Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-10-26

Old SIithers, Bald and Wrinkled,
Came With His Homemade Fiddle.
General greeted him warmly, intro
duced him to BRACE; and the most
comfortable chair in the house provid-
ed him, he sat down to play the ia
nous old tune and to recite the dr.
alogue. improvising where his memory
failed him.
The General roared his delight, said
that he would go on the stand to swear
against Sour Socrates in favor of the
fiddler's dialogue. '"robe" he shouted.
fetch in the buck-and-wfng dancers"
Tobe went to the door. yelled as If
calling hogs: and in came two big ne
groes. throng of idlers following
them. At it they went. shaking the
house, and when WEAKNESS threatened
to seize them, for refreshment they
drew off, and leaping. butted their
heads together like goats After time
the General gave them n dollar apiece.
dismissed them-gave the fiddler five,
with an order to play that old tune
again. Old lobe was now lighting his
evening lamps The General called to
him.
'"Toby, what have you for superb
The old fellow closed one eye
"Whar have / got? he says. All,
that's it. An TIL tell you. I've got
hoe-cake and roasted doves"
mo, you don't mean It'll"
"Hoe-cake and roasted doves, said"
"Good, by Gideon's Band Fetch US,
Tobias And mark you, along with 1t
all bring about a trowel full of thar
wild plum Jelly.
The doves and the strips of bacon
and the hoe-cake and the jelly came
on, and arising the General saluted
the repast.
"Talk about quaill Quail, sir, is In
sipid, white, dry and tasteless com
pared with the dark richness of the
dove. And look at this bread, made of
mealed pearl. You never tasted any
bacon like that, my son. fed on acorns
showered down from Olympus.
The sweet OF the night!'
They had finished the meal and were
sitting back, smoking, slipping wine,
when Drace noticed a sudden change
In the Generals countenance, tight
ening, grimness; and turning about,
he saw standing against the wall
strange figure-a man net tall, but
broad of shoulder, his body sloping
iithely down to feet expressively of
sinewy restlessness. His mass of hair
was like tangled flax straw, dark and
yet gray Like the bristles of a wild
boar, his short mustache stuck out and
his heavy eyebrows looked like great
hairy caterpillars crawling across his
lower forehead. In his dress there was
a wild touch, barbaric aspect. Slowly
he came forward.
"This is General Bethpage, heh?"
''That is my name, yes. What do
you want with meT
"Whut want; heb? come to pol
ogize to think them mule be mine"
"well, go on away. don't want any
apology from you"
"No? You put pistol at me. That
was In Louisiana. Tbis i$ Mlssissfp'.
An tell you here You nsf turn car
petbagger."
what II General Andrew Jack
son should arise out OF his grave and
tell me that, do you know what I
would say to him?"
"You would beg hees pardon as you
will mine, heh"
II would say TO him as now say to
you: You are an Infamous liar"
brace sprang between them and
seized the man by the wrist; dirk
fell from his hand.
"Stand back, General" cried Drace.
There is not going to be fight here.
Stand back, Tobel"
The dark-faced man looked Drace In
the eye.
Monsieur was YER strong. Butt
see him some other day"
Turning, the fellow made off.
snow, who the devil was thatr
asked Drace.
"That, my dear Drace," replied the
General, twas the fellow you asked
about the other day-Stepho la vitte."
To Drace this encounter with Stepho
Ia vitte, the father Of the girl he
loved-and the outlaw upon whom he
had sworn 10 wreak vengeance-was
disturbing indeed. The General, how
ever. was not at all upset by the fact
that he had been barely saved from
stepho's knife. and when a short time |
later they boarded the Bumblebee on !