Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-08-13

big luck IN ~disguise2
II 'spect dem little gran'chillun Ia
tired waitIn' fer dere %grandpap ter
come" insinuated Dan wickedly.
"IIl do it. Dam" whispered Abe,
but" be added despondently, 81 don't
reckon I'll ever look Marse Linkum in
de face aginI'
"Marse Linkum?" jibed Dan Fleer.
"Yore crazy, Uncle Abe! Marse Link
UNI been dead desc thirty years-shore
you don't wanter look no ghos' In de
face! Lordyr' He shuddered.
II mean what l said," retorted Abe
with dignity. Nov, Dan, when do
you reckon you'll discompose dis yere
n%earfurious deedY'
Tonight"
Tonight? amt got no time fer
r~efieckshum,' bemoaned Abe.
"De less redeckshuming you do, Abe
briggs, de nearer you'll get to dat $40"
warned Dan as he arose to go. "You
be at your back fence prezactly at 2
O'clock. when de moon sets, and de
rest is easy. My mule Vaughn II be
back in de woods, and in half an hour
the hull thing viii be did"
"All right; I'll be dere," muttered Abe
as he went dejectedly away.
Once inside of his homely little cabin
Abe hung his hat on its accustomed
peg and sat down In his big rocking
chair.
It was a very tidy, comfortable little
home. with a rag carpet on the floor
and a battered but shining little cook
stove in one corner. There were many
little evidences of Hannah Mary's love,
for Uncle Abe heard often from his
devoted daughter in New York.
Over the m~antelpiece hung Uncle
Abe's choicest treasure, a large en-
grayed portrait of his idol, Abraham
Lincoln, whose love of right and JUS
tice had struck the shackles of slavery
from Abe's wrists as well as those of
thousands of his people.
The portrait of Abraham Lincoln
was an inspiration and a companion to
Abe briggs. There were some in the
Baptist chapel who complained that
Abe followed the precepts of Lincoln
rather than those laid down In the
Bible, but the parson defended Abe by
retorting that as Abraham Lincoln had
the good book for his guide Abe could
not be far wrong.
Now, Abe, as usual when he was
troubled, addressed the portrait of the
deliverer.
"Scuse me, Marse Linkum," he said
apologetically; "I's got ter ask you a
question. | reckon you'd think it was
wicked if | was to transform a hun
dred of Kunnel Twiddie's hens to Dan
Fleer and take $40 ter git moth to Han
nah Mary, even if l paid back the $40
soon's l could git some chores
Abe stopped short.
Even in the lamplight he could see
the kindly face of Abraham Lincoln
looking down at him, and the eyes
were sad-so very sad and disapprov-
ing.
"Lordyr' quavered Abe, and mount.
ing upon a chair he turned the frame
toward the wall, sc that the accusing
eyes could no longer follow him. oh
| gotter do It," be muttered, as he
clambered breathlessly down. IF |
don't see them little chilluns this win
ter, laik as not | never will, nohowv'
His mind quite made up, Abe hob
bled around the room, making a pot
of strong tea and frying some bacon
and hominy for his supper. He heated
some bricks and put them between the
sheets of his bed so that it might be
warm for his rheumatic limbs when he
crept under the covers to sleep until
midnight.
He did not sleep.
He shivered until his cracked old
clock wheezed out the hour of II; then
he got up and dressed and swallowed
some scalding coffee to infuse warmth
into his shaking limbs.
At / o'clock he was %crouching In the
shadow of Colonel Twiddie's henhouse
waiting for Dan Fleer.
Far away in the dark woods an owI
hooted, and later came the sharp bari
of a fox. Then. echoing. came the
hollow ''heehaw" of Dan Fleer's mule
"Lordyr' shivered Abe, thinking Of
Abraham Lincoln's accusing eyes
whatever would Marse Linkum thinl
of dis yere bizness?"
Moments passed-a half hour. and
still Dan Fleer did not come. Abe
pictured Dan thrashing the big mule
with a stout stick. On critical occa
sions like the present the mule chose
to exercise his characteristic obstinacy
The moon had set and darkness:
wrapped the undulating fields. Tht
group of h%enhouses bulked large in the
foreground. Over yonder, beyond the
group of tall holly trees. was the Twid
die mansion. Its windows were dark
The colonels family slept peacefully
not suspecting that their humble neigh
Dor and friend. Abe briggs. was plot
ting to rob the henroost.
Abe writhed in self contempt.
Then resolve took possession of hin