Show arm nap napp 3 i I GABRIEl I IA I A NOVEL Of 1 By By JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS 5 j 2 Copyright 1502 1 by Joel Chandler Harris Harrl I p thru I CHAPTER 1 Kettledrum and and Fife Before durinG and ami after alter the war var Shad Shady Dale presented always alwa's the same aspect of serene repose It was as as you ou ouma ma may t sa say ay a town with a t history When hen I Raleigh Clopton shortly after aler the signing of the treaty of or peace between I th the tho United States and Great Britain crossed the Oconee and settled on the I lends lands oC the hostile Creeks his friends declared that he heas was as tempting Providence Provi Provi- I I dence thrice and rind FO o o It seemed but the event proved IHO that from first to last his adventure adventure adventure ad ad- venture was under tinder r the tue direct guidance of Providence Raleigh Clopton risked everything and and gained c the mos most beautiful beautiful ful fui domain In all the land He lie had In Indeed indeed In- In deed dc-cd one storm stormy Interview with Gen ra the great Creek Creek chief and st statesman but after that all nIl was peace and prosperity Gen McGIllIvray ray was one of or th most mOt remArkable men of his time and his time was durIn during an era ern of or remarkable remark remark- able men Courageous and nd adventurous I himself he tie was no doubt attracted b by bythe bythe the UlC attitude and personality of the fearless Virginian He became the warm wars friend of Raleigh Clopton and marked that friendship b by deeding to the first white settler 2000 acres of or land Moreover he named the estate Shady Dale and allied aided Raleigh Clopton to establish es- es I I t. a trading pest where the courthouse courthouse courthouse court court- house of the town pow now stands and on ona a pine near b by he caused to be made the semblance of a I broken arrow a token that between the Creeks and the master of Shady Dale u a la lasting t ng peace haul hall been established This was the beginning When the multifarious and long lons treaties between the United States and the Creek nation had hall been signed and a general peace was assured Raleigh Clopton communicated with his friends in Wilkes Burke Columbia and Richmond Richmond Rich Rich- mond counties the counties the choice spirits who had fought by his side in the bloodiest battles battle's s of ot the thear ar nr for Independence Independence- informed them of ot his good fortune and invited them to share It The response was all that he could have hare desired His old friends and comrades lost no time in Joining him the him the the the the the Terrells the the Lumsden and later the friends 15 and relatives of oC these Take rake them all aU In nil all the men and women omen lio lio ho responded to the Invitation or of Raleigh Clopton may be described as I Ithe the salt of the earth They had nil all I women and men been subjected to the trials and hardships ot of a 0 war In which no quarter was asked or given Elven and their experiences had given gl them a astr str strength of or character and a n versa versatility In dealing with unexpected events c that could hardly r be matched elsewhere To each of those who responded to his Invitation in invitation In- In Raleigh Hale Clopton gave a part of his domain and laid out their settlement settle settle- meat ment for them Naturally the most Interesting feature feature feature fea fea- ture of Shady Dale was the Place It had been the home of ot the first settler and In iSO 1860 when Nan and Gabriel were enjoying their happl happiest st days It was owned and occupied by the theton son ton Meriwether ether Clopton In tho the pleasant weather It was a fa famIliar familiar familiar fa- fa spectacle to see ee Meriwether Clopton sitting on the wide lawn readIng readIng readIng read- read Ing VIrgil and Horace Homce two volumes of or which he never tired There were days long to be remembered remembered when the tue master of or Clopton Place read aloud to the children translating trans trans- lating as ns ho he went along alons and smacking his lips over the choice of words as though he lie were tasting a n fine quality of wine And the children felt the charm of these ancient verses and they soon came to understand why words written down centuries ago had power to take possession of or the mind SomethIng Something Something Some Some- thing of th the charm that th dwelt dwell all aU about the place had hall Its origin and center in Clopton himself His Ills years sat lightly upon him He had led an active and a temperate life and a hale and hearty old age was the fruit thereof there- there of so that that when hen the lads who listened to his mellifluous translations from the Latin poets were old enough to appreciate appreciate elate the qualities that go to make up upa a good man nian and an influential citizen the fact tact dawned upon their minds that ether Meriwether Clopton was wa the finest gentleman gentleman gen sen- the they had ever s seen en Well whatever serene repose stands for Shad Shady Dale possessed It In an eminent eminent emi emi- n nent mt degree and the people there had their full share of ot the sorrows and nd troubles of ot this world but of these Nan and Gabriel and Cephas knew nothing except in a vague Indefinite way They heard hints of or rumors and sometimes the they saw their elders ciders shaking their heads but the youngsters oun lived In a I I world of their own and anti the vague ru rumors rumors ru- ru mors molS were no more Interesting to them than the reports of oC canals on Mars are areto areto areto to the average per person perron on today today- The most serious trouble they had was not greater great great- er than that which they discovered one day on the Bermuda hill bill As thc they were sitting on the warm grass wondering how long before peaches would be ripe I the they saw a field mouse cutting up some some queer capers Nan Instinctively gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered up her skirts but she did not run nin h her r curiosity was ever r greater than her fear Presently we found that the troubles of or Mother Mouse were very real A tremendous black beetle had Invaded her nest and had seized one of her children a a. little bit of a n thing naked and red led and about the size of a ripe half mulberry The mouse was quite dead Cephas crushed the beetle Was Vas the beetle preparing to eat the mouse Tasma Tid said yes es but Gabriel Gabriel Gabriel Ga Ga- I briel thought not His Idea was that the mother mouse had attacked the beetle which had fallen in the nest ac ac- ac- ac I The rhe beetle striving to defend defend defend de de- de- de I fend Itself had seized the mouse be between between be- be I tween Its itA pinchers I But the Bermuda fields were not the only resource of or the children There were wOre seasons when Uncle Plato who was Clopton's carriage carriage- I driver came to town with the big wagon wag wag- on to haul home the supplies necessary for the plantation The appearance atthe of at the Clopton wagon on the public square I was hailed by these with delight They always made ninde a rush for I IH H it and In riding back and forth with Uncle Plato they spent some of of the I most delightful tents mon of or their lives These children had their critics es especially es- es I Nan who did not alwa always 9 conform conform conform con con- form to the rules and theories which have been set up for tor the guidance of ot I girls but Uncle Plato along with Gabriel Gabriel Gabriel Ga Ga- briel and Cephas accepted her as she i iwas was with all her faults fuits She and nd her I companions furnished Uncle Plato with I what au all tellers story-tellers have most de desired desired desired de- de sired since hairy man mm began to shave and squat around a common hearth hearth hearth-a a faithful and believing audience Not one of his vagaries was too wild for tor the acceptance of his small audience and the elusiveness of or his methods was a perpetual delight to Nan as ns hers was to Uncle Plato Once when we were all Ill rl riding back and anti forth from the Clopton Place to Shady Dale Nan asked Uncle Plato Ithe If It he could spell spen Continued tomorrow |