The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1905-01-11
"
IiAlII,l>
BY
yVyHE, NJ.
EHARBEN

AuNor Of
"UeSfeUeR'' F"
Copyright. 1902. by
HARPEK % BROS.
Who Publish tho Work
ia Book Form. All
Rights Reserved
GSEssN Ng steafasgg eEggsa VIZ SaElalEay nZESp Nga

, our blessed Lord and Master. Amen"
| During the latter part Of the prayer
Mrs. Bishop had been staring ut her
husband through her parted fingers,
her face pale and ngitutcd, and as shc
rose her eyes were glued to his face.
"Now, Alfred" she said, what are
you goin' to tell us about the railrond2 Z
Is 1t as bad rs brother Alb thought 1t
would be-?
| Bishop hcsitated. 1t seemed as If
he had even then to tear himself from
the clutch Of his natural stubbornncss.
Hc looked into all the anxious waiting
gave ill.,.
"Ab made good guess. Ef I'd ~
| had his sense or Alan's, I'd n made Il
better trader. It's like Alb said it was,
only a sight wuss, Il powerful sight
wuss"
] "Wuss" gasped his wife In fresh
alarm. "How could it be wuss? Why.
Brother Alb Said''-
II never have told you the extent O
my dcalin'H," went on Bishop in the
current Of confession. Il never even
told Perkins yesterday. Fust an last
I'VE managed to rake In fully twenty
thousand acres o mountain land.
was goin' on what flowed was Il dead
shore thing. I secured all | could lay
my hands on, an l did it In secret.
was afcerd even to tell you about what
Perkins said, thinkin it mought leak
out an sp'ile my chances"
"But, father" said Alan, "you didn't
have enough money to buy ull that
land"
II got it up"-Bishops face was dog
| gedly pale, almost defiant Of his over
whclmlng dlsn stcr-"I mortgagcd this
farm to get money to buy Maybry and
MOrtOn's four thousand acres"
'The farm you was going to deed t.
Alan?" gasped his wife You didn't
include thatW
"Not in that dr,ll," gronncd Bishop
II swappcd that to Phil Parsons fcl
his poplar an cypress belt"
The words seemed to cut rnSpingly
into the silence of the big room. Ahncl
Daniel was the only one who seemed
| unmOvcd by the confession. He filled
his pipe from the bowl on the mantcl-
piece and pressed the tobacco down
| with his forcllngcr; then he kicked the
ashes In tho chimney til he uncovered
| n small live coal. He eyed It for a
moment, then dipped It up In the shov-
| ell, rolled 1t into his pipe and began to
! smoke.
$50 l ain't agoin' to git no yccrly
pass over the now road" he said, his
| object being to draw his brothcr-in-
law Dack TO Perkins action in the mat
ter.
"pcrkins was a-lyin' to me-" an
swcred Y5isn6p. lie halu't,a1.n.:iytt;. ytt;.II a
1t yet, but he was a-lyin'. His object
was TO hep the Tomplins sell out fer
decent price, but he can't he hau-
died. Hes got me OH the hip"
"No," said Abncr. I'D ruthcr keep
on swnppin' gold dollars fer mountain
lane an lcttin' it go fer taxes AN to
try to beat Il lawyer nt his own game
a courthouse Is like the devils abode,
easy 10 git into, no outlet an nothin'
but scorch while you arc thar"
"Hush, fer the name O goodncss!"
cried Mrs Bishop. looking at her hus-
band. Don't you see he's dyl' from
1t? Are you all a-Eon' to kill 'm?
What does few acres q land llr
debts amount to beside KILN man
'nt'S been tryin' to help us all? Alfred,