Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-01-08

ling them fed. babe them bsgona. And
she saw as in a vision how that hearts
may ache for loving sympathy. n
tne words Of her old testament rose
before her Man does not live by
bread alone
She seemed to enter the hut Of Bill,s.
wife's folk, on the night of Bilps mar
rage. There was drinking and ca
rousing, moonshine liquor flowed free.
as water. and scarcely a man was
sober save Bill himself. He and Car
RE held hands. locked into each Others
eyes, and the carousaI Jared on them.
not al all, because his father had been
lawless is her father, and some
how they had never known much else.
The night grew late, the crowd begun
leaving amid cheers and laughter.
leaving some of the more sotted cele-
braters lying ~dejectedly wherever they
happened to have fallen. Then, Car.
rs and bill slipped away over the hills
Elsuhcf q two shadows under tao
NSOn and came and stood at her door
timidly knocking, and standing just at
tbelr shoulders, she could hear Their
low spoken words, and see the enthu
siasm with which they had come to
tell her that they wanted to buy them
a farm in the low-lands. and "live de
cent"
Then, with vision that is not given
to many, she say herself turning them
harshly away. She shuddered and
tried to cover her eyes. but that was
lot the worst, as she looked, they turn
ed away with curses and went back to
the moonshiners hut, yowing to outdo
the lawless. She saw them in their
own hut, when little bill had come
and how they had vowed to live better
lives for his sake. but how they had
been gradually drawn back into the
gang. Most wildly of all, she saw
how she had turned little bill away,
Homeless from her door.
AL Ills sue SOW anu muCn more, aQO
over it all and above it all that phan.
tom face, kind yet reproachful; ill
she could stand no more and with out
flung arms and a loud cry she flung
herself forward toward him.
\ Grey dawn was stealing into the
room-the ashes had long been cold or
the hearth. It came over her so slow.
" that she had been dreaming, thai
the room seemed still peopled witt
s~piritigures. There was a gladnes.
il her heart that grew with her wax
ing consciousness-the gladness tina
comes from the realization that it il
never too late.
She r~ekindled the fire. and as sh,
worked her thoughts we're c~rystalizin,
themselves into a beautiful plan, an,
the more she thought the harder sh
worked. till the house blossomed il
such gala attire as it had never worl
before, and she fairly radiated goo
cheer. Then she took her way Owe
lI4S< AOuAI<tAn anu UIOuSuI DdCh Dill
SWifG and little Bill with her, tellin
: them as she came how that she wa
lonely and getting old and needle
them to cheer her house They FOL
lowed, shy, silent-but glad.
To celebrate their coming. She bi
the neighbors from all over the settle
ment come in. Tho the house wa
crowded to overlooking, every soul q
: them, man woman and child. had hi
allotted task; and they prepared sue
a dinner that you will hear it talke
of yet. as far west as Newfound. an
as far east as the State line. The me,
brought the wood. and drew the eide
while the women basted the turkey
and busted themselves around the fire
, peering into this pot and that with
mysterious air-not forgetting to kee
an eye ON the oven of mince pies. TIL
children-bless them. cracked walnut
and Hickory nuts o nthe broad oil
doorstep. then ran and fetched apple
to be baked, shouting back and fort
. to each other-little Bill happier thai
all the rest.
NEW YEAR MESSAGE.