The Washington herald., 1907-05-12


looking around and above with evident
delight This was her gala Monday; and
if any thoughts of the County Court days
OF happier years were in her mind, they
We're not permitted 10 mar her enjoyment
Of the present There were no waters Of
Marah near her spring Of remembrance.
Clear as a whistler she exclaimed. peer
ing through the tendrlls OF a Virginia
creeper at the sea of blue ether where
reecy white clouds were floating. driven
eastward by the fresh spring wind, Folks
VIII come home dry tonight; last time
they was as wet as drowned rats. Yon-
der comes the Crawfords, and there's Jim
Amos on horseback in front of EN-. How
dye, jim! And yonder comes Richard FL
rod In his new carriage. Jest look at
him. do believe he grows younger and
handsomer every day of his life
sweet-faced woman sat beside him,
aud two pretty girls were in the seat be-
hind them Bowling courteously 20 the
old woman on the doorstep. Richard FL
rod looked every inch a king of the soil,
and perfect specimen Of the gentleman
farmer of Kentucky.
The richest man in the county" said
Aunt Jane. exultugiy, as she followed the
vanishing carriage with her keen gaze.
He went TO the legislator last winter,
the Hon. Richard Elrod' they call him
now. And can remember the time when
he was jest Milly Bakers boy, and nothin'
honorable about il. either"
There was a suggestion OF a story In
the words and in the look in Aunt James
eyes. What wonder that the tides Of
thought flowed back into the channel of
old times on a day like this. when every
passing face was challenge 10 memory
1t needed but a hint TO bring forth the
recoliections that the sight of Richard
Elrod had stirred TO life. The high-back
rocker and the basket Of knitting were
transferred TO the porch; and with the
beauty and the music of a spring morn
ing around us, listened 10 the story Of
MiIly Bakers boy.
Il hardly know jest where 10 begin,
said Aunt Jane. wrinkling her forehead
meditatively and adjusting her needles
''Telln' story is sometuln' like windin'
OF a skein O. yarn. There's Jest two ends
10 the skein, though and if you can git
held O the right one it's easy work. But
there's so many ways O. beginning q
story, and you never know which one
leads straightest TO the pint I wonder
many a time how folks ever finds out
where 70 begin when they set out TO write
a book. However, / reckon if / start
with Dick Elrod I'll git through somehow
or other
You asked me jest now who Richard
L. a.. % l.
rod, and Dick was the son of Richard
Elrod, the old squire. It's curious how
youn name two boys Richard. and one
Of EN- will always be called Richard and
the othern be called Dick. Nobody ever
would a thought o caliin Squire Elr0d
Dick he was Richard from the day he
was born ill the day he died. But his
son was nothin' but Dick all his life;
Richard didn't seem 10 fit him somehow. I
And I've noticed that you can tell what
sort of a man q boys goin' TO make jest
by KNOWN whether folks calls him Rich
ard or Dick. I amt sayin- that every
Richard is a good man and every Dick
q bad one. All I mean is that there's as
much difference betwiXt a Dick and a
Richard as there is betwixt a roastin'
ear and y peck o. corn meal. Both Of
ems corn. and both of EN- may be good, [
but they amt the same thing by a
long jump. There's been a Richard IN
the Elrod family as far back as you
could track EN-; all Of 'em good, steady, /
God-fearin men till Dick come along |
He was an only child, and Of course that I
made a bad matter worse.
There's some men that's born 10 sit /
women into trouble, and Dick was one of /
'Cm. Jest as handsome as a picture, ana I
two years ahead o. his age when il come I
% size and "a way about him. from the 4
time he put on pants, that showed jest 4
what kind of a man he was cut out for. /
if the children was playin' jimmy, Put the 1
Kittle On Dick would git kissed ten 4
times to any other boys once; and if il /
was Drop the handkerchief. every little /
gyrl in the ring'd be droppin it behind 1
Dick to git him to run after her, and 4
that was the only time Dick ever did /
any. runnin'. All he had to do was jest /
to sit still, and the gyirls did the runnin' /
It was that way an his life; and folks /
used to say ther was Jest one woman /
in the world that Dick couldn't make a /
fool of, and thaJ was his cousin Penelope
the old'squire's brother's child, She used /
10 come down to the squre's pretty near /
every summer, and when Dick saw how
high and mighty she was, he begun to
Jest where the other women was. not be-
cause he keered anything for her-such
men never keer for anybody but their
selves-he jest couldn't stand il TO have
a woman around unless she vast thrOwin'
herself at his head or at his feet But
he couldn't do anything with his cousin
Penelope. She naturally despised him,
and he hated her. Next to Miss Pencil
ope, the only girl that appeared to be
anything like a match for Dick was An
ME Crawford, Old Man Bob Crawf0rd's
daughter. Old Man Bob was one o. the
kind that thinks that the more children
they've got the bigger men they are. AL
ways made me think of Abraham and
the rest O. the old patriarchs to see him
come walkin' into church with them nine
young ones az his heels. maxim so much
racket you couldn't hear the sermon He
was mighty proud of his sons; but after
Bob was born he wanted a daughter; and
when they ali kept turnin' out boys. he got
craZier and crazier for a gyirl Annie
wasn't born till he was past sixty, and
be like 10 "a lost his senses with JOY. It
was harvestin' time, and he Jest stopped
work and set on his front porch. and ev-
cry time anybody passed by he'd holler.
Well, neighbor, it's gal this timer
If I'd "a been in Ann 'Liza's place. I'd
"a gagged him. But la she thought ev-
arything he did was ali right 1t got ;
to be reg'lar joke with the neighbors to
ask Old Nan Bob how many children he
had, and he'd give q big laugh and say, I
Ten. neighbor; and ali Of EN- gals but !
cine
We'll. of course, Annie was bound to /
be spoiled. especially as her mother died
when she was jest four years old How
Ann Liza ever stood Old Man Bob and
hem nine boys as long as she did was (
. r,AaL.rn tn a.-arI-hnaw nm u Lza Id