Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1919-05-23

Fast flows the river to the sea when
youth is sailing on il. They had
showed me out of the quiet cove into
the swift current-th0se dear, kindly
thoughtless people. Sally ran away
into the house as their laughter con-
tlnued and my uncle and I walked
down the street. How happy l was
l observed with satisfaction that
the village boys did not make fun
Of me when passed them as they did
when I wOle the petticoat trousers.
Mr.. and Mrs. Wright came along with
the crowd, by and by, and Colonel
Medal Moody. We had supper with
the Senator on the seat with US. He
and my uncle began to talk about the
tlghtness Of money and the banking
laws and l remember 4 remark Of
my uncle, for there was that in his
tone which could never forget:
1--WE poor people are trusting you
TO look out for us-we poor people
are trusting you to see that we get
treated fair. We're havin' a hard
time"
My uncle told him about the note
and the visit Of Mr.. Grimshaw and Of
his threats and upbraidlngs.
did he say that in Bart's hearingT"
asked the Senator.
Ayes right out plain"
'eros bad! I'm going to tell you
frankly. BsyAes. that the best thing
l know sbOst you is your conduct to-
ward this boy. l IKE it. The next
best thing La the fact that you ssNDed
the note. II was bad business but
II vas EsoA Christian conduct to help
your trlead. Don't regret II. You
were psor ana Of an age when the
boys pranks we're troublesome to both
OF yOV. but you took him in. I'll
lend yox the interest and try to get
another holder for the mortgage on
one condition. You must let me at
tend to Bart's schooling, want to
be boss about that We have a great
schoolmaster in Canton and when Bart
is little older l want him to go
there to school. III try to find him
place where he can work for his
board"
"Wen miss Bart but ven be tickled
to death-tAere's no two ways shout
that" Said Uncle Peabody.
The Senator tested my arithmetic
and grammar and geography as we
rode along in the darkness end said
by and by:
you'll have to work hard, Bart.
Youll have to take your book into
the field as l diA After every row
of corn l learned a rule of syntax or
arithmetic or 4 fsct In geography while
l rested, and my thought and memory
took hold Of it as / piled the hoe, I
don't want you to stop the reading,
but from now on you must spend half
OF every evening on your lessons"
As I was going to bed the Senator
called me to him and said
81 shall be gone when you are up
in the morning. 1t may be a long
time before | see you; l shall leave
something for you In q sealed envel-
ope with your name on it. You are
not to open the envelope until you
go away to school. l know how you
will feel that first day. When night
falls you will think Of your aunt and
uncle and be very lonely. When you
90 to your room for the night l want
you to sit down all by yourself and
open the envelope and read what I
shall write. They will be, l think, the
most impressive words you ever read.
You Will think them over but you
will not understand them for a long
time. Ask every wise man you meet
to explain them to you, for all your
happiness will depend upon your I'M
derstanding of those few words in the
envelope"
In the morning Aunt Dael put it
in my hands.
81 wonder what in the world he
wrote therc-ayeS - said she, I'VE
must keep It careful-ayes IN put
it in my trunk an give it to We when
We go to Canton to school
"Has NJ. Wright gomez I asked
rather sadly.
Ayes! Land O. mercyt He went
away long before daylight with lot
O. jerked meat in a pack basket
ayes Yer ancle is goin' down to the
village to see bout the mortgage this
afternoon, ayes"
1t was a Saturday and I spent its
hours cordlng wood in the shed, paus-
ing now and then for a look into
my grammar.
What a day it was the first of
many ike 1t. l never think Of those
days without saying to myself: What
Gods blessing a man like Silas
/ Wright can be In the community In
which his heart and soul are as an
open bookw
As the evening came on l took q
long look at my cords. The shed was
nearly half full of them. Four rules
of syntax, also, had been carefully
stored away in my brain. l said
them over rs l hurried down into the
pasture with old Shep and brought in
the cows. l got through milking just
rs Uncle Peabody came. I saw with
| joy that his face was cheerful.
oYlnl" he shouted as he stopned his