Evening star., 1915-02-28

TedC1leu lOI lHe Jug, COOk oul lllc COluIOD
stopper, and drank swallow.
Il wouldn't do that, said the boy.
"Why?' asked the Ledworth chief
"Acause the Good Book it says, Wine is
a mocker, and strong drink is ragin', was
the ready answer.
"Who teached you that?" queried Absa-
lom Ledworth.
aMother.my IN mother
3Yes, Sir, she did" The boy nodded en-
phatically. @Say, what're you fellows
goin' to do with all O these here guns??'
Kill Dunbars,' snapped John Ledworth.
seemed that he couldn't believe it. "The
Good Book it says as plain as daylight,
Thou shalt not kill"
"Who teached you that?' asked Absalom
| Ledworth.
"Mother-my mother"
4You say she did, laughed the grand
father bitterly, with an oath.
@Yes Sir, she did. And the Good Book
it says, Thou shalt not take the name O
the Lord thy God in vain,' too. So what
makes you do it?'
@Who teached you that, Son?"
"Mother, she did His wide open eyes
were shining with pride.
@The blank she did,
ayes, Sir, she did. And the Good Book
it says"
"Oh, shet up!' broke in old Ledworth.
| A DEAD silence settled down upon them.
The grandfather looked absent1y toward
the rushing creek below That the boys
MOTHER one of the heather, had taught that
boy those things-how could it be? Some
thing not at all favorable to third Battle
of Bull Run began to gnaw at the stout old
heart. But he pushed it off with NUT
tered oath, and turned back to his grand
child.
"You don't know who l am, do you?"
There was no hesitation about the little
fellows answer "No, and l don't want to,
acause you drink, and you cuss, and you
want to kill people! I'm tryin' to grow
up good, like my pap. My pap he's the
finest feller ever was. l never seen him
drink drap, and know he don't want to
kill nobody, and-I-1 never heerd him
cuss but jest one time. A dogwood wedge
slipped out Of a log, and hit him plumb
smack squar' on the nose, and he says,
Damn that wedge!' And then he gifts
down on his knees, and says jerky like
| Lord, | wisht | may die right here if
meant it, He told me and Mother that he
to never say nothin' like that, and | never
have. Say-was you ever sorry when you'd
been right plumb mean?"
Il never was," Absalom Ledworth was
forced to admit @Son, I'm yore grandpap
on yore pap's side O the house"
A light came into the boys eyes. He
knelt beside his paternal grandfather, and
put tiny, sunburned hand on the old mans
arm. a know now why you all is goin to
kill the Dunbars," he said. "Grandpap, it
hain't right. Them thar Dunbars is fine
folks. I've been slippin' off from home and
goin' up to see 'em for long time, and l
know EN-. Jim Dunbar he can jump a
ten-rail fence, and wiggle his ears, and out
run hoss. Little Bill Dunbar he can whistle
like train, and crow like a rooster, and
bark like dawg, and myow like a wildcat.
Aleck Dunbar he can chin hisself on pole
sixteen times, skin cat backards and
for ards, and hang ten minutes on his toes
but that amt what 1 want to say.
What want to say is that my mother is
a raisin me up to be preacher, SOS can
make friends O her people and you people
and that's my life's work done cut out.
Now don't want to be no preacher, Grand
pap. l want to be a good man; but l don't
want to be no preacher, acause want to be
jest 'zactly like my pap, and my pap he
hain't no preacher. Don't you see, Grand
T II.