Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-11-17
CHAPTER II.

hills, DIT tuere Was ledpInS JOY eN-
eryM mere; IN the woods wnere the
blue-Jays We're shouting, dUwn the
branch where the wOoueecker tapped
in an oak trees sounding board. II
must nave been a low managing aInoi-
ton t0 pc tnriued with the prospect OF
tedcnng scuoul, or was 1t buoyan'
health tnat made me happy? l easeo
down my trunk, and buyishly threw
stones away on into an echo.ns hollow
A RABBIT ran out into the ROAD ano
stopped, and with a stone l knocked II
over. Tenderly l picked it up, feIt It's
fluttering neart, and groaned inWardly
when the little heart was stilled.
called myself a murderer, an Anglo
Saxon brute, to kill harmless Great
n:s merely upon a devi.ish impulse
and IN the gravelly ground began to
dig q grave with my knife, and | was
so mucn taken up with this work and
with my grief, that I needed not the
approach of a wagon.
What are you doing there?" some
one called.
l looked up. A farmer had stopped
his blowing horses and was looking al
me. "Im digging a grave" l answer
ed.
"Diggin' a grave? Why, who's dead!'
"A rabbit" He moved uneasily, and
gave me a searching look. And l saw
that he took me to be insane. Il kill
ed the poor thing" 1 explained, killed
il out CT mere wantonness, and am so
grief stricken that l am going to do
the best 1 can for the poor thing-go-
ing to give 1t a Christian burial"
The man laughed. i wish you
would kill the last one Of them," he
said. Set out as nice young orchard
as you ever saw last winter, and the
devilish rabbits killed every one OF
the trees"
Then I am not so much Of MUIR
derer after ALL" l replied. Il might
have known that rabbits are not alto
gether harmless. How far do you go
on this road?"
About ten miles"
Yes, be glad to have you"
I put the rabbit into his grave, raked
the dirt on him with my foot-hardly
a Christian-like way, admit-placed
my trunk into the body Of the wagon,
and took a seat beside the man. And
there was something about him that
at once interested me. His hat was on
and the breeze was stirring his griz-
zly hair. His nose was large and thin,
and when he turned his face square
upon me, I saw that his eyes were gray
and clear He wore no coat, his shirt
sleeves were rolled back, and though he
must have been more than fifty years
old, 1 could see that he had enormous
strength in his arms. And he was
looking at me admiringly, for he said,
you must be pretty much Of man."
81 am not child except In my lack
of wisdom" answered.
Cad, you talk like preacher.
Which way are you going?"
"Over to Linn Jucklin's house"
He gave me another look and re-
marked, that's my name.
You don't tell me so?"
Didn't you hear me tell you so?"
Yes, but"
well, then, Gid tell you So"
Il am delighted to meet you, sir. 1
am a school teacher, and I hear that
one is wanted in your neighborhood."
He looked at me from head to foot
and replied: II shouldn't wonder but
you are the right man. whats your
name?"
I told him and after few moments
of silence he asked: And kin to the
Luke Halves that fought in the Creek
war?"
He was my grandfather"
"Ah, hah, and my daddy fit with him
was a lieutenant in his company.
Let's shake hands. Whoa, boys" He
stopped his horses, got up, shook down
the wrinkled legs Of his trousers and
reached forth his hand.
You are a stranger in North Caro-
liny," he said when he had clucked to
his horses.
Yes, am a stranger everywhere
you might put It," I answered. I am
from Alabama, but the people made so
much fun Of me in the community
where l was brought up that l am even
a stranger there"
What did they make fun OF you
about"
BECAUSE I was overgrown and awk-
ward"
Whoa, boys! Let's shake hands
again. l got it the same way when
was a boy, and l come in one of never
gettin over it."
We drove on and had gone some dis
tance when he asked: DO you know
all about 'rithmetic?"
Il at least know the multiplication
table,"
It's more than l do. Get up there
boys. And down in my country they
think that a man that don't know a.
about 'rithmetic Is a fool have Of
ten told them that there want no rec
ord of the fact that the Savior was
good at figgers, except figgers OF speech
but they won't have 1t that a man Is
smart unless he can go up to barn
and cover one side of it with eights
and sevens and mines and all that sort
of thing. I've got a daughter that's
quicker than flash-took 1t from hel
mother, l reckon-and l have son
that's tolerable. but l have always been
left in the lurch right there But can
read all right, and l know the BOOB
about as we'll as the most Of them, but
that makes no difference down in ouI
neighborhood The pace down there Is
set by Old General Lundsford. He
knows all about figgers and every
thing else for that matter, but f1ggers
is his strong holt. He owns nearly
everything; is mighty 'ristocrat ano
don't bend very often; lives in the
house that his grandfather built, great
big brick. and never had no respect foI
me at all until l wallowed him IN the
road one dav about thirty odd years