The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-03-11
BY 8. 3. HAcKLEY
sAt, 1919. ~ the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate,1

much Zack was "frettedl"
"He-he said he'd stay away until
| sent for him. there's mai"
In southern Appalachia it is custom
airy for the aged father and mother to
live with the youngest son in the old
home. But old Tobias log dwelling
was an unusually large one-a most
desirable home, and Eliza, the wife of
the eldest son, by skillful machina.
lions contrived to get Charley, the
youngest son, and his wife, Phoebe,
away and to get her own family in
stalled.
Lazy herself, she depended almost
entirely on her young daughter, her
only child, to do the work of the house,
and to keep her services she had de-
termined Minerva should not marry
any but some young man she could
take into her house and rule, as she
did Joshua, the girls henpecked ia
Their.
By her orders, Zachariah Burden,
who was not the humble Sort she de-
sired for son-in-law, stayed away
from the Compton house, but lack
was resourceful and managed often
to see the gentle little creature who
was like guardian angel to the old
ones.
"Cryin', Jemimy?" old Tobias, sitting
smoking on their bedroom hearth that
evening, asked uneasily. Jemima
wiped her eyes.
Il got to studyin' about Minervy a
waitin' on her happiness on account
of us and it worried me some, Bias /"
she confessed.
After Jemima slept, Bias still sat on
the hearth. Minerva was delicate, like
| their little Hettie who had died six
| teen years before, three months after
the soldier sweetheart they had not
been willing for her to marry had been
laid under Cuban palms
Little Hettie Little Hettier he
murmured. Lord, if I'd let her had
her way about Jess Duty, she might
not have pined awayl Jess, he wasn't
bad boy-I wish hadn't stood in
her way-I do wish it, Lordl |"
His pipe clattered on the hearth.
His heavy groans awakened Jemima.
"The pain Doc Higgins said was
from my heart, it's pinchin' q little |"
he labored out, his hand clutching his
chair rungs, his rugged old face
! chalky.
Jemima trembled as she measured
out the drops the young doctor had
left for him. The doctor had warned
her all worry must be kept from To
bias, and he had worried because he
had caught her crying about Minerva !
you reckon you worked too hard
at the apples, Bias?" she asked him
when at last she got him between the
| bed covers.
mo. ! got to thinSin' about our
little Hettie. 1 was wishin' l could
go back them sixteen years and tell
the little, lovin' thing her and Jess
might marry before he went to the
fightin'. Then the pain struck me-"
She patted his hands in gentle
soothing. "Hettie and Jess wasn't
long separated, Bias, honeyl The
Lord saw to that! Now try to go to
Sleep"
But it was long before he closed
his eyes.
'They could come and live with us
and things would be all right" Jemima
heard, him murmuring over and over
in his titful sleep, eff Eliza was will
IMP Then once he cried out:
80
like Hettiel Can't you see it?'
When he was quiet again, Jemima
arose and dressed herself. If he wor-
ried himself much more he might bring
on another attack, and Joel Higgins
had said two attacks close together
might kill him.
Il can find my way to Aaron Bur-
den's," she said to herself, "some way,
dark as it is. I'm bound to see lack p
Two hours later she stood breath
less in the Burdens yard on the top
of the mountain. The dog slept, but
| fear of him set her knees shaking.
| With trembling hand she tapped on
| the window of ZacBs bedroom.
Near the dawn, when Tack helped
her off the gentle mule he had led
down the mountainside, her old face
was shining like the eastern star.
A few days later when Eliza came
home from Miranda Mulliken's quilt
ing," she was consumed with wrath
| Naomi Rouse, whom she hated of all
women, had Dragged to Ran that her
daughter, Magnolia, had taken lack
Burden away" from Eliza Compton's
Minerva Long before the fodder
pulling was done, officious Leighbors
began to predict lacks early marriage
to Magnolia.
Minerva dropped visibly. Her grand
| father fretted.
"Jemimy, amt she takln' it to heart
too much? Lemme give her hint; It's
just play-actin'
Jemima shook her head smiling.
"Don't worry about Merry. She'll
come out all right. lack don't want
her tod until the show day, and that
amt long off, Biasp
The circus coming to Caneyville had
| advertised a prize of $40 in gold to
be given to the young woman not
| afraid and willing to be married on an
! elephants back in their ring, which
advertisement doubled and tripled the
size Of the attending crowd on the
"show day."
Early that morning lack Burdens
two mules passed the Compton wagon,
en- route to Caneyville lack rode one
mule, Magnolia Rouse the other.
Eliza could not restrain a look of dis
pleasure.
"Them two are the pair that's to
be married on the elephants back !"
old Bias volunteered checrfully.
"zack's done arranged with the show
folks"
This news was the last straw.
Eliza turned to her daughter, her face
white with wrath.
Merry Compton. before I'd let
everybody in the county see that low
down Rouse girl take my Teller right
before my eyes, I'd jump In Caney
riverl"
Minerva smiled. "Their weddin'
won't discredit me, ma. lacks not
my Teller now, and all the folks know
he wanted to marry me and you