The sun., 1907-12-29

one dev thaS ~ baiievSs ho was vim a.
Gnnt as q boss cruia iIUe fH5kD srat haln,
thsir breath am Wondered at UhuAe 500
Ter havln' sotoh positive doubes o. aAlsm
sBas Uncle 500 stusclx 90 &c. icauso it was
4 eOler'ble stiR story Salsm bad told him
s sSoIs an, ES 1c. isss Soo S oS Ss sos sS
"a HtsIe % Silis srsSr saIsrsS had ESid him
about thrAE wonderfOl snake perforrnarce
Unole sos took ahs OOntraC' TO build
way or nom whssO hs lived an be hndn't
hesn down thsgo . RrBAt while bakore hs5
cOnA0 teann' back homo on hossback 9u0a
%SY mDn aS Se .u wss Gs Ss SSs SssSsd ~ sY
20 HIS hired man 90 mount the fastest
hoas In the barn an 30 fetch Saiem Pender|
sssi owe salem an APOLOGY savs hs,
'an' IIi Be saddsnsd in sperTit tin l KIN
take back what saAd 70 himl Go fetch
Salem Pendergrastl' says he.
-seThen they told him that aalgTn ihAdn
sold the farm where he lived an had movad
away out West soms'rs. nobody didn't know
":..Too 6adI Too hadi. says Uncle SOC
Il owe an apology 60 Salem Pendergrast
an III live on die saddened In sperrib X
! can't git rid Of II 20 himl' says he, ~
AN then Uncle 500 perceeded 70 give
cine stretch o, country my COntEess
20 rock. an In them rocks. as long as any
one kin recOmember back, has lived n,
family o. snakes which fer bein' smart
makes solomon hisself seem like an ignor-'
anus 'longside OF iem. -
We had three kags o. powder Ia a.
shanty about hundred yards away, nigh
the creek. went over there to- bring up
p IN hs sr . sg ssS ssst We s0 ~ss sSr %
Uncle Soc. AN jest az | was gittin' there
l see first one an then t'other two o. them
kags q powder roll outsn QUITE. the door:
a passed o. them snakesl They rolled the
kags straight to the creek an dumped ssxn
into II, ani fore l could git breath enough
back to interfere. away the kags went sail-
them snakes gloat as they streaked IL back
TO the rocks, believin' they had saved 70
themselves that part o the home OF thsir
ancestors. anyhow. IL. :. &
S'"By the time we had headed on the
kags o powder an got 'em out OF the creek
the powder was soaked wet all the way
through. an want Of no more use than
40 much sand. Then thought of Salem
Pendergrast an what | had called him,
an my conscience begun to hurt me. but
| was madder m hornets at the snakes
an jest sot In 70 blow 'em sky high. let
come what m0wt.
eel druv over TO headquarters an got
another kag o. powder. Takin' out enough
from the kag to make the blast. l sot two
men gnardtn the kag at tho shanty TO fight
on TO EN- an try 20 git at the powder &g'in.
"Tampin' In the blast, we lit the long
fuse an got away TO a safe distance 10
watch out fer the comm uprisin' o. rocke.
dirt an snakes. The fire crep' up along
the fuse, an pooty soon would sot the
blast TO goin'. when what happened?
A couple ~ them snakes come dashln'
out o. the rocks. grabbed the fuse, an
blast an started on the run with It toward
the shanty where the kag o. powder was
bein' watched by the two men.
-Weaderin' what in Sam Hin them
snakes could be up to. 1 fOllered on the
trail. They got 20 the shaDty ahead o.
me. an when come little higher see the
snakes within two foot o. the door, an
carryin' the burnin, fuse straight fer IL.
1.-The snakes slid into the shanty, an
in less than five seconds come slidin out
ag'in, an away they streaked Il back to
the rocks. run to the shanty an stuck
my, head through the door, but I most
right out agin. an cut sticks away from
there as fast an ingine could travel.
""Why? Only Jest because the snakes
an the fire was so nigh the eoin on p'lSk
wien l stuck my head inside the shantv
that hadn't gone twenty yards when OF
she went an shook up that corner o. the.
foofstool like an arthquake. NV
"'"There want enough left o. nv shanty,s
save Uncle Soc, -to kindle fire with.
"'tt was then, Aunt Sally says Cousin
Marcellus, that Uncle Soc's consciepoe
wouldn't let him rest no longer. an 1e
come tearin' home TO apologize TO saIern
Pendergrnst, but Salem bein' gone nm
nobody knowin' where to, Uncle 500
couldn't apologize to him, an so IL was fer
vcars an years he couldn't be merry ON
well it went along an along saws
Cousin Marcelius, AN another Christmas
was comm" on, an when it come Deacon
Birkett drooped in at Uncle Soc's all
a-sv lin an, he says;
well, Socrates he says to Uncle
Soc: you're goin' to be merry this
Chris'wns." says he, "an' I've brung the
reason fer whv," says he, an he handed
Up~I" Soc letter. .. -.-.. A.
1--WE letter, AGnt Sally says Cousin
Na~ceT"s. was from Salem Pendergrsst.
rro," .or'e'r. ort West. II said in II that
he bad got religion, an arter all these years
be lad come to confess TO Uncle Soc now
that there want word o. truth in thas
sa-r,'r's.ance ne had told him about thsTH
in II, ard he had TO yit Il on His mind afore
he died, he writ, havin' got religion. 80
~'-1here. Socrates!' SAYS Deacon Bir- ~
kOtt. Il gIess you kin be merry ON Chris,-
mas vTnst n'Ors!' says he.
Vat. hunt Sally says Cousin MarceEl,,e.
Uncle EsOc scrIrched that letter from ealeTi1
re1de--rast in his hand till il Cracked. sn'.
hc shet his teeth an says: ?
kin T;t OF West az l'clS Salem Pendergrastis
eavs he "f'll be sadder on Chris MAS than
ever" says he, It'll kin got out West as,I
liok Salem till his tongue hangs out says
. 'R''t ,.Enole 500 never was merry ON
Thr.s mas aR'tn, arter all, Aunt Sally, saws
Consin arcel,s, fer before he rot n chance
10 g,t ont West an fix things with Salem
endergraet he rassed over Jordang. sFss
his last words was. showin how his mind !
was sot on things. that even them epakea
an the rocks an the rowder kegs o. his'n
SO .nied motif hut dream arter ali. - ~
~s-cnNr folk rf' uau sa.R1..