Show A WRESTLING MATCH HE village had bad awakened from its long sleep it bad shaken off of its lethargy and stepped forth into the light e and sun stin i shine to take up tip 1 w 1 j again life in the f tree r e e a air I 1 r u until antil the months should speed around and the harsh winds and the snows drive it back to a close kitchen and a stifling stove the antiquated sawmill saw mill down by the creek buzzed away with a vim that plainly told that the stream was swollen with the melted snows of the winter just past the big gristmill grist mill bumped and thumped in deep ni melodious clodious tones as though it were malting making an effort to drown the rasping discordant music st af its small but noi noisy a y neighbor the double doors of the store were wido wide open I 1 lad had all the other signs 0 spring been missing this tact fact alone would have indicated to the knowing it if the snow had not melted and the birds not come come back it was high time they did tor for those doors never stood open until the patriarch felt it in his bonos bones that the winter was gone arid and lie he could with safety leave the side of the stove stova within and migrate to the long hodg wooden bench on the porch to bask in the sunshine boys ho he raid at length its time were gittin out aein spring ties corne come with that lie be hobbled toward the door good Gran pap said the chronic loafer rolling ok off the counter and follo folio v in ing g then the old storekeeper opened both doors the old oak bench that lad had stood neglected through the long winter exposed to wind and warping rain gave a joyous creak as it felt again on its broad and knife hilife hacked back the weight ot of the patriarch and bis big friends and kicked up its one short hickory leg with such ve vehemence liemen ce as to cause the storekeeper to throw out his hands as though the world had dropped from under him and he was grasping at a cloud tor for support mighty souls he be cried when he be had recovered his composure and equilibrium libri um my illy oh ob my murmured the old lean acan his childlike child like face beaming with contentment as he sat basking in the bun tin dont the old bench feel good agin me ale an this oak board has ben buddies for fer nigh outer sixty year the season seemed to have infused new life into the chronic loafer as it had bad into all nature tor for he sudden eniy tossed oft off his coat with one leap cleared the slops and then tbell be began an dancing up and down in the road it aist makes a teller feller feel me like wras alin gran pap he shouted waving his arms definably natly at the quartet on the bench come on at this indisposition of these tour four to take up the gauntlet hs he had thrown down the loafer became still more brave and defiant Il edgins he sneered you uns Is afraid eh Naw thlu thin to be afraid of snapped the miller simply because Q t HE 1113 WENT springs come cz its ben comin ever since ince s I 1 kin remember I 1 halat a goin to waller round in a muddy road N nur ur I 1 auther growled the shoe calcei u well I 1 bantered yer an you enss all ter dead cried the loafer drawing on his coat and grinning triumph through hai bushy bushy whiskers come come said th be patriarch beating his stick on the floor to call the boaster to order et ef I 1 was five years younger id take your banter id druy your head inter the mud tell be of up at the store lei fez a year for fer fear some und shovel yer inter the road T bets what id do I 1 hates bates blowin I 1 do I 1 eltes blowin fur be it from me ma ter biow particular as I 1 was so methin of 0 a wrestler when I 1 was a young un I 1 1 11 I bet I 1 could W a showed you in less time on an it takes me ter set down the t he loafer said a as he seated himself on tho the steps and got out his pipe showed Th Ti owed vowed me eh all retorted the old man a thrived me would you well id a liked to hey hev seen you a th owin lowin me lie he shook his stick slick at the braggart bra Keart why you agu know inow thet hen I 1 was young 1 I was the best in ill the valley didn dian t you ever hear ot of tic the gi great giat at wr astlin me and simon cruller dose done up to swamp holler did noar act as empire asked the loafer what does you mean be of 0 noar an sech like when im tellin ot of wr astlin bryin to change the sub jec I 1 spose eh cried the patriarch me an sling cruller was buddies be began at length thet was tell we wa both mad kind of 0 set our minds on gettin becky bechy stump you tou una nver never seen her eh well debbe you never teen her grave stun it stands be the al derberry bushes in the buryin gronn grona an ef cf you balant seen it yer otter ter fer then ye might set get an idee what sorter it a woman mie was pretty why she sha was a model she was a perfect model hair you uns dont often see sich hair nowadays ez becky stump lied bed soft and mack black like eyes why they sparkled jest like they nas d is filled with new buggy paint an N nas as all watery like an mig mighty lity souls but she could plough ler fer she none of your modern girls as Is too proud to plough many a day I 1 set over on the porch at our place an looked down across the walley an seen her a along thoo the fiel an I 1 how id like ter hey hev one hanle while shed hey hev the other an wed go tram tramp pin ln along lifes furrow together the whole hole thin thins came to a pint at a bee up tip to swampy holler school continued the patriarch unmindful of the interruption becky stump was there an looked unusual pretty ter for it was cold outside an the wind had made her ter face all red on oil the drive over from home sime was there too togged bogged out in store clothes it take me five minutes to see thet sime cruller was trains to show olt off afore becky stump was trying ID 1 to prove to her that he was a smarter lad than me when intermission come sime he gits oil off in one corner an begins blowin to ti a lot of the boys I 1 heard him loud about me so I 1 steps over ile he sayd it was all a mistake that he could beat me at anything wr astlin or bishin ile ho was off agin tor for he talked loud like becky stump could hear an I 1 makes up ing mind I 1 stand his blowin see here sime cruller I 1 I 1 you uns is but a blow horn I 1 sais you cl claims altris you kin li why I 1 kin you in less time an it takes to tell it an it if you step outside out side ill prove me words you me ho he then he begin to laugh like hed lie die at the nerry idee with that we went vent outside toller foller ed by the rest of the boys they was a quarter moon overhead an the girls put two candles in the schoolhouse winder so with the snow we could see pretty well at it we went boys you otter a ben there you otter a seen it that was wr astlin when simo sime an me clinched I 1 fetched him roun the waist with me right arm an gits hold of the strap ot of his right boot with the forefinger ot of me left hand he ha atts his left arm aroun my neck an down my back somehow an with his bis right hand tears tho the buttons off me ma coat an grabs me in the armhole of me waistcoat waist coat over we goes like two dogs sn arlin an snapping sn appin while the boys in a ring aroun us cheered an the girls crowden crow din the schoolhouse porch trembled an screamed with fright we tArl twisted sted we turned we rolled over an over tell we looked like livin snowballs sime got off the boot id a holt on an gives me a sudden turn thet almost sent me on me back but I 1 was quick mighty souls but I 1 was quick I 1 ups lips with me foot an landed me heel beel right on his chist an ho he went alyin ten leet feet inter a snow bank kerain mo me coat sleeve with him lie he was lookin up at the moon when I 1 run up to him an id a hed bed him down but he turn efi ed over but I 1 was quick mighty souls but I 1 was wa quick I 1 kep hep me feet an gits one han ban inter his waistcoat pocket an hung to him whenever you wrestles wras wr astles lles git your man by the bootstrap or the pocket an you has the best they is et ef I 1 hedet a done thet I 1 might not a ben here today but I 1 done it an fer a full hour me an sime cruller rolled roun eien matched time an agin I 1 got sight of becky stump on the porch her hands gripped gr I 1 ppe d together her ter face pale her eyes almost her head she was batchin wat chin us so hard an the very nery eight ot of her urged me on to inhuman efforts it seemed to have the same effect on slime sime the blood begin to run both me nose holes an yit I 1 kep at it me heart beat so hard it made me buttons rattle still I 1 kep at it sime was so hot it was ter fer me jest like wr astlin with a stove an still we e kepl kep at it then all of 0 a sudden it was two hours after hed bed fust clinched everything seemed to swim I 1 teel feel no earth beneath I 1 only knowd that I 1 was still holdin on to sime then I 1 knowd naw than when NN lien I 1 came to I 1 was kayin be the stove art an becky stump vias mas leaning over me rubbin a snowball me forehead the other folks was stand ln back like ter fer they seemed to think thet after sich an exhibition hibi tion it was settled an all they hey want to disturb us becky I 1 whispers did I 1 win you did she you both fainted et doncet but you fainted on top an now I 1 spose hey hev me I 1 gals fer it seemed like illie there was wag in her eyes thet kinder urged me on she N was as quiet a pice an then she leans down an answers do you thin think I 1 wants to marry a flen fien no sir ill merry no man I 1 cant lick well cried the loafer well retorted the lie old man did elie lie ever Tn merry erry the patriarch shook his bead go look at the grave stun he ha said an on it see wrote ere bra lies becky stump hor her peaceful soule at rest |