The Elbert County tribune., 1905-07-06

mountains, and can hear him mourn
ing for the soldiers that hev froze to
death. tell you heaven seems mighty
close about then.
well, all at once Tom switched on
into 'Money-musk.' and Pop! Goes the
Weasel The Boston fellow he'd been
looking sort Of dazed. but come in now
good and strong with a second on the
melodeon. The young folks on the
back seats begun to keep time with
their feet to the music. When Tom
launched out on Old Dan Tucker
Lie Patton, Lie wasn't married then.
up and cleared away the front
benches and hollered out:
Choose yer pardners.'
Before you could say Jack Robin
SON there was a double French four
on the floor and Lie yelled at me.
"'Call OF. McPeak.'
Before l knew what I was doing l
was on the platform calling:
"Slute your pardners.
"All hands round. LII
Hands across.
"All promenod.
Everybody was getting excited.
The children laughed and the women
took of their nubies and begun to
gossip about how much better they
could dance when they were young
than the girls can now. The men
took fresh chaws of tobacco and gath
cred around the stove for real socia-
BILE time. when all at once the melo-
deon stopped and the fiddle stopped;
all but Lie Patton. He took up the
tune where 1t left of and danced
through alone to the end Of the set
Lie used to be a great one before he
got married.
The Boston fellow he'd caught
sight Of Bethier behind the teachers
high desk crying her eyes out and
he upset the melodeon stool a getting
to her and said:
by George!'
When the melodeon stopped Tom
looked around and saw Bethier q cry
ing and he stopped.
'Gor-i-nus! boys he said. I've
spilled my little girls concert
AT that everybody woke up and the
men said, 'Pshaw!'
'Hain't 1t a shame!' said the wo-
men. And everybody said, Go on
with yer concert, Bethier.'
But Bethier was for going home.
1t took some persuading by the Bos-
ton fellow and lot of the girls be-
fore she would begin again. Finally
l led her out to the front of the plat
form with her fiddle and said to the
audience:
Friends and fellow citizens:
Bethier will begin at the beginning
and go through with her concert.
THE folks knew what meant and
when she finished the first piece
again we clapped our hands and
stomped our feet and Lie Patton
throwed his hat up in the air. was
real glad to hear the piece again. The
little dinky tune sounded like an old
friend and ] wished she he'd found
more ways to play 1t in.
I'VE set there and listened to six
classical pieces and clapped and
stomped at every one. 1t was nearly
leven O'Clock, when she got through.
Everybody was about done out, and
the women folks and children were
SO cross for week afterwards that
the men he'd to stay out of doors the
most Of the time. Classical music is
awful wearing to the nerves. Tom
Saunders says though that he guesses
maybe it's better than it sounds.
After the concert was out thought
Bethier might still be feeling bad over
the way we'd acted, SO l patted her
on the shoulder and said:
"'You keep on learning music, Be-
thier, and maybe in time you'll be as
good player as your father is.'
THAT year Bethier earned five hun
dred and fifty dollars with her play
ing and sne sent her paw a hundred
and fifty OF it. Tom says to me:
'McPeak, what's we think o. me
goin' to BostonT
What for?' says.
ITO play says Tom, IL Bethier
can earn five hundred and fifty dol
lars with her fiddle what'd We think
l could earn with mine?
"'Tom Saunders says /. 'warn't
you born and raised here ON Olive
Green?'
"'Sure.' says Tom.
"'Hain't we all stood by Won
through chills and fever, corn husk-
ings and raisirgs?
ITO be sure says Tom.
didn't we help to bury one
wife and marry a second and bury
your five children for you?
aye did, says Tom.