Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-02-21
CHAPTER III.


woke Of q water-carrier.
swell. I'll be dumswiveled." be said
as Ronald approached, "an' may make
the biggest crackliu' in eternal fire, ef
ever I'd believed q brother O. mine
could be seen in confidential confab
with daughter of old Hasbrooke. II
I'd a-had q bottle along, I'D a-swore It
was q delusion, but hain't fetched 3
drop sence ten o'clock this mornin'."
Ronald hated himself for being
obliged to make excuses for her.
"She simply happened along where
was fishing, Dave. hope you won't
talk about it. and cause any mtscon-
struction TO be put on it,"
"You don't mean you an her could
git acquainted like that, in sech short
time" remarked David, as they walked
along the sandy road side by side.
~ have met her once before-a year
ago. She was in Regan's meadow, and
got frightened at his bull. drove the
bull away, and she-she stopped to
speak to me again to-day. That was
ALL"
But David's fancy for the novelty OF
the situation from his standpoint was
not easily cooled. 1t was plain to Ron
aid that he was still turning it over in
his mind by the low grunts and ex-
clamations Of wonder that seemed jolt
ed from his lips by his heavy strides.
"Well, I'm shore glad Of one thing"
he said, finally, "apd that is that the
colonel didn't happen along just like
! did"
His brother knew what was coming.
and yet he asked: "Why, Dave?"
Because the old codger'd "a raised
more sand n Q Texas tornado, that's
all. Why. Ron. are you a blamed fool,
with no more sense than last yeer's
bird nest? Don't you know nobody BY
the name O. Fanshaw never stood on
level with them sort O. folks? Ef |
went up thar on business, or ma, or pa
or either of the gals went to sell 'em
eggs or socks, wouldn't We so TO the
back door, like all the rest of our sort?
Why, Ron, jest now you was settin'
cross-legged on the colonel's piazza a.
smokin' one of his seegars like priv
ileged character. Ha, ha, don't know
how it knocked the wind out of mel"
Ronald, his face dark and his brow
lowering, found himself reduced to say
ing:
II hope you won't mention it at home.
Dave.2
His brother stared at him curiously.
"You know l can bold my tongue"
he said. 81 wouldn't 60 round shootin'
of my mouth about thing like that
for anything. The colonel would shoot
the top o'my head off; he's wheel hoss.
tell YOU"
Ronald brought him to a stop in the
center Of the road.
Dave, do you really think we are so
degraded as that?"
The burly fellow shrugged his shoul-
ders.
I'VE are as good, reckon, as the gen.
eral run of our own Sort" was his an
swer, and he smiled so broadly that
brown tobacco quid showed between
bis big yellow teeth, "but, as the fellow
said: Dang the sort l reckon the
Almighty made US out O. scraps when
He was too tired to watch what He
was doin'. / reckon we are some bet
tern q cornfield niger, but we'd jest
be blind to our own imperfections ef
we didn't admit that thar is folks as
much higher'n US as we are higher'n
tadpoles."
THAT is q dangerous philosophy,
David" protested Ronald, deeply stung
by his brothers words. "If you ever ex-
pect to rise in the world, you must re-
member-keep the idea always before
you-that q man is what he makes him
self"
"Shucks, thar hain't q word O that
So" grunted David. "Col. Hasbrooke is
our big man, an he hain't what he
made hisse'f. His father owned 900
slaves, an land enough to start re
public on, an government bonds, an
storehouses in Atlanta, an what not.
No, the colonel is a sample o'what his
daddy done fur i'm; you can bet yore
sweet life on that! An as fur that mat
ter, men you is jest what Jade Fan
shaw has made out'n us. tell you,
blood has got lots to do with 1t. Col.
Hasbrooke's father fit In the Mexican
war, an the colonel stuck hisse'f up to
be shot at in defense O. his niggers in
the civil war, but Jade Fansbaw's daddy
before i'm was sent up fur house
breakin, an instead O shoulderin' his
musket to drive the yelpin' Yanks out
O. the south Jade hid in the mountains
up in Tennessee, an turned bush
whacker, an lived on what he could
rob from helpless women an Children.
/ hope nobody round heer won't find
all that out. We've got black eye
enough, as it is"
~ always try TO forget that" sighed
Ronald.
"Ah, my honey!" calculated the un-
couth philosopher, in a triumphant
tone, "but Col. Hasbrooke don't try TO
forget nothin' his daddy did. Not on
yore tin type! I've heerd he has his
pas Uniform in big glass case, an
picture of i'm on hoss in full tilt after
the enemy. They say the old feller
fit like tiger cub with one yeer shot
of as clean as baby's belly, an o
piece of cannon-ball as big as saucer
in his shoulder; they say jest as he
was expirin' feller bent over i'm an
his last kick landed in his bread-basket,
an doubled i'm up like razor. All
come OF, you needn't argue with me
Ronl"
The listener to this frowned, as he
swung his basket TO and fro, but he
did not want to be misunderstood by
his brother.
"What / mean, David. Is that II
young man really has it in him, and viii
study hard enough. he can climb to
the highest rung of the ladder OF sue
cess"
Dave laughed loudly for fully min
ute, then he said:
"Your ladder would have to bs stout