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Show 168 RICHARD JIUitDIS. these were not the requi sites of gentility, bnt he sparctl me nny such fooli s!J la_bor by going on tl~us :-: . oin(l" to tell me "That's nc1ther here nor the1c. lou WCIC g o of some way by wltich I could get my revenge _out of Grafton. L et's hear your idcns nbont fhnt. 'J'hnt'l:i the hi tch." "Not your revenge ; I spoke o: rcdr~ss for w,I;ong.''. . "\Yell, well," he replied, shakmg lus head, m1mcs for the same things, pretty mucl1, but, ns you please: Only tell me how, if you arc 110 gcntlcmau-mnrk that! I don't want the revenge-the redress, I mean, of a gcntlcnu~n -I want the rc· dress of a man-toll me how I mn to get 1t, when the person who has wronged me, thinks me too much beneath him to mc('t me on a fair ground! "\Vlwt's my rcmcdy.1 T ell mo that, m~d I'll give you my thanks, and call you a nughty clever fe1low 111 the bargain!" . . . His insolence annoyed me, nncl he saw It m my qUJck reply -"I thank you, sir, I can spare the compliment-" lie grinnCll good-nntnreclly: "You a. poor man!" he ex· claimell, interrupting me. "By the hokiCs, yo~l ough~ to be rich; and your mother must have had some tmgl.ty lngh notions when she carried you! But go on. I ask your pardon. Go on." I should not have complied with the fcllo·w's wish, but that I felt a secret desire which I could not repress, to goad him for his insolence: "\Veil, sir, I say that I sec no diiHculty, if the person injured has tl1c commonest spirit of manl!ood in l1im, in getting redress from a man who has injt~rcd him: whate~er be his station. I am convinced, if you senously wtsh for tt, you could get yours from Grafton. There is such n. thin g, you know, as taking the road of an enemy." "lla! l.1a! .ha! and w~Hlt would that c?mrc, to, or rather wha~ do you thmk 1t would bnng me to, lu~re m I uscaloosa county, I'll tell you in double quick time-the gallows. It wonldn t bring you to the gallows, or any man passillg for a gentlenllln, but democrats can't bear to sec democrnts taking upon them· selves the airs of gentlemen. They'd hang me, my good friend, if they didn't burn me beforehand; and that would be the up· shot of followiug your counsel. But your talk isn't new to tne; I hnve thought of it long before. Do you think- but to tnlk SAVAGE PASSIONS. nbout what you didn't do, is mighty little businC'SS. T o put a good tleal in a snwll calnLash, let mo tell you, then, that Uat \ VcLbcr isn't the man to sit down and suck his thumb~ when l1is neighbor troubles him, if so Lc l1e c:m help himself in a quicker \\'ay. ]',·e turned over nil this matter in my mind, atHl l'yc come to tl1is conclusion, that I must wait for some odd l1our whcH good luck is ·willing to do wklt sl10 lws never <lone yet, and gi\'CS me a chance at my enemy. Be certain wl1en tlwt Lou r comes, str:mger, my teeth sl1all meet in tbc flcsl1 !" He filled his gla ss and drank frel.'ly as l1e concluded. His face hnd in it :1n air of resol\'O as he spoke which left little doubt in my mind that he wns the rufli:m to do what l1e threat· ened, and iuvoluutarily I sllllddered when I thougl1t how many opportunities must necessarily arise to him for the cxccutiou of ony villany from the ncnr ncigbborbood in which lw lived with tl1e enemy whom l1c so deeply hated. I wns not sufrered to med itnt.c long upon this or any su bject. The negro woman ap· peared bringing in dinner. Some fried bacon and eggs formed the chief items in our repast; and with an extra hospitality, which l1ad its obj ect, our host placed our chai rs, which were both on the one side of the table, he, alone, occupying the seat opposite. \.Yithout a solitary thought of evil we snt tlown to the repast, which might well be compared to tlw bait which iij placed by the cunning fowler for the better entrapping of the unwary bircl. 8 |
