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SxmVtie o\xv Soo&s *sesl Our "Prices
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—IF GOOD GOODS ARE WANTED, WE WANT TO SEE YOU—
OUR STOCK OF—
‘
Dry Goods, Shoes, Clothing, Hats, Ladies' and Cents' Furnishing Goods
Is full and complete. Each department of our mammoth store is brimming full of beautiful
new goods. Best of quality.
BELOW ARE SOME EXTRA SPECIAL VALUES:
Jackets
$15.00 Jackets for SIO.OO
12.50 Jackets for 9.00
10.00 Jackets for 7.98
7.50 Jackets for 4.98
SEE THEM.
Everything to Wear
A Fish
Jff Story
Two Questions the Judge
Was Called Upon
to Decide.
By Mfertht McCulloch-Willia.m*.
Copyright, 1909, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
The willow tree leaned so far out
over the water that all that happened
In it was mirrored in the face of the
stream. There was an eddy at the
tree foot, with a deepish pool under
ueath. Trout lurked in the pool, so
big and wary they were the despair
of all neighborhood fishermen.
The Ennis boy. of course, had told
Wllnier all about them. Wilmer. in
deed. had found the lad much like
local chronicle. In the week since he
had established himself at the Ennis
farmhouse he had been possessed of at
least half the ins and outs of Brush
creek neighborhood.
Ostensibly Wilmer was a vagrant va
cationer; really he was looking out for
remnant tracts of hardwood ti tuber.
Anew railway was mooted, not yet
even in the air, but in the minds of
certain men. Before building it they
wanted to make certain of sure and
quick returns. Walnut, white oak.
cherry and ash in sufficient amount
would furnish such returns.
Wilmer had been told to spend a
fortnight looking for timber. Now. at
the middle of the fortnight, he knew
he need look no more, so he was giving
his whole mind to the enjoyment of
fishing; hence today's excursion begun
at sunrise. So far the excursion had
been fruitless. The Ennis boy was
distressed. He had rather bragged
of the sport they were to have. Be
sides, Wilmer had promised hint a sil
ver dollar if they managed to catch
even one big trout.
Wilmer had his reasons aside from
natural liberality. He was on the
edge of falling in love with a girl,
dragon guarded. The dragon was a
crusty uncle whose sole enthusiasm
was for fish and fishing. If Wilmer
could send off in the night's mail a
snapshot of even a two pounder, along
with a chatty account of the place
where such fish might le caught, he
knew he would come near to estab
lishing himself in the cfragon’s good
graces. He would also do well for
his immediate principals, since the
dragon was among the cbiefest of those
depended on to fiuauee the new line.
Skirts
SIO.OO Skirts fur $7.98
7-50 Skirts for 5.00
5.00 Skirts for 8 90
4.00 Skirts for 2.98
SPECIAL VALUES.
TfvWfcwe 5) HeVV^
So he came to the willow tree with
something beyond sportsman eager
ness. Approach to it was not directly
along the water side, but across a
tiuy promontory of gravelly turf. He
knelt among the taut upstanding roots
stretching back of it. made ready his
hook, baiting it with the choicest min
now in the bucket; then, advancing
covertly, still iu shelter of the trunk,
filing it midstream, a little way tip
current, so the eddy might suck it
right over to the depths. Then, watch
ing the ripples spread and turn the
water mirror’s picturings to grotesque
caricature, he became aware that the
hole was pre-empted—there was a
homemade line of black flax thread,
with a cork, likewise homemade, dan
gling from the tree, the cork bobbing
and dipping in exactly the middle of
the pool.
He dared not speak. The Ennis lad
had warned him a word was death to
his chances. The boy also had seen
the intruding line. In swift panto
mime, by throwing himself prone and
lying at ease, he counseled Wilmer to
stay. It was good counsel, Wilmer
decided. He stood fast, keeping well
away from the bank and so maneu
vering bis rod as to keep his bait
properly in motion.
The eddy was big and slow, so slow
it made one sleepy to watch it. The
mounting May sun was warm and
vital, the drone of bees in the bass
wood tops or over the sparse white
clover blooms a lulling chant. There
had been a ruffling breeze, but it had
died to utter stillness. Wilmer watch
ed his float and the homemade one un
til he grew drowsy. And then some
thing happened that made him wildly
awake.
The bungliug cork went under with
a rush. The next second there leaped
to view, half his silver length above
water, a monster trout, (he most beau
tiful Wilmer had ever seen. He was
fast, having boiled (he book, but that
clumsy line would never hold him.
Moreover, it appeared to be but lightly
lied to a swayiug willow branch. No
doubt some rustic had left it there.
There could be nobody in the tree.
However the water mirror had been
shattered, it had had still moments
during which Wilmer had studied it
close, yet seen nothing but the gold
green leafage, the netted intricacies ol
sleuder boughs, the rough aud weath
er beaten blackness of the trunk.
What wonder that he scrambled up
the slope of it, made to fling himself
along it and reach for the line! That
fish must be landed; it was a prize be
yond hope. His fingers were almost
upon (he cord when lie snatched them
back as if from fire. Another hand
had reached for tlie line —one small
and sunburned, with strawberry stain
ed fingers that vet were beautifully ta-
pered. it was a giri’s hand—a very
pretty girl's. He saw that at a glance
as he said rather breathlessly;
“Don’t lose him! Give him line—as
little as you cau! Heavens, how he
fights! You—you had better come
down—or let me land him for you.”
“You better look at your own hook!”
the Ennis boy shouted.
Wilmer half fell from the tree. His
own float was dipping, dancing, dis
appearing, coming up agaiu, in the
most maddening fashion. But no sil
ver fish broke, lancelike, through the
shimmering waters. Instead, tug as
lie might, there was a sense of some
thing heavy, yet alive, at the other end
of the line. His own battle absorbed
bim, yet not to the degree of making
him forget the other. The girl from
her perch was at an obvious disadvan
tage. Still she knew the game. Back
and forth, up and down, weaving side
wise, she let the big tisli play. Wilmer
watched her almost enviously. lie
must himself have hooked the grand
father of all trout, but it was nothing
like so game.
“Hi, thar. you. up tree! You better
come down!” the Ennis boy shouted,
but the fisherwoman remained invis
ible. “That’s nobody but just that
little Joe Lane. You know, I've told
you she wasn't niore’n half a gal,” he
confided iH low aside to Wilmer, who
nodded comprehension.
He had been hearing things about
Joe, a wild piece, motherless, brought
up by a mad old grandfather, to the
scandal of all the overgood, for she
had never been sent to school and had
done exactly as she pleased ail through
her nineteen years of life. More than
that, she had a way—a way that fetch
ed all the fellows in the countryside,
only to be sent about their business
again, even Steve Batson, who bad a
store and three farms.
The big trout moved sluggishly. It
was simply marvelous how (bat flax
line had held him. Wilmer was wild
to ask what bait had lured him even
though his own quarry filled his bands.
He was reeling in deftly, but slowly,
making gains now of a foot, now of au
inch. He had not yet got sight of his
prize. Suddenly, iu spite of reeliug iu.
the line slackened. He saw at the wa
ter's surface the snaky bead and neck
of a big snapping turtle. An instant
the creature held fast, permitting itself
to be drawn toward the bank; then it
severed the line and sank back to its
fastness of roots and rocks.
There came a tinkling lnngh from
the wiliow tree, followed by a merry
voice crying; “Please go away, you
two! 1 want to come down before
your big fish comes and eats up mine.”
“Let us help you; you'!! never land
bim alone,” Wilmer called back.
“Oh. I can't—not until you go,” the
voice returned.
Shoes
LOT No. 1
Contains Women’s and Children’s
Shoes, were up to $2.00.
Now 98c Pair
At Just that moment the trout gave a
wild, running leap, showing clear in
the air, then sounding viciously.
The fisherwoman held fast, but in
stopping his rush lost her balance and
went splash into the pool. As she fell
Wilmer understood—her feet were ab
solutely bare. He plunged in. The
pool was well over his head, but it was
nothing to bring the girl safe to the
bank. She still held tlie line. The
Ennis boy snatched It from her and
plunged in himself, winding line as he
trod water across half a dozen yards;
then, with a quick (live, reached the
tired trout, held him fast and scram
bled in triumph to the hank.
“Confess that you envy him." the
girl said, nodding toward the Ennis
boy. She stood dripping, but happy,
making no effort even to wring the wa
ter from her skirts. “I can’t under
stand why you chose to pull me out
instead of the fish.” she went on. “I
fear you are no true brother of the an
gle.”
“Well, you see. it was your fish, and
I wanted it badly.” Wilmer pleaded In
excuse.
The girl shook leer head. “That's a
question.” she said. “True. I hooked
the trout, with, oh. such a big worm
for bait, but I didn’t land him. Gran
dad will have to decide the point of
ownership. He used to be a judge,
you know, and is. I’m sure, much
wiser than Solomon.”
“Take mo to him at once.” Wilmer
commanded. The girl nodded and
darted along a footpath, beckoning the
others to follow. Soon they came upon
a red brick house with wide, hospitable
piazzas and open doors.
Judge Lane sat at ease there, smok
ing and dipping into a big shabby vol
ume of Izaak Walton. lie did not
seem shocked at Joe’s plight.
“You. miss, have no sort of claim to
the fish. You lost it disgracefully
through Eve’s sin of curiosity,” he
said. “As for those others, I think
they can settle it between them. But.
hark you. Jacky Ennis, you've made a
great catch—one that ought to be
wortli at least $2.”
Wilmer paid more, but the trout was
not sent away. Instead it was cooked
for dinner iu the Lane kitchen. And
some six months later Wilmer came
asking the judge for Josephine. The
old man listened in silence and at the
end said with twinkling eyes:
“Humph! It seems that fish case is
mighty hard to settle. What if you
did pull Joe out of the water—d’ye
happen to know she can swim like a
mermaid?”
“What has that to do witli it?” Wil
mer demanded. “You admit I did pull
her out. It was ou that ground you
gave Jacky the fish. Surely you don’t
mean to reverse yourself?”
“No. for if I did I might be re-re-
Shoes
LOT No. 2
Is composed of Ladies’, Children’s and
Bovs’ Shoes; odds and ends, broken
sizes, etc. Now
-50 Cents Pair
Winder, Georgia
versed.” the judge said. laughing soft
ly. “Besides, I’m a stickler for prece
dent. and Josephine always has had
her own way.”
When Furniture
Time Comes.
There are two words of advice
that all should remember —CIO
SLOW.
You may safely hurry when pur
chasing anew pair of gloves or shoes
or any article that you will he done
within a short time. |
But with furniture GO SLOW.'
You are buying for life.
We invite you to In? delilierate
ask questions,so that you may know
exactly what you are doing.
There’s our experienced to help
the inexperienced, and there’s a
carefullj chosen stock to do your
choosing from.
Nobody who buys furniture here*
ever regrets it. Like wine, our
furniture improves with age.
There’s a reason.
W. T. Robinson.
JAPANESE TEA A SLCCESS.
The Japanese Tea given by the
Ladies’ Aid Society of the Baptist
church last Thursday night was a
great success.
Everything was beautifully arrang
ed, the ladies, dressed in part as
Japanese, waited on the tables,
where they served oysters in various
ways*
Punch, coffee and other things
were served in various parts of the
hall. As reported unofficially to
us, the profits of the occasion
amounted to $109,00, which goes
for heating their handsome church.
The supper wasdine, and for a good
cause and everybody seemed highly
pleased.
Seed Oats For Sale.
000 bushels of genuine Appleton
Improved Seed Oats at SI.OO per
bu/hel. H. P. Hardigree, Winder,
Gtj., R. F. D. No. 19.