The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-04-25
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He totes them pistols OF hls-loaded
If you notice good you can see
where they bulge out his coat" Han
nibals eyes, very round and big,
looked up into hers.
rs he as poor as he seems, Han.
nibal?" inquired Betty.
He never has no money, Miss Bet
ty, but I don't reckon he's what
body would call pore"
It might have baf1led a far more
mature intelligence than Hannibars
to comprehend those peculiar process
es by which the Judge sustained him.
self and his intimate fellowship with
adversity-that 1t was his magn1h-
cence of mind which made the
squalor of his daily life seem merely
a passing phase-but the boy had
managed to point delicate distino-
ton, and Betty grasped something OF
the hope and faith which never quite
died out in Slocum Prices indom1ta-
BILE breast
But you always have enough to
eat, dear?" she questioned anxiously.
Hannibal promptly treasured her on
this point. you wouldn't let me
think anything that was not true, Han
nibal-you are quite sure you have
never been hungry"
Never, Miss Betty; honest!"
Betty gave sigh of relief She
had been reproaching herself for her
neglect of the child; she had meant
to do so much for him and had done
nothing! Now it was too late for her
personally to interest herself In his
behalf, yet before she left for the east
she would provide for him. II she
had felt it was possible to trust the
judge she would have made him her
agent, but even in his best aspect he
seemed a dubious dependence. Tom.
Tor quite different reasons, was equal
ly out of the question. She thought
of Mr.. Mahaffy.
What kind of q man is Mr.. Ma
haffy, Hannibal?"
Hes an awful nice man, Miss Bet
ty, only he never lets on; body's
got to find it out for his own self
he amt like the judge"
docs he-drink, too, Hannibal?"
questioned Betty.
"Oh, yes; when he can get the
Ticker, he does" 1t was evident that
Hannibal was cheerfully tolerant OF
this weakness on the part of the
austere Mahaffy. BY this time Betty
was ready to weep over the child,
with his knowledge of shabby vice,
and his fresh young faith in those old
tatterdemalions
But, no matter what they do, they
are very, very kind to your" she con.
tinued tremulously.
Eyes, ma'am-why, Miss Betty,
they're lovely mem"
"And do you ever hear the things
spoken of you learned about at Mrs.
Ferris Sunday-school?"
when the Judge is drunk he talks
q heap about 'em. It's beautiful to
hear him then; you'd love 1t, Miss
Betty" and Hannibal smiled up sweet
~ into her face.
Does he have you go to Sunday
school in Raleigh"
The boy shook his head.
II amt got no clothes that's fifteen
to wear, nor no pennies to give, but
the judge, he lows that as soon as he
can make raise got to go, and he's
learning me my letters-but we amt
book. Miss Betty, I reckon it'd
stump you some to guess how he's
fixed 1t for me to learn?'
Hes drawn the letters for you, is
that the way?" In spite of herself,
Betty was experiencing a certain re-
vulsion of feeling where the judge and
Mahaffy we're concerned. They were
doubtless bad enough, but they could
have been worse.
mo, ma'am; he done soaked the
label of one of Mr.. Pegloe's whisky
bottles and pasted it on the wall just
as high as my chin, SOS can see it
good, and he's learning me that-a-
way! Maybe you've seen the kind OF
bottle I mean-Pegloe's Mississippi
Pilot; Pure Corn Whisky" But Han
nlbal's bright little face fell. He was
quick to see that the educational sys-
tenn devised by the judge did not I'M
press Betty at all favorably. She drew
him into her arms.
"You shall have my books-the
books I learned to read out of when I
was little girl, Hannibal"
II like learning from the label pref
ty WE'LL" said Hannibal loyalty.
T. But you'll like the books better,
dear, when you see them. know just
where they are, for happened on
them on shelf in the library only
the other day" r..
After they had found and examined
the books and Hannibal had gruding-
" admitted that they might possess
certain points Of advantage over the
label, he and Betty went out for q
walk. It was now late afternoon and
the sun was sinking behind the wall
Of the forest that rose along the Ar
kansas coast. Their steps had led
them to the terrace-where they