Well, sir, it is hard to believe, but after the
surrender this very follow actually did sue,
and I couldn’t get at him with my gun. We
were under the military and the niggers, and
it was useless for me to kick. That was only
the beginning. I got disgusted and moved
out of the country.”
"And what did you do then, judge.”
“I moved down the river into town and re
timed tho practice of my old profession
tliough 1 hadn’t looked into a law book in
twenty years.”
"Ami what became of your son Tom?”
“There you touch a sore place,” replied my
companion. “Tom always had queer ideas
for a boy of mine. I advised him to learn a
profession, but he said that the new south did
not need professional men—needed workers
and all that sort of nonsense. I warned the
boy that I could not tolerate any radical ideas,
but lie left my home and went off aud learned
a trade.”
“And what is he doing now’?”
"I hate to say it, but he is down here in town
—runs a machine shop or something.”
"Is ho succeeding?”
“Oh, yes, when a gentleman lowers himself,
and goes to work like those yankees it is easy
enough for him to succeed. The fact is, he is
making money, employs a host of workmen,
and lives in the finest house in town,”
“I live with him,” the old man said, irrita
bly, after a pause. "The truth is, there is no
money in the law now, and the women
wanted to live with Tom, so I had to go, of
course.”
“I must pay Tom a visit,” I said.
