The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-07

Qay.
AS she talked in her gentle way the
i girl saw he strong features melt into
softness and take on spiritual light
fore beheld. Mrs Tinsley put her
hand over her qutvering lips and chok-
ed down a yelling sob.
1.-THE Lords answered my prayer"
she faltered out '"This mornin' after
you left, Mary. went down in the big
| swamp. kept goin' until was out o
hearin' of any sounds but the BIRDS
! the frogs an the bees Then I got
down ON my knees right whar the mire
! was shoe mouth deep. Somehow I
thought place like that was better'n
a comfortable one. I throwed myself
fat on the wet moss, dug my hands
| into it and cried out to my Maker with
what seemed to me to be my last
4 breath. I told i'm to look at me an
point out anything that had done of
harm to any livin' creature, even a
/ dumb brute, or to him an see if he
hadn't overlooked my case too long. I
prayed an prayed like that fer hours
on u stretch without stoppin'. Then
| all at once some'n' seemed to whisper
| inside @ me, Go home it said, AN
wait y
! stI've prayed, toe, that all your trouble
might be averted- 1 was losing faith
! when the good news fell ike a bolt
from clear sky. Howard is going to
make UP with his father toe He told
me that he was going to beg Mr. Tins
ley's pardon for his hasty words when
he was so angry on the day he left
home
.tHe shan't do tiny boy shan't low
er himselfT' burst from Mrs Tinsley's
tight throat Howard hain't done
wrong. Eff he was such a fool as to
believe all his pa tries to pound into
i'm I'd not respect i'm a bit. / want
i'm just like he is Would a man like
Abner Daniel put money behind him eff
he was like Hiram? Not much, he
wouldn't, in this day of progress an
enlightenment. All Hiram's cold blood
ed ideas about the Bible make regu-
lar f1end o. me. But when Howard ex-
plains it in his way I know he is right
an feel upl4ftedT
A few days later Abner and Howard
were in full possession of all pertain
ing to the Clarion Hillhouse, elated
over a congratulatory telegram from
his brother and the happiness Of his
wife over her coming change of resi-
dence, was in and out though the day
the management
I'm as green as a long handled gourd
in the business Abner smiled at
Howard, once when they were alone
and working without their coats in
the Office, @+but I'm wfI1in' to learn new
tricks. Stop me the minute I start to
make wrong move. You are the boss.
but eff kin help a little bit I'll be
tickled It is new game to me, an is
goin' to give me lot o. fun. AS I see
it, we must draft out a fresh policy
an make it known IN our fust new is
sue. I'm glad you think the indie
pendent basis is good. I'm Democrat
dyed in the wooEit was shot into me
like burnt powder from Yankee guns,
an sonae of it stuck to my bones, but
I've got good friends that was Union
men an are Republicans now. never
liked TO hear sem called black, because
they always treated me white. I've
got friends that are Populists an Il
few that fancy they are Socialists, an
I don't want to offend any of 'en.
Bein on the fence is good thing, fer
then we kin drap on the side O. any
issue that needs our aid. Say, I want
to tell you some'n', an yet I feel
sorter ashamed to do it,
What is it?s Howard asked, deeply
interested.
.sWhy, you see'' Abner actually
b1ushed-"I don't want to brag or
sound my own horn even to you, but
since Nthe report has got out of this
deal of our'n a lot o. folks has come to
me an said that they wish I'd run q,
department on the editorial page under
my own initials, an write just as plain
as talk. Thar Is lot O. plain people
in these mountains, an they tie to plain
things With yore education You kin
pander to the other sort o. folks, but
II you don't object, Why
''Object?r Howard cried, enthusiast
tically- ut will be the very life of the 4
paper. You really are a philosopher
Uncle Alb. You don't know it, but you
are
.Wel1, anyways''-Abner took the
compliment gracefu1ly-"ridfe' out
home last night, an even after got
to bed, notion fer sort of fust word
from me kept runnin' in my head, an
this mOrnin' just after breakfest-out
at the stable, of all places-I jotted 1t
down. If-if you wouldn't mind I'll
read it to you. It aiAt so overly long.
fer I've billed it down into as tight
wad as possible
Fire awayt' Howard cried. .1'n ber
it is all right
Slowly Abner rose, and. going to his
coat hanging from a nail on the wall.
he took crumpIed piece of paper
from pocket. Unfolding it. and clear
ing his throat, he began to read aloud
TO one and all hearty greetings
Hew's that fer big type at the top of
the fust column % Abner asked, as he
looked up.