Show DEIY FROM HOME I was resting on n log at n turn i the road which ran along the YadMn river with half a milo of the stream in full sightwhen I canght eight of a canoe corning corn-ing down It appeared to have broken adrift and as the current set it directly toward the marshy suet in front of mel waited and watched with some interest The craft finally drove into the reeds and came to a standstill and a minute later a mans head slowly appeared to view It was the head of a real live native na-tive long haired sallow faced high cheek bones unkempt whiskers and yellow yel-low teeth The head regarded me with surprise for a time and then a body came into view Its long arms dun colored i col-ored garments talon like fingernails stoop shoulders and long neck proved tim presence of a native cracker1 He gazed and I gazed and as he did not I j seem inclined to to the first to break the I silence I finally said Hello What are you doing there Stranger Ive bin driv from htun he replied in a voice so full of sorrow that I could aim os b seen burying ground L > behind him i He used a piece of board to paddle the I craft ashore A closer inspection revealed re-vealed that he was the essence of sorrow and dirt boiled down and caked hard Ho was six feet tall loose jointed lanky and evidently as lazy as he was loner Had I been sure that he was 1000 year old I would have bet one dollar to a shilling shil-ling that he had not combed his hair or washed his face for 9SO years He held out a paw like a washboard and greeted mo with Stranger eh Well old Bill Smith bids ye welcome Las mite he had a hum to take ye to and a cheer to sot out fnr ye and some pone and bakon to offer ye but this mornin he Inn only shake ye by the hand All is gone allis all-is gone Has some calamity happened I asked Some calamity has Ive been driv from hum stranger I haint got no place to lay my head no more cept in that than leaky canoe Thats bad Who did it Selntha sah and nobody else driv me right away from the hum in which I was born And Avhos Selutha My wife the woman who vowed to t love and cherish and support me Married Mar-ried her moren seventeen years ago and weve got five children and last mite she driv me from hum You had a fuss I suppose Purse Furse No we had no fnrse She jist lit down on me and pulled hair and clawed and said shed stood it long enough She driv me out in the cold world and I went to bed in the canoe cast her adrift and yore I am stranger Im wuss nor an orfun Wont you go back hum with me and argify to the ole woman How far is it Six miles and Ill take you up in the canoe Do it for me stranger Dont stand by and see a husband and father driv from his hum We got into the canoe and he used the paddle in a vigorous manner I sized him up as a lazy good natured native and it wasnt long before he gave himself him-self away Ar ye a lawyer he asked as we drove along up the river Something of one Good I was in hopes you was You can argify the ole woman in ten minutes min-utes What made the fuss Jist a notion o hem I haint well and cant work and shes got a notion I orter Jist tell her that I look like a man who wont live a year Tell her that hard work would break me down in a week Tell her you never felt so sorry fer any one in yer hull life We voyaged along for awhile in silence si-lence and then I noticed that the man was weeping He wiped the tears away and asked Stranger was ye ever driv from humtfever Never Then ye dont know how it breaks a feller down In argifying with Selutlia jist menshun that I wept wont ye Shes heavy on tears We landed at the bank below Smiths cause auoui iiuuu ciu ueciueu 10 remain re-main in the canoe until I should go up and argify I cut across a field to the road and approached the house from the front At the door was a broken gun and three or four steel traps which had been pounded out of shape I also saw a splintered powder horn and an old fur cap and there was a faint smell of whisky from some broken glass I found Mrs Smith to be a nervous little woman of 40 and the five children were like a pair of stairs in height I was very kindly received and after a little I made bold to say I met Mr Smith about six miles down the road What 3Ty ole Bill the onery mule demanded the wife Yes maam And didnt ye shute at Mm Oh no You otter Hes the lankest laziest shuddess man in Noth Carolina I run him out hist nite I shant truck with mm no mo Ho was telling me about it He felt very badly No Ole Bill felt bad about any thing Yes he actually shed tears when he thought he should never see yon and the children again Hills to bustin but what news Children hear that Your father shed din tears Did popbeller asked the oldest boy of me meYes Yes he cried Its impossible gasped the woman Why ole Bill was too lazy to even shed tears What did ha say He said you were the best woman on top of the earth and that five better children could not be found in the state He did And whut else And that ho didnt blame you although al-though ho did the best he could He hopes you will forgive him when you hear h of his death His death Is ole Bill gwine to drown hisself II shouldnt wonder Ho has moth big to live for now you know Mama driv pap out to die sniveled one of the children and all got together at the door and began to cry Stranger said the little woman as she came closer ole Bill was lazy and onery but I reckon I hadnt otter Ho was the father of them children and lie had some good pints Im a mind to garter g-arter him2 1 i Can you forgive him Sartin Ive smashed his gun an traps and fixings and Tm sorry Youll take him back I will Well hes down at the landing Sen one of the boys to call him Take bin i back on trial Tell him hes got to go t work or youll drive him off for good next time Lay the law right down anc let Mm know what to expect Smith soon arrived Ho came in nip ing his eyes and seeming very humble As he entered the door the wife stood with arms akimbo and looked him ovel and exclaimed Cum back eh All broke np was yet Slept in the ole boat all night did yel Now ole Bill you look right yere You kin cum back but the gun is gone tha traps is gone and the tarnal dog 12 drownled in the river From this day out you has got to work and be some body Do ye foller the track I dew Selutha Then you git fur that ax and then git fur the wood pile came weve got to pall up some dinner for this yore stranger stran-ger Dont you go fur to boss one of the childrer nor to think you kin run this house out you go fur goodn all Stranger squat on that rockin cheei over thar an Jiethusa you wash that skillet an git the bacon ready He thai was driv out has returned but hed bet ter step high an keep up athinkm M Quad in Detroit Free Press |