About The McDuffie progress. (Thomson, Ga.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1909)
This Is The FLOUR You have been looking for '* Sold by leading Grocers 1 A. J. CARR CO Sole Distributors MIIXEDGEVILLE, OA. Parker and Grogan COTTON FACTORS Opposite Cotton Exchange Augusta, Georgia. We give personal attention to all business entrust ed to its Liberal advances made on consignments* STEWART PLIINIZY. FERDINAND i'UINIZY. JAMES TOIilN. S PHINIZY&CO | COTTON FACTORS, 1 | AUGUSTA, GEORG 1A Ship Your Cotton To Spears & Pilcher (Successors to ]• H Spears ) Cotton Factors and Commission Merchants, Augusta, Georgia. Warehouse and Sales Rooms, No- 4 and 5 Warren Blook. Jackson (8fh) Street. A Farm Idul By TRANK II. SWEET Copyright, 1909, by American Press Asso ciation (Jr -v«Aw “ -v^r- A 'n/'^ ■? 1908 BANNEFJ YEAR, j Not -withstanding the panic and other business drawbacks, our sales were larger than any previous year. We are better prepared than ever to serve you and can give you your money’s worth every time. Agents for Sucrene Food. Arrington Bros. & Company, LEADING GROCERS, > 863 BROAD, ST., AUGUSTA, GA. j AUGUSTA. GEORGIA. Easy monthly terms for either SINGLE of COMBIN ED Course. Write for Particulars. '*'* 1 AIN'T ’cau.se I don't think lie’. noil enough. Tommie's the best nmn 1 ever had on till?- furm. 'Tain t Vau.M* of Um er ui-.f thing else, only lie euu't haw ni.v Susan, an’ 1 told him so this uiornln'." Tap Hildreth finished filling the oh: brown basket with potatoes and aros sillily from Ills knees. There was . peaceful. satisfied look on Ills seamei. face ns he Wiped his dirty Itaaids ot Ills freshly washed overalls and let hi eyes roam about him. •‘I'm comfortable,” he said, address Ing the old drab hen Hint was In dustrlously peeking holes in the l.tei low n-d tomatoes just beyond, "l'n comfortable well fixed." The hen lurneil her hack upon hln nml sent a spray of dost over the low wire fence with the unerring aim ol her kind directly in his face. The dirt settled in his hair am beard, and Pap Hildreth set his basket down and wiped his mouth on liL sleeve. Now. he. I’ap Hildreth, was a mode farmer not only to his family, but to everything on the farm. To this par ticular drab hen lie had always been kind and Indulgent. Time out of num ber had In* let her offenses' go unpun ished only because his heart was big and he could overlook little mistakes. She was a nuisance, too; he confessed it to himself now as he spat the grit out from beneath his teeth and watch ed her destroy whole hunches of red tomatoes. She had never acted like other hens that lie could remember and Ills acquaintance with liens was large. She had never laid an egg in her life. She had simply stood around wllli a proud, defiant air and waited for the other hens to do their work. Then she would proceed to clean up on the fruits of their labor. She a ti the eggs. She was an aristocrat-110 doubt of that. She was big nnd fat and sleek. Her comb was red as blood, nnd she fairly danced nnd pranced about, she was so full of life and spirits. “You sure do seem to bo enjoyin’ life," continued I’np Hildreth, coming over to the fence and looking over. He smiled at the hen from Ills lijis and heart and owe eve. The other had a gravel chip in It and couldn’t smile, rap Hildreth kept it closed. The hen lifted her head and listened without turning. Then she put her head Impudently on one side and said something sotto voce. A red flush stole up across Pap 1111- dreth’s already red neck and face. “If she didn’t say devil ns plain as 1 er any man kin say it, then my hear in’s gettln’ bad," he told himself. Now, as usual, I’ap Hildreth, being in an amiable mood, had addressed the hen in a gentlemanly way. Ho had simply said, “I’m comfortable well fixed." and that was all—nothing about such a remark for a hen to take objection to. and he knew it. lie didn’t like it a bit, but he simply grinned foolishly and turned to pick up bib basket. Then the drab hen said something that fairly made Ills short hair bristle —something that even he could not let go unchallenged. IIo heard it distinct ly and knew there was no mistaking. He returned to the fence. Ids heavy eyebrows knitted in a frown, and the hen turned and faced him. For a mo ment the two looked iuto one f another’s eyes; — then the be 11 turned her back upon him again with all a boss’ disdain and sent a lu n il f u I of gravel into his face at close quarters. It was a terri ble insult, an un pardonable one. Her life must pay the penalty. So decided I’np Hildreth, stand ing with lips drawn back from dust filled teeth and eyes tight closed nnd hands gripping either trousers leg In helpless frenzy. Hie she must, nml now—right now. She should live to make his life a terror not another minute longer thin lie couhl help. But how was he to accomplish his end? Any lien Is clever when it comes to the last “Lights out!" call. This particular hen he well knew would try all bis resourcefulness. He would deceive her. Yes. that wns the only way. IIo would let her think he considered her audacity elov er; be would go any lengths so thill her suspicions might not be aroused Then when she least expected It he would seize her aud pluck her neck feathers out one bj; one and with his own fingers force small particles of sharp gravel stones into her eyes. He would laugh at her helplessness and gloat—yes, that’s what he’d do, gloat- over iter helplessness. And he would take her life slowly, torturing her all the while. He might burn her to death, but slowly, or scald her in the big copper caldron, a little piece at a time. So far hla mind wns fully made up. Now he must proceed to act. So he whistled softly—whistled In a dusty, wlieezy treble—“Ole Zip Coon.” , He couldn’t see the hen, but be knew she bad picked up her hend to .listen. So be with gBCat difficulty scraped away at bis left eye until he had it clean enough to see a little. He still kept whistling, although every note gave him pain, nnd the dusty perspira tion running down his face was all that furnished the necessary moisture for his whistle. He stopped whistling nnd began to hum “There Were Ninety anil Nino" ns he squeezed himself through the fence, keeping his eye on the lion. “Poor man!” she said, sidestepping a yard or two nnd smiling at him. “Cuss you!” whispered'l’ap Hildreth. ".Test you wait!’’ The hen, which had been scratching In time to his whistle, said something softly to herself nnd looked so pleased that all the dormant evil In Pap Hil dreth’s nature thut had slumbered on “Poor iuanl" she chuckled. awoke with a start. Henceforth his one object in life was to destroy her. “Chookle, chookie, cliookle!” be call ed softly. "Poor chookie! Come aud get some corn." He threw a handful of dirt about his feet, and the hen stood on one foot and craned her neck. “Poor man!” she chuckled and recommenced opera tions on the tomatoes. Her back was toward lilm, nnd Pap Hildreth got down on Ills hands and knees and crept toward her. Nearer and nearer he drew until the prize was within Ills grasp. Oh. glory of glories! I-Ie reached out nnd. with the words “L>ang you—now I’ve got you!” made a grab at her. Alas that it should be the part of man to simply propose! The lien sidestepped again and sought the other side of the row of vines. Pap Hildreth lay still aud said things to himself. lie mnde up Ills mind now that when he caught the hen he would pluck her feathers out one by one and tie her down to a bed of ants. And he would catch her. This lie vowed. “Chookie, chookle!” he cried, softly extending one bare arm toward her. A yellow moth settled down und alighted on his arm. Glory! The hen saw the moth and was creeping toward It. Now he would have her sure. Just let her within his reach, and— She came slowly, trustingly, the yei- low moth her loadstone to destruction. At last she was there. Ho would wait for her to make a reach for the moth. Then he would grab her by the neck; he would jab one of her eyes out with his finger. Yes, he would take that much revenge at once. She came, and— Pap Hildreth felt a sharp pain, as though his arm was poked by u redbot iron, nnd, lo, she was away again, the yellow moth fluttering In her beak! Human flesh can endure but so much, nnd I’ap Hildreth’s stock of patience was exhausted. The drab hen had pecked Pap Hil dreth on the muscles of the forearm, leaving n puncture from which oozed a little trickle of blood. Noting this. Pap Illldretb cast strategy to the winds nnd sprang to his feet, with a growl. "I might shoot her." he muttered, slipping his gulluses down nnd tying them about ills waist, “only it ’ud be too easy a death for her. I wanter torture her. so I’ll run her down, 1 will, by gosh!" Accordingly he made a dash for the hen, aud the hen made a dash for the fence. She went through with flyiug colors. Through the fence she went, and through the fence Pup Hildreth followed, puffing like a steam engine, ▲oross the potato patch they raced and down the path to the barnyard. The beu dashed around the straw stack, nnd Pap Hildreth, with the su perior wisdom of mankind, circled the stack in an opposite direction so an to meet the drab lien on tbe other side. She Came sailing around, her beud over her shoulder und her wings spread wide. Pap Illldretb made a grab for her aud tumbled pellmell over a fam ily of little pigs bulf bidden lu the straw. He was too much out of breath to do any damage to the small pigs; other wise it might have fared badly with them just ut this time. When he got his wind back they bad wisely taken tliemselves asvay, and the drab hen he saw quietly disappearing - be neath the drive shed. Armed with n two tiued fork. Fnp II it d r e t ti made his way la boriously to the shed and peered underneath It. All, fate was kind Indeed, for w- t h e <1 r a b h e n was there, sure enough. She had settled down, as she thought, se cure from all dan ger beneath the shed floor. Pap 1-Illdreth judged that he « o 111 d easily reach her with a fork. He tried it. If lie could but impale Oh, oh /” rjrunneU Pap Hildreth. her In its tines he would have the shed torn down If nec essary In order to get at her. No; the fork was just a trifle short. He work ed his head and shoulders under the sjied. Ha, ha! Now lie could spear her easily. Just at this juncture a flock of sheep came round the corner of the shed and gazed wide eyed ut the strange sight of a fat little man fanning the air with his logs. The proud leader of the flock went forth to investigate. Reach ing over to sniff at the waving feet of Pap Hildreth, this particular sheep received a kick under the jaw that made him see all kinds of green and blue balls and stirred deep resentment within his breast. Accordingly he backed away nnd came against Pap Hildreth's exposed person with such force as to drive the poor man under the shed, wedging him between the ground and the shed floor so tightly that lie could scarcely budge, let alone breathe. “Oh. oil!" groaned Pap Hildreth and kicked out lustily, only to receive a more violent shock from the old rum. Pap Hildreth lowered his legs and lay still. lie could feel the hot sun on the calves of his logs, which were exposed owing to the fact that his trousers had slipped up 011 them. Then the little pigs came over to Investigate, too, und rubbed their moist noses on those calves until poor Pap Hildreth lmd to lift his legs again, which was (lie signal for another onslaught from the ram. How long he lay there helpless he never knew. It seemed hours 10 him, wedged in as he was so as to lu* scarce ly able to breathe and receiving at reg ular intervals a shock from the old ram. He gave himself up to fate. He was sure he would die unless help soon came, and there was little hope of it, as lie was on the south side of the* shed, nnd even If anybody did by chance happen to come into the barn yard lie might never he seen. Hi* tried to shout, but W* was too tightly wedged in. He could hardly breathe, let alone call. The old drab hen had looked around at him and called him some more names, after which she had sniil goedby and left him. After wlint seemed hours to him Pap Hildreth heard a voice ns coming she was walking the floor, white with terror and anxiety over Vlnnie. She bad not been seen since leaving him nnd her father at the gate. On to ; whore he had seen tbe figure In pink. Site must have taken refuge some* where. What if— He could not get be- 1 yond the "if.” She must be found. S0011 it ccuscd raining, and' on he ; kept, stumbling over uprooted trees, fallen branches, Jumping over pools of ■ water, calling tier name over und over , again: back through the woods, this I lime In another direction, j “Vlnnie! Vlnnie!” Suddenly In an- ! Kwer to his call he heard a response. ( faint and far off. He called again and looked around. The field was level. Nqtlilng wns In sight But the call came ngnln, this tlmj} \ygti tjiort^ • ” * tinctness. Tiieur he saw her. Over in the next field very near tbo ceuter stood a solitary elm, the lowest brunch at least ten feet above his bend. On that Bhe was perched, ber pink dress clinging to her figure lu long, dripping folds. There wasn’t a bit of dignity or cloud effect about her. A great glad ness surged uj» and through him at the sight, and be leaped the fence, hastening toward the tree. “What nrp you up that tree for?" he railed out cheerily. “Wlint a terrible storm It was!” she answered. "1 wns walking in onr pasture, and all of a sudden it grew dark. I heard that rushing nnd rolling, and I was caught up and carried through the air just like a piece of paper. Then I felt myself coming down anil down and down. Then the branches caught me, and the rain be gan to pour. When It grew light 1 was in the very tip top of the tree, and f managed. t« climb down this far my self, but I can’t get any farther. Help me, please, Ben." He folded his arms. looking up at her sitting there on the brnneh. "It looks as though you wore quite comfortable there," he snld. “Of course you’re pretty wet. but it’s warm, nnd wetting won’t hurt this weather. Let’s talk things over. What’ll you give me for release?” “Don’t bother, Ben. Help me down. Looking up ut her. “Pull me out, Tommie!” from a long distance—two voices, in fact—to which he heard his daughter. Ills own flesh aud blood, the darling of his old age, reply: "Make him promise first, dear.” "Pull me out," supplicated Pap Hil dreth weakly. “For heaven’s sake, pull me out, Tomtnle!” “Kin I have Susan?” came the re sponse. "Yes, you kin. o« one condition." faintly replied Pap Hildreth. “Make him name it,” said the other voice. "Name It." said, Tom. "If you’ll catch mo that old hen," answered Pap Hildreth. "I’ll do it,” said Tommie. And he ■lid. .1 stopped and pointed. it’s getting dark, and mother will bo so anxious." “It isn’t as dark as it wns a little while ago. I guess I better go to tbo house anti tell your mother you're all right. When your father gets borne from the village he can come after you unless you’re willing to make terms. What’ll you give me to help you?" She was near crying, but was too plucky to show It. It wasn’t like him to treat her in this way. Wasn’t it enough that he had chopped down her trees, anil now— “What do you want?’’ she demand ed. “It's mean of you to treat me so. if it’s money you want”— “I want you to take back what yon said at the gate. Will you marry me if I help you upw?" Her eyes flashed. "No. I will not. I’ll keep my word If I stay here for- evqr^ and I’ll never marry you until you own that those hickory and maple trees are on my father's land.” For auswer be came under the treo with arms outstretched. “Drop,” he said. “I'll catch you so you can’t get hurt. Just take bold with your band and then drop down.” “I’ve done that many a time.” she replied, and in a moment more she was on tbe ground. “Vinnle,” be said, talking ber arm and tucking it through hTs. “I’ve been looking those trees over since I left your father tills afternoon, und I’m perfectly willing to testify that I be lieve they are entirely on your father’s land.” Then they went home together, drip ping wet, but wondrously happy. But) as they neared the Ileame farmhouse Ben stopped nnd pointed where the rows of hickory and maple irees had been standing. From those his finger moved to a great heap cf twisted branches and uprooted tree trunks ly ing at the corner of tbe'kitchen porch. “Don’t you think. Vinnle," he asked, “that even my father will be willing, under the circumstances, to confess judgment?” She gave a little cry. “Oh, Ben,- there isn’t a single one le ( ft! Every— every one is gone and both our or chards!"
