Show t P A al ts the ives family including andy kate kat hope dave and granny take ft a home given iven free to homesteaders who will cultivate the land tor for the state immediately trouble arises since andys home was formerly used as a hunting lodge the hunters sig flanagan sheriff martin and game warden sam bragg attempt to implicate andy in the illegal act of killing a doe but decry a negro idiot living in the extreme wilderness upsets their plans by running off with the animal before it can he be found on andys land big halleck a handsome young neighbor offers the ives a cow tor for milk birdie webster another neighbor warns kate about big t CHAPTER XIII afe was a tall lank man with deep set blue eyes the long thin face of an idealist and reformer and a chin that jutted butted both forward and sideways throwing his face a bit out of line and seeming to give extra emphasis to his firm statements he wore faded black well well and this is brother iveal he said in a sonorous voice we have great joy in welcoming you to our community suh thank you mr colann andy said wincing a little as the caller gripped his hand band with powerful bony fingers we brother colann the preacher corrected him 1 I do the work of the lord out here among the do gators and I 1 am a brother to all men you must come and worship p with us brother ives you and your dear ones well when we get straightened around I 1 guess well be coming to church some andy said he had never been a particularly ardent follower of 0 the cloth although he had bad been a church member since childhood weve got so much to do right now that we may be working on sundays some such labor will not prosper you brother colann declared on this rock the lord said 1 I have founded my church he was speaking of peter the point is brother ives that the church is our rock and support and we must cleave unto it firmly paul said ah a voice broke in good morning how are you reverend colann Co wann it was mr eliot who had arrived at a point behind the minister his pale blue eyes twinkled mischievously and a corner of his mouth twitched as it if the old fellow might be restraining secret amusement 44 shod ai d morning eliot brother C cn said gaid in a grave ringing tone how are you suh sub oh tolerable I 1 suppose mr eliot informed him dont let me interrupt your visit with mr ives just dropped over to see if I 1 could help a little A worthy move the preacher said laid and he turned back to andy it was plain that reverend mr colann had a marked distaste for mr eliot andy had noted the lack of brother in the greeting something unpleasant lay between those two of that he be was sure the work went fast now and within a few days the new room was completed the new root was on the flooring had been put down and the Darn leys had struck a good stream of water at forty feet old man an darnley had said that the tc 3 was wa s usually found at about t even feet and pointed out that the slight rise on which the cabin stood accounted for the difference it was hard water though and when it stood overnight in a bucket a reddish deposit was left on sides and bottom soap virtually refused to lather in it and white clothes came from the tub with a grayish cast I 1 well get a water softener outfit some time andy promised they dont cost a lot on the day when the work was I 1 fl finished mrs webster who had been loyal throughout lending aid and endless conversation daily said it would be a lot of fun at the housewarming the floors stout enough now fer the dancin she told hope be a good way fer you to meet the young set we intend to have a warming hope told her but I 1 dont know just what night why not saturday night kate asked the sooner the better you better find out it if hank butler can be here to play the bittar with mr flipp he plays all round an he be may have his promise out for saturday night ill speak to andy kate promised an you better git pete hoskins to call birdie suggested to call what the sets my goodness you got to have a caller ohl ob birdie rubbed a plate for they were doing the dinner dishes and studied hopes profile with her probing eyes Is the jersey givin enough milk fer you all she asked ca casually about enough we get a little more each day the calf takes some of course 1 I biall come to the 11 flipp brings in some bad news oh I 1 guess so invited to such things arent they he granny corrected her watch your english young lady who birdie asked not catching the point of grammar oh I 1 just crossed up a singular and a plural hope turned it off not wishing to explain we have bigelow halleck here tor for the occasion im not advising ad you one way or the other mrs webster said cautiously tiou sly but well weli you do what you want to do about it are there many girls my age around here hope asked not many you see when a girl gits your age out here she marries an tries to make herself worthwhile oh then one like me much of anybody is she lordy I 1 mean thakill that and birdie almost dropped a white saucer in her confusion 1 I meant that theres so much to do an evee ever man needs a woman helpin him an them that dont help is bastin themselves they selves what I 1 meant my its certainly something to think about hope said cutting a look at granny who was contentedly churning before the fire in the main room Hank canku 11 like you birdie said bluntly hope shuddered you think so 1 I just bound you he will an they aint many in this country anywhere that can pick the bittar like him either ile he played on the radio once Is there a broadcasting station at newcastle yes him an mr flipp was on one saturday night hank sung too hes got an awful sweet voice it pretty nigh makes you cry when he sings the one about the boy in jail who had drove a cold cold knife in the heart of his sweetie mr flipp came late that after noon with two items of interest one was a bit of news he had picked up in town that day the other had its source elsewhere sig flanagan he told andy Is bryin all of ed briggs hogs out here in the swamp he tor tol me he was a hundred more in these woods an he wants me to sort of look after em irm hm andy grunted thinking hard this was a bit of bad news for he was already expecting trouble with the hogs next spring it would be hard to deal with sig flanagan will you see after them for him P 1 I tol him id be too busy to fool with hogs then he said hed give me all the fresh meat I 1 could use durin the winter but I 1 tol it if brought much more meat andy said after the guests had gone I 1 id have to build a smoke house sure good to him id keep on sho otin my fresh meat as long as my trigger finger was hell git somebody though to look out ter fer them hogs say you know these woods be a mess with another hundred shoats roamie emlo hope learns to square dance and think how be when the sows bows have litters andy added well be overrun with hoesl have to be some tight fence done Sp eakin of litters im goin to have another batch 0 pups on my hans bans that so andy glanced at the ribby jessie bell now lying with bugler near the end of the house he wondered it if mr flipp would force another pup on him in due time but that worry would have to wait its turn it was after all only a minor complexity in the fascinating pattern of building their new lives in the swamp the housewarming was a great success from two standpoints there was considerable loot in the way of fresh and cured meat sweet potatoes eggs butter canned fruit and vegetables plus other palate tickling trivia such as homemade molasses candy three pound cakes and some pies and there was a crowd so that the met most of their neighbors fortunately the evening was not too cold so that everybody have to pack into the house at one time about a third of the men and boys remained outside talking smoking and enjoying rough horseplay and wandering into the house from time to time as some of the other guests came out mr flipp and hank butler made the music and pete hoskins called the sets in a piercing nasal voice what he be lacked in melodious tone he made up in rhythm and volume he sang his back country rhymes in a monotone that followed rhythm but not the pitch of the music yet the cadences and intricate word patterns of his calling were so varied that the effect was neither discordant nor monotonous hope and dave understand more than an occasional word of what he said but the dancers were used to him and followed his directions easily mr flipp was in his glory he stood most of the time a sad look on his narrow face his bow working in swift short strokes his right foot patting out the time there was no shading of loud and soft very little variation of the swift tempo bright clear notes fell from the jiggling bow filling the room it was the old time music of pioneer people some of the tunes had come to this country from england and ireland had comforted early settlers in massachusetts chu and virginia and accompanied their descendants in their migrations westward there were tunes that once swirled upward among the sparks of campfires camp fires circled by covered wagons there were tunes that had bad echoed earlier from Alleg henys cliffs tunes rich with living of a young growing america hank butlers guitar throbbed beneath the voice of the fiddle always chording always ready for any change of rhythm the guitar made a basket of sound for the fiddle notes to fall into like bright crackling sparks hank crouched over his instrument fingering dexterously terou sly the stub of a cold cigarette between his lips he seemed tireless during the brief intermissions he rolled fresh cigarettes and smoked great draughts often hope found his intense dark eyes on her during the music and each time she felt a strange sensation of cold shivering along her spine once to break his eyes loose from her she smiled at him he looked startled for an instant but he did attempt to smile back he struck his chords more loudly for several measures afterward andy square danced since he was a boy but he joined in the tun fun so did kate under protest the websters were in their set and birdie was far more agile than harley her expression of nervous anxiety seldom changed for it seemed that she was mortally afraid of making the wrong move birdies a awful good dancer harley bragged reens beens good too he added glancing toward a group of younger ones proudly dont dave dance daves too bashful to get out here and try it kate told him hell learn sometime I 1 guess why the boy ought to be le arnin now hes big enough to be a havin some fun he sought dave out with his quick eyes and found him standing against the wall near the musicians hey dave grab you a gal an swing do si dol dave paled he had feared this moment A dry feeling tight and hot at once seized his throat he shook his head oreen harley rasped in the tone of a man who will permit no unhappiness in his presence go drag dave onto the floor an make irn im dance Gosha mighty he shore cant learn no you younger figer oreen a light in her eyes started tor for dave but dave at the same moment started for the door got to see a boy he called and he disappeared in the darkness hope caught on quickly to the intricacies of the square dance she was in the set with bigelow halleck at his invitation and he proved to be a good teacher the touch of his big warm hand gave her an odd confidence and at the same time another sensation that she quite describe the nicest part came when pete called swing your partners tor for she was as light as thistle when big obeyed the command and more than once he swung her completely off her feet she had the feeling of flying of flying in the safety of the strongest arms she had ever known but whenever she happened to look toward the musicians she found hank butlers black eyes fastened on her and every time she caught birdie webster looking her way that meek and relentlessly apologetic persons eyes spoke shocked disapproval the close of a perfect evening mr eliot and granny sat watching the dancers talking occasionally once in a very courtly manner he asked if she would like to join in a set but she thanked him and said it had been too long since she had square danced mr eliot laughed and said he never had so for all but dave it was a pleasant housewarming if brought much more meat andy said after the guests had gone id have to build a smokehouse sure good to us 1 and just think granny put in her fine face shining with the thought that had struck her if gertrude and wilton had bad sent tor for me to come and live with them id have missed all this why ive seen and felt more real living out here in this swamp than those two will ever know but youve less comfort in feeling it kate said with a smile real living all comfort there are hard spots and there are places where you feel theres no use trying any more then when you do keep trying and get past those places you get a glory out of the smooth road youve won it was a nice thought and grannys grandys Gr annys way of saying it sent a warm chokey lump into andys throat TO BE CONTINUED 4 7 |