El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-25


with courteous, old fashioned bow
across the aisle he added. May I ask
you If you are bound there2'
l told him that was my destination.
He then continued:
If ii be not too impertinent. may
1 ask you what takes you to such an
out Of the way placer" You are not a
lawyer from Atlanta, are you sir?'
There seemed 10 me to be a note
OF alarm in the question, and he ap-
peared to brighten visibly when I told
MIN that 1 was not a lawyer and was
visiting Georgia for the first time.
1 soon learned the cause of his anxiety
as 10 the matter Of my profession, for
IN a confidential whisper, which could
nave been heard throughout the car
had there been others in ii, he said
When smart looking young men
like you come up this road they bring
trouble with them usually. and as Of
ten leave more behind. sir"
How is that2" determined to bur
row as deep as possible in this ante
bellum soil which 1 believed to be
rich from the wild uncultivated growth
of experience. Don't smart looking
men often come up this road2"
Hardly ever but TO fOreclOse some
poor devils MORTGAGE" Here he he
gan 20 laugh immOderately, and when
his risibles had subsidized sufficiently
to explain. for I was somewhat sur
prised at his sudden burst OF merri-
ments he said:
j II ucL you d plne-knOr all sawed
up against a bushel Of potatoes that
a half dozen stations bets are being
made right now that you have come
up to fOreclose the mortgage on the
Pines That's my place, you know.
/ II have good laugh at their ex-
pense when / go down the road again"
Are all the plantations about here
mortgage 1 asked
Mostly he said. 7 know my
plantation is and heavily too b11t
most u
knowledge il. Old Bill Hollins vowed
MS wasn't for 10 years, and then one
day a fellow looking about like you
came up and closed him out He was
so ashamed at being caught in a lie
that he moved out OF the county and
mas never been back since"
sincerely hope, sir, that your
IranknesS In the matter may be re-
Warded by an indefinite delay in the
foreclosure proceedings" 1 said, deep
" touched at the honest avOwaI Of
the old gentleman. who. I saw felt
much deeper on the subject than he
would have, liked me to think
4 don't know he said: Il can't
tell Up to this time Bud has been
able to meet the interest regularly
and as long as he does that I sup
pose we have little to fear"
Presently 1 asked what accommO-
datiOns were to be had at OglethOrpe
Mighty poor, mighty poor. sir; that
IS, III you stay In the town. But II
YOU are going TO be long in the Vi
ctnitV, You might get board in one OF
the farm houses outside of the town
thanked him and then explained
that was writer and that I was col
Letting material for story.
A bOOk?" he said. showing great
interest at once and carefully scanning
my face through his spectacles.
Yes 1 answered, which was the
truth. at least for I had suddenly
conceived the idea of collecting data
Ff= ole
could there be better characters and
scenery than right here? Ny aged
companion looked thoughtful for
moment and then said:
May I ask II you have any refer.
ences. or If you know anybody in these
parts?'
mentioned several persons within
the state whim my father had known,
and these seemed to satisfy him. for he
continued:
IF YOU are Of a mind TO accept my
hospitality, we will be glad to put you
up and to share what we have with
you 1 guess Bud would enjoy your
company, and Ellen and Mary-Mary's
my wife-wOuld make you welcome
1T would be a great convenience
to me- / said and thanked him, FOR
/ know nothing Of this country and
you seem to be very well acquainted"
Il ought to be" he said. for my
family has been in these parts since
general OglethOrpe, that great phil
anthrOpist and friend Of the poor, first
came to Georgia The last time he
came to this country he made my
great grandfather's house his head
quarters when on his way from Fort
Augusta to Savannah Just before the
revolution he sent my grandfather
portrait of himself in token Of the
esteem in which he held his father
He lived to see the colony he had
planted become an independent state,
you know. sir. and he seemed mighty
proud of the record old Georgia made
during the war of the Revolution.
The Pines, as we call our home, was
built just after his death, and his pic
ture has the place Of honor in II now.
1t is a sorry place since the Yankees
came through here and used IL as a
stable. but We keep 1t with the hope
that some day the fortunes OF the
family may 20 out Of their eclipse and
that some worthy son will arise to re-
store II to its former position Of i'm
pOrtance in the commonwealth But
what there is left you viii be vel
come to, my lad"
Before I could property thank him
the whistle blew and our train pulled
into Oglethorpe. The colonel advanced
and, calling out to an old negro, whom
he addressed as Jefferson, ordered him
to bring the wagon nearer, as there
was a trunk to get
IF 1 know'd yer had gists, Mars.
Ge'oge. I'd sure have brought the
COACH SAID the old QaEhJr 4OOklu8
apologetically at the wagon he was
on. The colonel told him that I was
going to stay some time, and that he
'reckOnedt I would know all they had
soon and so he would not begin BY Of
fering excuses.
BY the way. sir" he said as we
stepped off the platform, Il have not
the pleasure Of knowing your name,
though you have heard mine often
enough this morning" 1 had, indeed
overlooked that detail or else felt in
dlIIerent TO II, but 7 handed him my
card, which he read carefully and
then asked:
i reckon you amt any relation to
the Palmers Of Kentucky; I rOOmed
with two men from that state OF your
name years ago when / was at Prince
told the coolneI that I was not
from Kentucky. but thought there
vas some kinship. I had intended tell
IuS MIN that the families had never
ne and that in all probability the
1eeHtucky Palmers would not know
81 tiLle. but did not finish my explana-
I'm Tor as soon as I mentioned kim
satP ne grasped my hand warmly and
Then, sir, you can make yourself
AZ Hoine In my house as long as you
80 eie 70 Ior there were never two finer
is Tvs GWs imam those Palmer boys. even
- Old Join the Yankee army dur