The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1906-02-02
THE DRIVERS
STORY
BY ESTHER sEARLE KENNETH

team s for, Take you and the lady
to Echo lake, cathedral and Diana's
baths for two dollars-three fore larger
load. Reasonable? Yes, sir People
generally like my prices.
Step right in. Here's linen cover to
keep the dust off the lady's dress Roads
are little dry just now. This seasons
warmer than the last--less rain. More
people here, though. We always have,
more or less summer. visitors in this To-
cality; but tisn't often we are crowded
as we are this year. Lots of parties COM
ing up got their ladies into the hotels,
and then the men camped out All COM
Portable? Here we go!
Pretty lame, am? You're right, sir
there. Shouldn't think could drive so
well? But my arms are all right, sir
grip as good as ever it was. How did IT.
happen, ma'am? Feet frozen. Like to-
hear the story if I'd as lief tell it? Yes,
ma'am; Just as lief as not
Always lived round here at the foot
Of the mountains, ma am; was born in
the shadow of these old hills. Yes, and
thank the Lord was married here.
You wouldn't think it's love story I'm
a-going to tell you; but am.
''I'll let the horses go slow along in
the shade Of these trees. Hey, Nancy!
Good horses, these buckskins of mine,
sir. Fond of horses, ma'am? SO is my
. wife.
Pretty place here. Here's old Kiar-
sarge looming up. Yes, and it's all
about Kiarsarge and my wife that am
going to tell you.
don't mind saying along of my story,
that was considered likely young fell
low when l was four-and-twenty. /
used to drive stage from the lake up here.
I didn't drink, or smoke, or swear, and
the girls said wasn't bad looking. Il
know there was no fellow around here
0uld beat me on the hunt,
lived back there, with my father and
mother, on the intervale, right in sight OF
the river Just long side of US lived
Widow Kent and her daughter Layola.
always thought heap of Layola. She
wasn't handsome; but she was good.
We used to go to school together and
knew her just like book. One of them
steady girls-slow, but true as STEEL
Now, / was as fond of likely girls, and
a good frolic, as any other fellow; but
also had sense enough to know the
stuff for a good wife when see it; and
the consequence was that when Layola
was 20 and was "a, we we're engaged to
be married | wasn't quite ready to
have the day named, but there was other
fellows stepping round Layola, and
knew she liked me, and SO, thought it
best to make sure of her..
Well, just below our house, on the 9TH
or side of the river, stood the old Marse
place, that hadn't been occupied for five
years. Nice place. Man built it, and
died. His heir wasn't of age, and there
it stood empty, and just escaping, one
year, being carried away by the freshet.
Well. that summer that Layola and
got engaged, q man named May got the
renting of it, and came here with his
family to spend the summer
He was q dark, odd sort of chap,
with gold rings In his ears. They said
he'd been sailor, and that it was in
some foreign country that he'd picked
M the queer names for his children
Monica for the girl, and Juan for the
boy.
This Monica was mighty pretty, about
II years old, and just as rosy as peach
got going there first because May
played the flute beautiful, and in little
while / was on easy terms with the
whole family.
Seeing Monica every day, got sort o
bewitched by her. She'd be sitting OF
the door step, with her curls round hel
face. in the moonlight, while her fathero
send his music stealing down the river
and I'd get so confused with the pleasure
OF looking at her, and hearing it, thai
I'd hardly know which was Monica ant
which was the music
Then she'd dance on the grass-blesi
voui she'd dance like wild thing-somt
kind of foreign dance that her father
taught her-her little feet twinkling ant
her arms tossed over her head. Then
again. she'd sing songs couldn't under
stand a word of; but they'd be might!
pretty.
Now. of course, this was great dea
nleasanter than sitting in Widow Kent
kitchen, with Layola admitting; ant
though / meant every day to go and Sc
Layola, every night found me with tn
Mays.
Well, somehow Layola got wind of m,
going there. She told me afterward
how night after night, she watched TO
me while was enjoying myself in othe
company. When she found out where
was it was a great blow to her. Sh
thought it all overflow I'd won he
erom other men that might have bee