The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-08-02

mind TWO gau0plng bays. upon the Dac
seat 4 ghOstly white old man wit
closed eyes. supported by two pale ID
dies, his head upon the shoulder Of tn
: taller. while beside the driver q youni
man whose coat and hands wer,
: bloody, worked over the hurts OF an In
jured dog Sam Warden's whip SAM
, across the horses; lather gathered OF
] their tanks, and Ariels voice steadily
urged on the pace. quicker, Sam, u
you can" For there was little breatf
} left In the body of Eskew Arp.
Mamie. almost as white as the old
man, was silent. but she had not hest
. tated in her daring now that she had
come to be ArieFs friend and honest
follower for nothing, and II was Ma
mie who had cried to Joe to lift Eskew
into the carriage. "You must come,
too" she said. I'VE will need you"
And so ii came to pass that under the
eyes Of Canaan Joe Louden rode In
Judge Pixies carriage at the bidding Of
Judge Pixies daughter.
Toward Ariers own house they sped
with the stricken octogenarian, for he
was "alone in the world" and she
would not take him to the cottage
where he had lived for many years by
himself, bleak little house, a derelIct
of the early days" left stranded far
down In the town between a wooden
mill and the water works. The work
men were beginning their dinners IN
der the big trees. but as Sam Warden
drew In the lathered horses at the gate
they set down their tin buckets hastily
and ran to help Joe lift the old man
out. Carefully they bore him into the
of the finished rooms. He did not
speak or move, and the workmen IN
covered their heads as they went out,
but Joe knew that they were mistaken.
"Its all right, Mr.. Arp" he said, as
Ariel knelt by the bedswith water and
restoratives TITS all right Don't
you worry"
Then the veterans lips twitched, and,
though his eyes remained closed, Joe
and takin' care Of me. / couldn't ask
any better way to go, could IT'
II doa't know what Wen do" STAN
mered the colonel, III you-you talk
about goin' away from us. Eskew. We
we couldn't get along
well. sir, I'm almost kind of glad
to think" Mr.. Arp murmured. between
short struggles for breath, "that it'll
be -quieter on the = National House
corner"
\ moment later he called the doctor
family and asked for a restorative.
There" he said in stronger voice |
ami with CLEAN Of satisfaction in the |
vindication of his belief that he was
dyipC. Il was almost gone then /
know" He lay painting for moment,
then spoke the name of Toe Louden
Joe came quickly to the bedside.
Il want yol to shake hands with the
colonel and Peter and<Buckalew"
1--WE did" answered the colonel, in
fnitely surprised alrl troubled. I'VE
SHOOK hands outside before we came
In"
'Do it again." said Eskew. II want
10 see YOU"
And Joe. making shift to smile. was
blinded. so that he could not
zee the wrinked hands extended to
lin and was fain to grope ,or them.
God knows why we didn't all take
lis hand long ago" said Eskew Arp
L didn't because was stubborn. I Ii
lated to admit that the argument was
gainst me. | acknowledge it now be- 4
ore him and before you-and | want
he word of it carried
Its all right, Mr.. Arp began Joe L
You mustn't" J
"Hark to me-" The old mans voice q
flied higher IF you'd ever whim-
cred or give back talk or broke out r
he wrong way ii would of bean diff b
erent. bet YOU never cid. I've watch Il
d you, and / know. md you've just 9
one your own way alone with the q
own against you because you got Il
ad name as boy. and once we'd 81
iven YOU that, everything you did or
idn't do we had TO give you a blacker
ne. Now it's tire some one stood by G
OH. Airie Tabor II do that with all "
er soul and body She told me once d.
thought a good deal of you. She
new. But I want these three old -
lends of mine to do it too. I was "
,ys with them, and they'll do it.
ink They've even stood up fer you ~
yainst me sometimes, but mostly fer %
e sake Of the argument, | reckon, "
1t now they must do it when there's ~
ore to stand against than just my "
Tx. They saw 1t all today-the mean y
thing I ever knewl could OF
BOD 1t all except that!'' Before they u'
uld prevent him he had struggled lh
If upright In bed, lifting a clinched
t at the town beyond the windows. w
hut, by God, when they got so low
wn they tried to kill your dog 20
lie fell back, choking, in Joe's arms, re'
d the physician bent over him, but stt
kew was not gone, and Ariel, upon $40
. other side of the room, could hear