The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1905-08-09
bhf said I was Migil tts -theohs, hit
5tller pats Jest seemed to Aede hiy guilt

est sound at night or NY. shadow iii
daytime an was always countin' on
bein' tuck off by disease. One lnorn!n',
In, Shawn, I noticed little rcd SPOT
on my cheek an tuck it fer Il cancor.
was shore then that the Lord intend
pd to make mo die a slow, loathsomc
death. an all at once felt weak at tho
knees an couldn't hardly stand. Ny
wife come an found me. l didn't toa
her about my cancer. az SEo ti;ous,ni
l Was jest sick from s0:Ec'n' III cat,
an when tie doctor CONS, | was I,IearI
10 tell I'm about the s>:.' plnvc. He
left some medicine. nE' ! E!,is.H out like
| tuck II, but l th'0wcd 1t away. After
that I'd make point to stop an talk
TO i'm every day to see cf he'd notice
my face an speak Of II, but he didn't
I've started up to his Office fifty times
an backed out, Jest bcca sc | couldn't
bear to be told that it was Il cancer.
lIowsomcvcr. one day, when 1t WAS
more intlamcd than ever. went to his
ohicc-as weak as Al sick kitten, fcelin'
Jest like man goin' to the scairold.
| went In an set down an waited fer
i'm to git through with somebody else.
an when he turned to me l said. Doc.
l want you to take Il look ut my face
lie put on his specks an examined it:
then he laughed an said: I'll bet dol
lar you thought 1t was Il cancer Folks
nowadays IS more anxious to raise can.
GERS an they are good tatcrs' But
ain't It" aXed i'm. No. said he, 1T
hain't nothim' O the sort Ef you'll
quit rubbin' it every minute In the day
an stop thinkin about it, i'll 20 away
In n week. l felt as light us II feather
when I left him, but it wasn't twenty
four hours fore / had, SONS, other all
mcnt. -,, - ''A'S ''>">a's''''-"'
II was always lookin' fer the Lord
to show designs agln me. Fer one
thing. no children come to me m Mar
tha, an I Interpreted that as mcunin'
that, scncc I'd put life out O the world,
[ shouldn't fetch it in. Most married
folks worry when they hain't got some
offspring. but 1t worried me powerful
I never seed n happy child or proud
mother an father without fcelin the
Lords rebule. Oh. George, George
I've led the most awful life that was
ever led by Il human bein', 1t seems to
mean I kept 1t all to myself, smilin
along with the rest. an tryin' to find
some loophole Of escape. Now here's
whar YOU come in, an you'll think it
odd. but I've started in to explain in
full, an Pm goin' to do 1t. You know
I used to pass yore pas place pretty
often. gotn' to my river mill an farm,
an at tho mill I frequently seed YOU
comm on that swnybucked old mare,
ct, ia Io 0P 81
barcfooted even In winter, with yorc
hands an feet cracked with the cold.
1t was common report about how bad
you was treated by yore daddy an
what awful character he had. May.
1e you remember the talk me N you
had, an how you told me how anxious
YOU was to git schooin' an books.
That was the fust day after my crime
tikat.I got beam Of spiritual light. i
come a1l over I1ie like fash thmt Of
could take you out'n yore degradation
an raise you to respectable. uscfui
place In fife could atone In part for
what I'd done. Do you remember that
day, George?"
George Buckley started, raised hia
eyes from the floor in sharp stare ut
the haggard face before him and said:
"Yes, sir, I remember that day"
"Wcll, | couldn't git away from the
idea. AS | say. 1t was the fust bit of
light Id had. The following winter
YOU remember my proposal. Somehow
l was even then nfcard you'd refuse.
but you went off to school. An then
the weight and bitterness Oh NY heart
seemed to lessen, for every report | had
was glorious. You stood head; You !
made the best spcechcs; you had the |
most friends among teachers AN pupils
Oh. George. George, you don't know
what it meant to me; you seemed to be
totin' me out Of rushin' rivcr--a river |
rushln' toward hell! Then you know |
about the job give you here after you
every dollar you laid Up an
properly invested was proof to me that
God Ind heard my long prayer an was
answerin' 1t IN his own way. was
putin into life man fer ONO I had
tuck out. Only one hitch occurred an
that was when they threatened yorc pa
with arrest fer pennin' up them hogs.
Then you got desperate an started In to
drinkin'. But we suuashcd THAT. an it
went on smooth again till thiS--thiS
late matter. And noW-oh, George, I'm
afeard-l'm nfcard tho Lord or the
devil, or both combined, have been
lendin' me through all this rond O
promise jest in order to let me fall the
harder. I've come here tonight to pray
to you-yes. to you--to save me. If you
go down, do too, Now. you SEQ what
it all meant an what 1t means to me.
I'm in yorc hands, my boy. AS Gods
agent. you hold me in the palm o yore
hand"
The old mans voice broke. He made
an effort to say something more, but
chokod up, and. with his gaze on tho
ragged rug In front Of him, he sat quito
motionlcss except for his hcavlng
shoulders. George Buckley bent for
ward, his hands tightly clasping each
other Without word he rose and
went with n steady step out into tho
larkncss OF tho warehouse. Itillyer
heard his crunching tread IA he WALK
cd back and forth over the grain
strewn floor, and he knclt beside tho