The St. Mary banner., 1906-07-14
10 - T79ht " all this the hin falls

| white oaks grow. while north and eas
/ and south and west other crasls SHOW
| themselves, and behind these Others
stil'. until at last there is bat Tie ia,
horizon where, as It were in tlf
seln9!ance Of hills, the little blus
clorIlets liz. Aui ever il all. owe,
hillside ami valley and stream and
wood. there ar:fts The mar, alons sun.
light, a"i the ke3wec country seems
a peasant land. and The Uncle lefty
Barnes old place seems set in The
midst thereof.
so il may be that one passing that
way will lnger for a space in front
OF the old-fashioned dwelling, and
VIII notice that the moss lies green
on the steep and shingled roof and
upon the we'll curb that stands be-
side the door And such a one. stand.
ing IN the red. dusty stretch Of
the road and looking beyond the door
way and the curb, will see under the
trees OF the yard a mikhouse that
IS suggestive o. shadows and of great
>io\hS, "iIllc nearer lue ISncp
there are beehives and damask roses
and trailing honeysuckle vines. And
with SO much given the traveller. be
ne man Of even small understand
ing, will picture readily the faces of
those Old people who from the eter-
nal fitness of all things must necessar-
lly lnhabit here-will imagine Aunt
Sara Barnes, with her broad, black.
g0pd-humored face and her blue-
checked, cotton apron, and will give
heed to Uncle Jeffy's voice as the old
man calls: Light, boss, light; an
des come in dis yere py-azzy, sub, an
res'.''
But if in response to the invita-
ton SO heartily given our traveller
should seek to enter, he will likely
lind opposing his passage dog-a
bandy-shanked and brindled dog,
which will plant itself firmly in his
way and will srowl ferociously and
otherwise SO misconduct itself that
Uncle Jeffy will hurry out in alarm
TO COW the beast with hot words and
with blows. Afterward, however,
when cool water has been brought and
the wayfarer is duly refreshed, the
Old man will turn again to the brute
and will call to it temptingly:
Here, Rowdy, here, Come here to |
ne, my lad" And he will take the
evil looking head between his knees
md will stroke the same refectively.
Yas,' he is accustomed to remark as
le waggles the fragment of wolly
,eard which hangs at his chin. and
pits well out across the steps, Row
iy air part p'inter and part houn'-
night nigh half houn', hit pears to
he lax. An | think thar's a lettle
ouch o bull in him-an' then thar's
ONE flee in him shore, fer his great
ran nanny on his daddys side she
'ere a full bloOded fee. But | don't
eckin he's got much tarrier blood.
Jedges that ther rest Nv him
hats lef' after ther houn', an ther
inter, an ther bull, an ther fee
) just mostly dog. He's a mighty
ne yawd dog, too, Rowdy is, but he
lr a gittin a sight too sharp-he's
gwine ter bite somebody ther very
Is thing l know. Thar he was a
arin at you just now-I'll bout have
# brush him one er these days"
Then the old man will pinch the
os's ear, and Rowdy will yawn and ,
i'll stretch his left hind leg as if to
". What a pleasant morning it is" ,
nd when no one replies he will go I
lck down to the gate, where he will j
IN round three times-presumably
or luck k--after which he will COM +
se himself to rest :
In the leisure which this episode g
ii afford him the wayfarer may r
Idy the old negro He will, if per t
ption has been vouchsafed unto
n, observe that Uncle Jeffy has S
ce been a ''poW'ful man,- and mat K
en- now his hairy chest still looks ft
Dad and muscular as it shows IL
'Ough the open front of his coarse. 81
lite cotton shirt The old man b
ars no coat, of course-who wants dl
coat in the open Spring weather? s.
Ind his face is honest and shrewd al
ly laughter, OO-whOle-hearted, 81
dly laughter-could have drawn al
Sc lines which radiate SO finely lii
N the corners of his quizzical
S. And beneath all this, beneath til
wrinkles which the years have st
, and the dull and weather-beaten an
4, and the gray growth of stubby tn
rd, there exists an odd look of ell
thful drollery, as il the boyish ST.
ID time-hindered in its surface WI
:, still stirred within and sent new to
rents, warm and free, about the sn
mans cheerful heart
has been said by those who are
pOcit;or f~> Lnou | ,