Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-01-21
TIL u6HT
IN THE RLEARIN6
A TALE OF THE NORTH COUNTRY
i I'm THE TINE OF SILAS WRIGHT
H
| IRVINE HAEHELLER
Or
EsfN HOLDEN Dm AND DAReL or
LIZZIE
AUTHOR Or
eBtN HOLDEN. pR AND DARREL or THE BLESSED ISLES
KEEPING UP With LIZZIE. ETC. ETC

on my BACK ana now p10GCiy II5y sur
1 veyed it.
couldn't buy them goods round
these parts" said Uncle Peabody
"NOr nothin' like 'em--no, sir.'
"Feels leetle bit like the butternut
trousers" said Aunt Deel as she felt
my coat.
"Ayes, but them butternut trousers
amt what they used to be when they
was young and limber," Uncle Peabody
remarked. "Seems so they was get
tin kind O. wrinkled an baldheaded-
like, specially where l set down."
"Ayes! Wal l guess a man can't
grow old without his pants CROWN
old, too-ayesp said Aunt Deel.
"If yer legs are in 'em ey'ry Sunday
they ketch 1t Of ye." my uncle an
swered. "Long sermons are hard on
pants, seems to me-"
"An' the longer the legs the harder
the sermons-in them little seats over
t the schoolhouse--ayesl" !" Aunt Deel
added by way Of justifying his COM
plant. "There wouldn't be so much
wear in a ten-mile walk-no"
The chicken pie was baking and the
strawberries were ready for the short.
cake.
1--WE been wallerin' since the dew
was off gittin' them berries an VIZ.
lets-ayesl" !" said Aunt Deel, now busy
with her work at the stove.
"Aunt, You look as young as ever" I
remarked.
She slapped my arm and said with
mock severity:
"Stop thatl W'yi You know better
--ayesw
How vigorously she stirred the fire
then.
u can't return the complimentary
soul how you've changed-ayes'' y she
remarked
Il hope you aln't fit no more, Bart.
! can't bear to think O. you ilyln' at
folks an poundln of 'em. Don't seem
rlsht--n0, 1t d0n'tw
"Why, Aunt Deel, what in the world
do you mean?" | asked.
TITS Purvis' brain that does the
poundln', l guess" said my uncle.
TITS kind O. got the habit. It's a reg
lar beetle brain. To hear him talk
ye'd think he an you could clean out
the hull Mexican nation--barrin' accl-
dents. Why anybody would suppose
that yer enemies so to cllmbin' trees
as soon as they see We comm an that
you pull the trees up by the roots to
gilt at em."
"a certain amount of such deviltry
Is necessary to the comfort of Mr.
Purvis," | remarked. "If there is no.
body else to take the responsibility
for 1t he assumes 1t himself. His imag-
nation has an intense craving for
blood and violence. It's that type of
American who, egged on by the slave
power, Is hurrylng us into trouble
with Mexico"
Purvis came In presently with a
look In his face which betrayed his
knowledge of the fact that all the cob
webs spun by his fancy were now to
be brushed away. Stlll he enjoyed
! them while they lasted and there was
q kind Of tacit claim in his manner
that they were subjects regarding
which nc honest man could be expect.
cd to tell the truth.
As we ate our dinner they told me
that an escaped slave had come into
a nelghborllng county and excited the
people with stories of the auction
block and of negroes driven like yoked
oxen ON plantations in South Carolina,
whence he had escaped on steam
boat
Il b'lieve I'm goin' to vote for abo-
litlon," said Uncle Peabody. Il won
der what Slle Wright win say to that"
Hell probably advise against it; the
time isn't ripe for so great a change"
was my answer. "He thinks that the
whole matter should be left TO the gla-
clal action OF times forces.n
Indeed / had spoken the view of
the sounder men of the North. The
subject filed them with dread alarm.
But the attitude of Uncle Peabody
was significant. The sentiment in fa-
yor Of change was growing. 1t was
now to be reckoned with, for the abo-
lltion party was said to hold the bal
ance of power in New York and New
England and was behaving itself like
a bull In a china shop.
After dinner ! tried to put on some
OF my old clothes, but found that my
nakedness had so expanded that they
would not cover 1t, so l hltched my
white mare on the spring wagon and
drove to the village for my trunk.
Every week day after that / worked
In the fields until the senator arrived
In Canton about the middle OF August.
On one of those happy days l received
a letter from old Kate, dated. to my
surprise, In Saratoga. 1t said:
Dear Barton Baynes: thought /
would. let you know that my father is
dead. ! have come here to rest and
have found some work TO do. am bet
ter now. Have seen Sally. She is very
beautiful and kind. She does not know
that am the old witch. have changed
SO. The others do not know--it Is
better that way. l think 1t was the
Lord that brought me here. He has q