Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-10-12
Blasted
Ambition

II was a hot day and Abe Shreter
sat on g. chair under the awning of
SINNERS grocery, with his feet on the
head of a barrel and his head nodding
with drowsiness. Colonel Harper, who
had come into town and left his mule
hitched in front Of the postofIice, came
along On his way to the drug store
and halted to say:
"That yo', Abe? / declar' to good
ness but 1 didn't know yo' at first
sight. Powerful hot day in town."
"Bless me, kurnel, bless mel" ex-
claimed Abe In reply, as he slowly
lowered his legs to give the colonel
the benefit of the barrel. II was Jest
a-thinkln about yo', kurnel-jest a.
thinkin' and a-pondering. How's con
a-gettIng on this weather."
fought to be little mo- rain, meb-
be, but con isn't looking tall bad"
"And nevis hold their own. l reck1
on to consider?" !:
"Jest about hold their own. Abe;
Jest about"
That's good, kurnel. II can't hold
my own I'm still glad to see other
folks do it.. Things are looking up a.
bit for me, however. These yere
Pike county scandalIzers seem to have
got tired of throwing me down and
jumping on my head. and mebbe I'll
get a chance to draw long breath.
Dawg-gone folks who amt willing for
other folks to get along"
"scandallze amt right" said the
colonel as he moved his hat to mop
his forehead.
"Of co'se It amt: OF co'se not. Can't
make q man better by scandallzing
hIm-can't possibly do 1t. Can't put
ambition into O mans soul by throw
Ing him down every week or two He's
got to be encouraged If yo' want him
to do his best Have l been encour-
aged in this town, kurnel? Has Pike
county ever extended her hand to help
me climb up?"
Reckon not, Abe"
mo. sub; no, sub. 'cept by one soil
tary human being, whose name Is Kur-
mel Harper. You run to con and
nevis, and yo' work % men on yo'r
plantation the year round, but that
don't prevent you from seeing and
realizing all sorts of situations. First
ly, I went into the late wah as a pri-
vate soldier. 7 came out the same
thing. Drat their pesky hides. but
they were making captains and ma
jahs and kurnels. while l was pouring
out my blood for love of country-that
is, was willing to pour. which is
the same thing. take It."
"'Bout the same. Abe" paternally
replied the colonel, except that the
bullets don't hit yo'."
"When the wah ended I run for o.
fee, same as all the rest. They owed
me an office for having laid down nv
life for my country, but what was my
reward? Kurnel Harper, reckon yo'
can remember that was knocked out
-h'isted 90 feet high-snowed under
till vo' couldn't see the top Of my hat.
That's the way Pike county encour-
aged me to grab hold with both hands
and climb TO the top!'
Eyes, I remember about that"
unused the colonel, as he watched
dog rolling over and over in the dusty
street.
"Then I turned to law" continued
Abe as he hitched the chair over to
get q brace for his feet on a post o!
the veranda. "Kurnel Harper. nobody
on the face Of this big earth will ever
know how 1 pinched and saved anG
starved and worked to get that Law
business down to fine point. DID
ANYBODY encourage me? Not a critteT.
Not a pesky varmnt had kind word
for me. If I'd known 20 during them
struggling times yo'd have been the
man to open yo'r wallet and hand M
out $50 or so. and tell me to pay 1t
back in my own good time. Yes. thai
would have been 20, kurnel."
eyes, mebbe," doubtfu!ly replied the
colonel
"Wall, I got to be lawyer. Their
what? I wanted practice. l nnall!
got q case and went into court with
it, but the pesky jury was lying in am
bush to throw me down. Yes. sub
had the purtiest. incest, cleanest case
70 ever heard tell of, and that jury
was bound by law and evidence to
bring in a verdict for me, but got the
cold flop instead. They brought my
client in guilty Of stealing a hawG
when he was 80 miles away at the
time, at the bedside of his dying
mother. Do yo' call that encouraging
young man, kurnel? Was that Civ
ing me a show to climb up?
"Can't skassly call it that. Abe. bu5
if remember right, they found fres!.
pork in yo'r clients house"
"They found meat there, of co'se,
but was it the meat of that we're haws
CT some other? They never stopped
to consider, kurnel-jest throwed the
verdict agin me in order to crush me
out Same way in the second case,
and the third and 10th. No matter
how many witnesses I had or how,
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