claud Tayler that run away, was
his step-son by his second wife"
'The queerest thing" said Todd, who
was never interested in anything until
It became a "payin insitooshun," was
how he told Granny Stewart where her
lost spoons we're. They'd been gone
eight years, and she went right home
and found them exactly where he
said"
"Ain't any quarer than what he told
me-" said Dodson, a fellow who had
never had much faith in anything be-
fore but mules. "They kept after me
to have my fortune told, and went
to him, and, says l, old man, If you
will tell me where my lost log chain is,
I'll give you dollar to tell my TOR
tune" He kinder shut his eyes and
weaved back and forth few times
and said, I'm in the corner of a low
land pasture where an old straw stack
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