Middletown transcript., 1911-11-04

fcFeground.-
'Wal, stranger. sorter reckon as
how bout four bits Ill squar' things
dorgs is mighty durn cheap hereabout
enyhow. Give me ther four bits,
mister, an I reckon as how 1t II
be all right"
I glanced at Mrs. Brennan, and the
amused twinkle in her eyes led me
to say heartily, 1--WE had not entirely
completed our meal. but imagined we
saw ghosts"
"Ghostsi" He glanced around ap-
prehensively.- son Heaven ana on
thy lady call, and enter the enchanted
hallI' Wus thsr ghosts ye saw over
thar?" And he pointed toward the
wall opposite
I nodded.
Then / sorter reckon as how
Mariar and me wus them ghosts" he
continued, grinning. I'VE sorter reck-
oned as how ne wanted ter see who
wus yere afore We come in. I'll
listen till my fancy hears the clang Of
swords, the crash Of spears These
yere is tough times, stranger. in these
parts, an man whut has ter perfect
a lovely female hes got ter keep his
eye skinned
Maria shifted contemptuously.
"9e're no great shakes at q perfect
IN O. me, JED Bungay. Now you sit
down thar an begin ter fill up. I
reckon as how ther Cap an his gal
will kinder jin0 with US fer manners"
She seated Jed with such extreme
vigor that looked for the chair to
collapse beneath him as he came
down, but the little man, not in the
least daunted, picked up his knife and
fork with sigh Of relief.
"'O womanI In our hours of ease
uncertain, COY, and hard to please"
he murmured "Come, sit down,
strangerI 'sit down an share a
soldiers couch. a soldiers fare Not
as I'm a sojer." he hastened to ex.
plain, ''but thet's how it is In ther
book. Say, old woman, kint ye kinder
skier up some coffee fer We uns-
leastwise Ehut us Confeds call cof.
feet"
Without much difficulty I induced
Mrs. Brennan to draw her chair once
more to the table, and I sat down
beside her.
"You are Confederate, thenr I
asked, curious to know upon which
side his sympathies were enlisted in
the struggle.
He glanced w&Yily at my gray
Jacket, then his shrewd, shitty eyes
wandered to the blue and yellow cav.
airy cloak lying on the floor.
"Wal, I fist don't know, Cap" he
said cautiously, continuing to eat ss
he talked, "as I'm much o. enything
in this yere row. First ther burned
gray-backs they come shoopin' up
yere, an run off all my horgs; then
ther blame blue-bellies come long
an cut down every lick o. my corn
fodder, so thet I'll be cussed If I amt
bout ready ter fight either side. Any
how amt did no fightin' yit worth
talkin' bout, fer Mariar Is pow'ful
feared I'd get hurt"
Maria regarded him scornfully.
Hiding out, I suppose?"
"Wal, u amt very healthful fer
rs ter be stayin' ct hum much o.
ther time, long with that thar Red
Lowrie, an Jim Hale, an the rest o.
thet cattle round yere."
"Guerillas pretty thick now in the
mountains?"
Wal, dunno; heerd as they wus
doin' somethin' down by ther brick
church, but thar's no great shakes Of
'em jist round yere. I reckon as how
they knows 'nough ter keep way from
led Bungay-Td pitch 'em far as
sver peasant pitched a bar r
"You have no fear Of them, then%
'"Whut, met" The little man sat
'olt upright, and glared fercely across
he table as though he would resent
N insult. II jist tell ye. Cap,
eckon thar amt no guerilla a goin'
er poke his nose round yere less
Ie's loolin' fer sudden death; thar's
Mighty few o 'em amt heerd O Jed
'ungay- Whut in thunder's ther
natter with yer gal?"
He stopped suddenly, and stared at
er; but before could turn about
a my chair one of the great dogs
egan to growl saVagely, and Maria
prang forward and cuffed the surly
rute into rebellious silence
TITS hosses," she said harshly.
Likely as not it's Reds gang. Now,
cd Bungay, yere's two lovely females
er ye ter perfect"
AS hastily sprang to my feet
aught a fleeting glimpse out Of the
artially opened door. Down the steep
t the hill road there was slowly NOV
ng toward US on foot a small party
( perhaps dozen men, so variously
lothed as to make it evident they
7ere irregulars. Just ahead Of them,
ut on horseback, two others were
ven then turning into the narrow
ath that led to the house, attracted
robably by the smoke which
treamed from the chimney-top.
TO BE c lNTINUED
III