The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, October 18, 1913, Image 2
*****
FRAN
MECKBNIUDCB
iixis
Illustrations by
O. irwtu Myers
The tnoon had not been laughing at
them long, before Fran looked berk
over her shoulder end seid, es If he
bed ipeken, "HUH, i d like for you to
know i bout It."
He eutckened his step to regain her
etda, but was oppressed by an odd
sense of the abnormal.
"Although." she sdded Indistinctly,
"it doe* n't matter.**
They walked on In silence until, sit?
ter prolonged hesitation, he told her
quietly that he would like to hear all
she feR disposed to tell.
She looked at him steadily: -Can
yoe dilute a few words with the weter
of your loiaglaatton, to cover a life?
Ill speak the words, if you hare the
imagination."
As he looked Into her eyes, all sense
of the abnormal disappeared. "I hare
the Imagination, Fran." he exclaimed
Impurstrely. "If it ts your Hfe,"
?Tn eptte of the lions?" she asked,
almost sternly.
"You. need a't tell me a word," Ab?
bott said. "1 know all that one need
know; It's written In your face, a story
of sweet innocence and brave pa?
tience."
"But t want you to know/*
"Ooodl" he rspited- with a Sudden
statte? Tell the story, then; ft you
srere an Odyssey, you couldn't be too
iong." ; mas rasi % w?u
"The ?rst thing I retaember la wak?
ing up to feel the car Jerked, or
stopped, or started and seeing lights
flash past the windows?lanterns of
the bra kernen, or lamps of some town,
dancing along the track. The sleeping
car wee home?the ocriy home I knew.
All night long there was the groan lag
of the wheete, the letting off of steam,
the calls of the men. Bounder Broth
ere had their private train, and moth?
er sad I lived In our Pullman car. Aft?
er a while 1 knew that folks stared at
us because we were different from oth?
ers. We were show-people. Then the
thing wee to look like you didn't know, ,
nr *Mn't rare, low much p*<?plo
stared. Alt*! ?hn?. r found out tiat I
bad no father; hu'd deserted mother,
and her uncle had turned bor out
doors for marrying against bis wishes,
aud shod have niarved If It hadn't |
been for the show-people."
"Dear Fran!" whispered Abbott ten- '
derly.
"If other hsd gone to Chi -ago, hoping
for a peer .ion fn some respectable of?
fice, but they dlrtn*. went u typewriter
who wasn't a stenographer. It was
winter?and mother had me?I wee so |
little) end had I . . . II. a cheap
lodging house mother got to know La
Gonlsetti, and she persualed mother
to wslt with her for the season to open
upk then go with Bounder Brothers;
they were wintering in Chicago. It;
wee such a kfnd of life is mother had
never dreamed of. but tt was more
ceavealent than starving, and she
thought it would give her a chance to
line father?that traveling, all over the
oosotry. La Gonlsetti was a lion
tan er, and that's what mother learned,
and those two were the ones who
could go Inside Samson s cage. The
life wee awfully hard, but she got to
like it. end everybody was kind to us,
snd money came pouring la. and she
wee alwsye hoping to run across a clue
te my fether?ead sever did."
8he paused, but st the pressure of
Abbott's sympathetic hand, she went
on with renewed courage:
I
"When I was big enough, I wore a
tiny black skirt, and a red coat with
shiny buttons, and I beat the 'urn
la the carnival band. You ougbt to
have eeen me?eo tittle. . . . Ab?
bott, you can't Imagine how little I
weal We had about a dosen small
shows In our company, fortune-tellers,
minstrels, magic wonders, and all that
?and the band had to march from one
tent to the noxt, and stand out 1n front
and play, to get the crowd In a bunch,
so the free exhibition could work on
their nerves And I'd heat away. In
n*y red eont . . . end there wore
alweye the strange faces, staring, Ster?
in??bat I wee so little! Sometimes
they wov d smile st me, but mother
had tsugnt me never to speak to any?
one, but to wear a glased look llko
this?"
"How frtghtfully cold!- Abholt
shivered. Then he laughed, and so did
Fran They hid entered LH tie on rg.
He added wtekedly: "And how dread
fully near we are getting to your
Fran gurgled. "Wouldn't Orsce Nolr
Jest die If she could see us!"
That sobered Abbott; considering
his official position, It seemed high
time for reflection
Fran resumed abruptly. "Rut I nev?
er really liked H becaeeo what I want?
ed was a home?to belonic to some?
body Then I got to hntlrg the bold
stare of people's eyes, snd their fool
lah gap tig mouths, I hated being al?
ways on exhibition with every gesture
Watched, ss If I'd been one of the
trained dogs I bated the public 'i
wanted to gat away from the world?
cl**r SWgy from everybody . . .
like I tin now . , . with you. Isn't
it great!" _
; g " ? ?; ?;
"Mammothr Abbott declared, ca?
tering her words with liberal Imagina?
tion.
"I must talk fast, or the Oregon
house will be looming tip at ?b.
Mother taught me all she knew, though
ehe hated books; ehe made herself
think she was on'v in the show life
till she could make a little more?al?
ways Just a little more?she really
loved It, you see. But I loved the
booko?study?anything that wasn't
the show. It was kind of friendly
when I began feeding Samson."
"Poor little Nonpareil!" murmured
Abbott wistfully.
"And often when the show was be?
ing unloaded, I'd be stretched out in
"Poor Little Nonpareil I" Murmured
Abbott Wistfully.
oar sleeper, with a school book pressed
eeoee to the cinder-specked window,
catching the first light When the
mauls were pounding away at the teat*
pine, nay be I'd hunt a seat on some
cage. If It had been drawn up Under a
tree, 01 maybe it'd be the ticket wag?
on, or e von the stake pile?there you'd
sea ms studying aWay for dear 1 Me,
dressed In a plain little dress, trying
to took like ordinary folks. Birch a
queer little chap, I was?and always
trying to pretend that I wasn't!
You'd have laughed to see me." .
"Laughed at you!" cried Abbott In?
dignantly. "Indeed I shouldn't."
"Nor* exclaimed Fran, patting his
arm impulsively.
"Dear little wonderP* he returned'
conclesrveiy. ? V j
"1 must tell yon about one time," ahe
continued gaily. 4,yVe were in New I
Orleans at the Mardl Ores, and. I was j
expected to come Into the ring riding
Ham son?not the vi clous old lion, but
cub-- that was long after my -days of i
the drum and the red coat, bless you!
as a lion-tamer, now. nearly tblr
teal years old, if you'll believe me. ?
Well? And what was I saying?you |
keep looking so friendly, you make me .
forget myself. Ooodness, Abbott, it's
so much fun talking to you . . .
I've never mentioned all this to one
soul in this town . . . Well?oh,
yes; I Was to have come into the ring,
riding Samsdn. Everybody was watt?
ing for me. The sand neatly blew it
telf black In the face. And what do
you think was the matter?"
"Did Samsoh balk?" P .
"No, It wasn't that I was lying.on
the cage floor, with my head on Sam*
eon?Samaon the Second made such a j
gorgeous and animated pillow!?and'I
WsS teaming geology. I'd Just found
out that the world wasn't made in sev?
en United States days, and It was;
euch surprising news that I'd forgot-!
ten all about cages and lions and tents
? if you could have eeen me lying
there?If you Just could P*
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
PREACH Efts GET $."?00 A YE Alt.
Many MethodM Minister* Do not Get
More Than That Amount for Ser?
vice.
Washington, Oct. 15.?More than
I M)4 Methodist ministers in the
United states preach and work a ysai
r.u- Isss than 16Of. This was the re?
port of the bureau of eustsnanee
When the board Of managers of .the
Msthodksl Woman's Homo Missionary
society began Iti Bind annual meeting
here. The bureau lamented thut
SSJStl a state ol affairs COUld exist.
in her annual address, Mrs George
O. Robinson of Detroit, president of
the hoar 1 denounced the law recent?
ly paased In Florida prohibiting
Whites from teaching negroes and
negroes from teaching whites.
EM'OIH I MI NT BILLS I P.
\o11 I it111? ? i- Measure* Laid Before
Rot If Hi nn< lies of Tennessee Cien?
end
N.mhYille Tenn., Oct 14. -Three
lull? designed to strengthen the en?
rol ement of laws against the sale ni
Hguor, tonight were Introduced in both
houses ol the Tei nessse general as
sembly which met yesterday In Its
i.n<i session, 'rites,, bills would
prohibit the shipment of liquor Into
the Rtate or from bne county fco an?
other and it will also author-'
lie Hit removal ol county ->tui mu
nlelpal officers for failure to enforce
the prohibition lawt nnd make sa<
loons "public nuisances." m
Both bosses vrere quiet and order
i>. a bitter titfhi la eapocted ovsr
the attempt In lake from the speak?
er of the house power to appoint com
mlttses.
DANCE TANGO FOU COURT.
j. -h
Dancing Teacher aiul Pupil Per?
form as Witnesses in Trial of Suit.
Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 15.?As part
of Asa Anderson's injunction suit to
restrain the city from barring the
] tango at bis dancing school, Ander
, son and a young woman gave a tango
j exhibition in a hall beneath common
' pleas Judge Vickery's court room late
j today. Anderson's suit is directed
; against City Dance Hall Inspector
Meyers.
' Anderson and young woman pupils
j danced the onl" real tango, accord'ng
to Anderson's description.
Judge Vickery tomorrow will, in
nounce his judicial opinion. This aft?
ernoon he gave it a nod of approval, j
I
A Modem I>ay Fable.
Kembert, Oct. 14.?I have been
rummaging around in my noodle ami
came across this "Once upon a time
a gre U churchman, greatly annoyed I
by the thieving.of "Culfie" struck up-1
on the plan of employing only preach- j
ers. He soon had occasion to con-1
gratulate himself on the w isdom of j
this cause, for every night he could
I
hear them hymning the praises or
Jehovah and calling mightily on Him
in pra.yer, it loud talking miy bo so
esteemed. He took precautions
agains. rogues, but now they were
e 11 outside the camp. It was.hardly
possible he wo ild have .this annoy?
ance. What a blessed thing was god-j
liness and bow glad was he that his I
plantation was vocal with the wor-!
ship of Godv Surely an era of better
times, of brighter days, was upon
him. But these roseate visions were
brought to a sudden termination by
the disappearance in one night of his
big Dominecker rooster and a lino fat
pet pig, whose , whereabouts, not
eves to the , faintest trace, were not
i revealed by the most diligent inquiry
and search. Investigation discovered
othQr thefts so that he became doubly
watchful, but tx* no purpose. Never
before.had hp been foiled., At last,
he suspected the preachers, but they
continued, to pruy tad sing as regu-1
larly as the nights came. He had j
about despaired of overtaking thci
rogues when, he happened to notice!
that these devotions (?> never oc-f
eurred at the time of his own lam-,
ily devotions. The following night |
when his family was praying he waa^
watching With the result that hey
captured two as pious (?) old ras-1
cals as he ever saw.
There used to walk about in this
land of ours, an old rascal vho at j
night, sang, sang, sang, till iHe bills;
echoed his voice again. On Sunday
nights it was heard in prayer for he'
had a powerful net of lungs. Jn those*
days there was some stealing done!
that was shrewdly managed. He was,
suspected, but no trace of his guilt j
could be found. At least a blind man
captured him.
Some one has been stealing cotton
III our community again, but v ho?
Lots of cotton to open yet
The rains retarded the opening
and farm work.
In commendation of Bathesda
Church, it may be said that though
weak numerically and financially it,
has a woman's missionary society
that counts for something and a Sun-,
day school that supports an orphan. ;
Let others take duo notice thereofi
and govern themselves accordingly. ?
"Hag >od." j
_j
The Youth's Companion in lull.
Seven college presidents and a ,
number of college instructors, in-,
eludLeg ex-President Taft, will con-1
tribute to The Youth's Compandor!
during CU4.
Then there is*Gene Stratton Porter, (
whose stories of Indian wools and j
swamps have made her famous, and
KatS Douglas Wiegln? who never
wrote a dull line in her Iffe, and Mrs. ^
Burton Harrison, who remembers j
when conversation was really an art (
as practised in Washington and in the
manor houses of Virginia. And this,
Is just a beginning of the list.
If yotl know The Companion, yoUj
nave a pretty dear Idea of what Is[
in store fOff next, year's readers. [f
you do not know, ask us to send you
sample copies?for instance, those
containing the opening chapters of
Arthut Stun wood Bier's line serial
? His ?Tether's son." Full announce?
ment for will be sent with the
sample copies.
For the year's subscription of $-.00
there is included The Companion
Practical Home Calendar for 1914,
and all the issues of the paper for
the remaining weeks of 1913 dating
from the tune the subscription is
received, .
The Youth's Companion,
114 Berkeley St., BOStOn, MASS.
New subscriptions received ill this
office.
Ran Francisco recently received Its
lirst cargo of lumber fioni the Tongas??
national forest. Masks, The shipment
consisted of 1,600,000 feet of Sltka
- Js [ '^f^
THE WRECK
STORE
TIE WRECK j
STORE j
SPECIAL
F?r Saturday and Monday.
Ladies* Coats, worth 4t\^X AO
to $15.00, to go at |J"0
Ladies' Coat Suits, ^5 98
Sport Coats for the Young Ladies,
something new. These Coats sell
for no less than $16 QO
in^Sujntgr,.jOur price <JP O? s O
?ir
Phone 601
Below Postoffice
THE WRECK
STORE
m
mum
ST?E
DANIELS MAY ATTEND COLLEGE.
Secretary Intimates That lie May
llear Technical Lectures at New?
port.
Newport, R. I., Oct. 14.?The possi?
bility that Secretary of the Navy
Daniels will take a course in instruc?
tion at the naval war college here next
summer has aroused much interest
among ollicials stationed at Newport
Secretary Daniels during a visit here
last summer praised the work of the
college. Recently unofficial word has
come from Washington that he may
nttend lectures here.
By this work the den?
tist is able to fix per?
manently between the
teeth left to you artific?
ial ones that are perfect
in appearance and use?
fulness. See Dr. Court?
ney. ? He makes this
work his specialty.
Have an inspection.
Get his opinion.
Sumter Dental
Parlors,
Dr. C. H. Courtney. Prop
Over Shaw & McCollum.
Greelyville
BUSINESS SCHOOL
Individual Training for Boys and
Girls.
THE course of nil English brp ?che?,
short hand, typwrithtg and book"
keepiiag oilers unsurpassed ouportu
nl tlefl to the youths of your county
at a very reasonable price, Hoard
can tie obtained in town, por parti?
culars address.
J M. JERVEY,
GREELYVILLE, - S. C.
J
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like, so safe, so suie iitimate results as the *
systematic use of our Bank Account Plan.
You can make use of this plan. If you
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and talk it over with us.
Finft National
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