The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-20
doin'n

'HoIds out ?'' For the first time the
glance of the small eyes sought Abner's
| inquiringly. what do you mean by
holdin' out?'
! Abner seemed to hesitate, and when
| he finally spoke it was as if he had de
! cided that he might fall deeper into
| confidence with a man whom he
! trusted.
"Why, Abe, just between you an
me, I'm afraid that the boys bullhead-
ed stubbornness is goin' to block all
oEr efforts in his behalf You know the
law well enough. All of us know the
law well enough to know that the
courts are lenient whensa man comes
right out an admits that he done a
wrong thing. I'm talkin' to you now
| as a friend an a neighbor. In fact
! I've heard Howard say lots O. nice
| things about you an yore wife, an
know you are interested in his wei
| fare, an will hate to hear how he is
actin. But the truth is-the sad truth
is-that he won't listen to reason. Talk
as we will, the boy sticks to his plan
| O. claimin' that he knows nothin' at all
| about the shootin'.'
'eWell, maybe he don't!'' burst i'm
| pulsively from the man on. the bench.
"a Teller amt guilty till he's proved
guilty"
Abner's eyes cleaned.
I'm glad to hear you stand up fer
i i'm, anyway, Abe Abner went on
guayely; 'fbut, nevertheless, I wou1dn' t
| like fer you to talk to him ON that line.
Thar's too much evidence agin i'm
Eyes, I ,haye-that is, I've heard folks
! talk I know all they are a-sayin' Il
T. don't blame Howard. He-he'd be a
II =
done it, no matter what you an Bar
nett advise. Life's too short Huh, eff
Howard claims he didn't do it, maybe
| he didn't. He's always treated me
fair The boy lent me some money
once when couldn't git it from any
| body else"
-'Oh,, yes, Howard has a big heart in
i'm, an, Ills is kilIin' i'm. You only
have to think about it, Abe, to see
how humiliated he must be-. He was
jest gittin' a firm foothold in this new
line. The papers all over the state was
talkin' about him an his work Oar
ley is right now gittin' on boom
which Howard set afoot. A new rail-
road is comm, site has been select
ed an bought in the edge o. town fer
cotton mill with thousands of spin
dies that viii give employment to
mountain folks fer miles around. But
right in the middle of it the silly boy
let's his hot temper git the best OF i'm.
He has few words with a Teller that
nobody liked an then waylays i'm an
shoots i'm dead in his tracks, an, of
course-weH he'll have to take his
medicine, that's all.''
''I don't believe Howard done itr'
Fulton blurted, because you say he
says he didn't
What you believe don't settle the
matter. Abner said, as If contemptu-
GUS of an opinion which seemed so i'll
grounded. Howard can't prove moth
In at all to offset the evidence pilin'
up mountain high agin i'm. Lawyers,
judges an experts generally are laugh
In at bis stupidity in hoIdin' out like
he is doin' You amt entirely alone
In yore opinion, Abe; thar's his mann
my. You'd hardly expect that broken
hearted woman to doubt the word of,
her only child. an. r wouldn't talk as
free with her as 1 have to you. Eff she
sees fit to believe Howardss cock an
bull yarn about sIeepin' on that noun
tain an all the rest he made up-well,
that's jest her right Then thar is an
other one that WON'T listen to reason
nuther, an that is Mary Trumb1ey. 1
don't know fer sure, but I imagine eff
this calamity hadn't fallen them two
would a hit it off together. La, Abe,
that's pitffu1! think sometimes eff
shed jest jine me an Billy In advisin'
Howard to tell the whole truth that
he might be influenced to own up be-
fore 1t is too 1ate.''
He'd be a fool to do it, Abe NUT
tered.