Evening journal., 1905-03-30

VAYiE heard no more Of the voices.
W Uncle Eb had brought an arm
Ies7Ss==I ful Of wood and some water
E=<szJ in the teapot while 1 was
sleeping. AS soon as the rain had
passed he stood listening awhile and
shortly opened bis knife and made
little clearing in the corn by cutting
few bills.
"We've got 10 do It." he said, Ger we
can't take any comfort. an the man
tor me l could have all the corn I
wanted"
Ibid you see him. Uncle Eb?" re-
member asking.
Yes he answered, whiting in the
dark; Il saw him when went out for
the water an it was he tor me they
were after US"
He took look at the sky after
awhile and, remarking that he guessed
they couldn't see bis smoke now, be-
gan 10 kindle the fire. AS it burned up
he stuck two crotches and hung bis
teapot on a stick that lay in them so
it took the heat Of the fame, as bad
seen him do in the morning. Our grot-
10 in the corn was shortly as cheerful
as any room in a palace, and our fire
sent its light into the long aisles that
opened opposite, and nobody could see
the warm glow Of it but ourselves.
Wen hev our supper" said Uncle
Eb as he opened q paper and spread
out the eggs and bread and butter and
crackers. "Wen jest hev our supper,
an by an by when every ones abed
Wen make tracks in the dirt, l can tell
ye."
Our supper over, Uncle Eb let me
look at his tobacco box, a shiny thing
Of German silver that always seemed
to snap out a quick farewell to me be-
fore it dived into his pocket He was
very cheerful and communicative and
ioked a good deal as we lay there wait
ing in the freight / got some fur
ther acquaintance with the swift learn
ing, among other things, that it had no
appetite for the pure in heart.
"Why not?" l inquired.
"Well." said Uncle Eb. 'its like this
the meaner rne boy the sweeter the
meat"
He sang an old song as ne sat by the
fire, with a whistled interlude between
lines, and the swing OF it even now
carries me back TO that far day in the
fields. l lay with my head in his lap
while he was singing.
l went asleep after awhile in spite
Of all, right in the middle Of a story.
The droning voice Of Uncle Eb and the
feel of his hand upon my forehead call
ed me back, blinking, once or twice, but
not for long. The fire was gone down
to a few embers when Uncle Eb woke
me and the grotto was lit only by
sprinkle OF moonlight from above.
MOS 12 O'clock" he whispered.
"Better be or"
The basket was on his back, and he
was all ready l followed him through
the long aisle of corn, clinging to the
tail of his coat. The golden lantern OF
the moon hung near the zenith, and
when we came out in the open we could
see into the far fields. / climbed into
my basket at the wall, and as Uncle Eb
carried me over the brook, stopping on
fat rock midway to take a drink,
could see the sky in the water, and it
seemed as il a misstep would have
tumbled me into the moon.
Hear the crickets holler," said Uncle
Eb as he followed the bank up into
the open pasture.
'What makes 'em holler?" l asked
"Oh, they're jes' film their saws an
thinkin'. Mebbe tellin' o. what's hap
pened 'em. Been hard day fer them
little folks. Terrible food in their
country. Every one on 'em he'd { git
nm steenle quick q he could er be