The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-02-10

It in fer you all. beca'se MT. dlllyer
says Hanks predicted from the first
that Bob I'D come to no good. ! haint
seed Mr.. Hillyer since Mrs. Dugan
told me about II, but It'll worry Inn
like rips, fer. you know. jest day be
fore yesterday he let Bob have another
two thousand TO enlarge his business
on. Enlarge. l say. A boy o. that age
ort to be spanked fer what he's DONE
jest when folks was braggin' on Inn.
an -
why, Mrs. Hillyer'-Kenner's eyes
were wide open In establishment =
..what are you talkin' aboutY'
"Tallxin' about2 Jim Kepner, do you
mean to tell me that you. the biggest
man gossiper In barley, don't know
what Bob. Hanks has gone and doneY
"I'm at the fust OF 1t. Mrs. Hillyer."
"Well. he simply got that little or
phan gal. Dora May, some'n' or other,
from Louisville. out o. Mrs. Styles
boardin' school last night an driv 'er
IN buggy to Springtown an got a
country preacher to marry EN-"
"Good Lord. Mrs. HillyerP
That's what he DONE" went on Mrs.
Hillyer. "They spent the night at the
preachers house, tuck breakfast, an
driv back to barley. They've put up
permanent at the Johnston House. Mrs.
Dugan went up and seed whar Bob
had registered r.. o. Hanks and Lady
bless you! An that chitsOf' a gal In
short dresses harliy below the kneel
Mrs. Dugan says while she was thar
a-lookin' old Hunks come in as yallar
as a squash an axed If they had riz
vet. The clerk told i'm no-that the
bridegroom had told i'm to say that he
was not at home to any, callers, an z.
| ii was about business they wanted to
| see i'm to refer 'em to his head sales
man at the store. Did you ever? is II
any wonder his daddy wouldn't set i'm
m In business? The wustsbig headSon
J earth is the sort that young boys has
when they think they can start In to
raisin' a family. Bob couldn't stand
prosperity, reckon. Mrs. Dugan says
| Mrs. Styles has dismissed school fer
4 the rest O. the week an is walkin'
! about the campus on her hands with
er feet in the air. 1t seems that the
| gal was put in Mrs. Styles care by
some kin O. bern, an the old lady don't
know what she's to do about 1t. Thars
| some secret about who an what the
gal is anyway. Mrs. Styles is afeard
| It will bust I'D the institution. Mrs
.Dugan says IL will help. the school
| that folks will send Their scrub gals
thar to git 'em married Off Hain't they
heard it at the warehouses;
"They hadn't when 1 left about TWEEN.
ty minutes ago, Mrs. Hillyer."
| "Well, won't stop you. ! see Mrs
| Stillman leanin' over the fence without
bonnet or shawl in this wind. III &c
an ease Ter up. know yo're eechin
to tell it to yore gang"
! A few minutes after Kenner had ex
! ploded his information at the office old
Hanks came in. He was pale, and bis
skin looked as dry as old parchment
but he was eating roasted peanuts
breaking the husks with steady, prong
like finger nails. He sat down with
out a word and dropped a handful OF
hulls into the stove.
"Jim." he said suddenly to Kenner
"what did you ever do about that &C
count Bill HaslSill was a-owin' you?
81 got it yet" said Kenner, throwing
knowing smile around the room.
"Well, eff you'll discount it enough t
make it interesting, I'll buy 1t. W.
got i'm tied up with piece o land Q
his'n. an want the land"
81 reckon we kin make deal" s'lt
the cotton buyer as he wiped sm'l'
from his facile mouth with his Ions
hand. II reckon you heard that Bol
had taken to hisself helpmeet|
The group hung on the old mans re
NV. Hanks crushed another peanut il
: his hand and raised the best part of
to his lips.
TT don't care what he does" he said
~ told you all you'd make fool o
i'm, an now l reckon you see l wa
, right" He was staring accusingly a
Hillyer. "You started it," he blurte'
: out. "Thar amt one boy in forty mil
lion that kin keep from gittin' the bii
head with sech responsibilities put o.
. i'm all of sudden, but 1 haint a-carin
/ reckon you know how to git yor
money back"
"Oh. l don't know that this mean
absolute RUM said Hillyer in his ow'
defense. somehow I've got faith l
! Bob yet. A boy full o. puppy love wi
sometimes act reckless, but 1t may en-
: all right"
At this juncture Bob Hanks himsel
: came in. He wore his best clothes
and his boots had been freshly pohsf
ed. His glance, a rather frank ont
Kenner thought, rested obviously 0
: his fathers face.
!. "They told me at the hotel that 70
wanted to see me, father" be said. u
I'd known you
Eyes, l called an left my cyard," al
swered Hanks. with sheer, but
s wasn't in no hurry. jest called on
r little matter o. business. You snrfe
l. GOT ME TO promise week ago tnat 1
d hep you put in that stock o dry good