STUDYING 77. "KEEP OUT OF HERE, SIR!” 78. AN OLD ONE 79. A PROMENADE OUTFIT 80. REARED BY A GRATEFUL COUNTRY 81. BENEFIT OF POLITICAL INFLUENCE 82. TAIL PIECE 83. VISIONS OF A HAPPY MAN 84. EXODUS OF THE NATIVES 85. HARRY BRIERLY FLIES FROM THE MOB 86. ENJOYING THE BONFIRE 87. BROTHER PLUM 88. RUTH AT HOME 89. MAP OF THE SALT LICK BRANCH OF THE PACIFIC R. R. 90. RESULT OF A STRAIGHT LINE 91. AT HEADQUARTERS 92. TOUCHING A WEAK SPOT 93. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE, $10,000, 94. MALE LOBBYIST, $3,000 255 95. FEMALE LOBBYIST, $3,000 96. HIGH MORAL SENATOR, $3,000 97. COUNTRY MEMBER, $500 98. DOCUMENTARY PROOF 99. COLONEL SELLERS DESPONDENT 100. TAIL PIECE 101. THE MONARCH OF ALL HE SURVEYS 102. PHILIP THRUST FROM THE R. R. CAR 103. THE JUSTICE 104. "MINE INN" 105. A PLEASING LANDLORD 106. PHILIP HIRED THREE WOODSMEN 107. TAIL PIECE 108. TAIL PIECE 109. BRO. BALAAM 110. THE FIRE PANIC 111. RUTH ASSISTS IN DRESSING PHILIP’S ARM 112. THE FIRST RECEPTION 113. VANITY COLLAPSED 114. THE ATTACHES OF THE ANTIQUES 115. HON. OLIVER HIGGINS 116. PAT O’RILEY AND THE “OULD WOMAN" 117. HON. P. OREILLE AND LADY 118. AN UNMISTAKABLE POTATO MOUTH 119. THE THREE PATIENTS 120. TAIL PIECE 121. DELIBERATE PERSECUTION 122. "IT IS ONLY ME" 123. "ALL CONGRESSMEN DO THAT" 124. A TRICK WORTH KNOWING 125. COL. SELLERS ENLIGHTENING THE BOHEMIANS 126. LAURA IN THE BOOK STORE 127. VERY AGREEABLE 128. PLAYING TO WIN 129. SHE SAID “PARDON" 130. "IT’S HE! IT’S HE!” 131. REFLECTION 132. ONCE MORE FACE TO FACE 133. COL. SELBY KNEELS AND KISSES HER HAND 134. JOLLY GOOD COMPANY 135. SUPPER OR BREAKFAST? 136. TAIL PIECE 137. A LADY-KILLER TAMED 138. CONSUMING LOVE 139. A CONVERT TO WOMEN’S RIGHTS 140. OPENING NEGOTIATIONS 141. NOT JUST YET 142. WELL POSTED 143. MR. TROLLOP THINKS IT OVER 144. DILWORTHY GIVES LAURA HIS BLESSING 145. UNNECESSARY PRECAUTION 146. WHERE THE PROTECTION IS NEEDED 147. AN OBJECT OF SYMPATHY 148. CHILDREN OF HOPE 149. THE EDITOR 150. PHILIP LEAVING LAURA 151. CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE 152. THE HOUSE 153. COL SELLERS ASLEEP IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 154. A HEARTY SHAKE 155. SENATOR DILWORTHY TRANQUIL 156. "SHE AIN’T DAH, SAR" 157. AS THE WITNESSES DESCRIBED IT 158. THE LEARNED DOCTORS 159. IMPORTANT BUSINESS 160. COL. SELLERS AND WASHINGTON IN LAURA’S CELL 161. PROMISED PATRONAGE 162. NO LOVE LIKE A MOTHER’S 163. CLEANED OUT BUT NOT CRUSHED 164. THE LANDLORD TAKING LESSONS 165. TAILPIECE 166. "WE’VE STRUCK IT" 167. THE MINE AT ILIUM 168. THE HERMIT 169. TAIL PIECE 110. ONE CHANCE OPEN 171. WHAT HE EXPECTED TO BE 172. ALAS! POOR ALICE 173. HOW HE WAS DRAWN IN 174. EVERYTHING 175. TAIL PIECE 176. "COME NOW, LETS CHEER UP" 177. A SHINING EXAMPLE 178. THE SEWING SOCIETY DODGE 179. DILWORTHY ADDRESSES A SUNDAY SCHOOL 180. TAIL PIECE 181. THE JUDGE 182. LAURA ON TRIAL 183. MICHAEL LANIGAN 184. PATRICK COUGHLIN 185. ETHAN DOBB 186. MR HICKS 187. SEARCH FOR A FATHER 158. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A LULL 189. TERM EXPIRED 190. RE-ELECTED 191. THE “FAITHFUL OLD HAND" 192. A FIRE BRAND 193. TAIL PIECE 194. COL. SELLERS AND WASHINGTON RETURN HOME AFTER THE VOTE 195. A COURT-IN SCENE 196. POPULAR ENDORSEMENT 197. ONE OF THE INSULTED MEMBERS 195. TOUCHED BY THE SIRUGGLES OF THE POOR 199. MR NOBLE ASKS QUESTIONS 200. THE WORN OUT STYLE OF SENATOR 201. THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE 202. THE LAST LINK BROKEN 203. THE TERRIBLE ORDEAL 204. RETROSPECTION 205. GOOD-BYE TO WASHINGTON 206. TAIL PIECE 207. THE PARTING BLAST OFFERED 208. THE LAST BLAST 209. STRUCK IT AT LAST 210. THE RICH PROPRIETOR 211. THE SICK CHAMBER 212. ALICE
CHAPTER I.
June 18—. Squire Hawkins sat upon the pyramid of large blocks, called the “stile,” in front of his house, contemplating the morning.
The locality was Obedstown, East Tennessee. You would not know that Obedstown stood on the top of a mountain, for there was nothing about the landscape to indicate it—but it did: a mountain that stretched abroad over whole counties, and rose very gradually. The district was called the “Knobs of East Tennessee,” and had a reputation like Nazareth, as far as turning out any good thing was concerned.
The Squire’s house was a double log cabin, in a state of decay; two or three gaunt hounds lay asleep about the threshold, and lifted their heads sadly whenever Mrs. Hawkins or the children stepped in and out over their bodies. Rubbish was scattered about the grassless yard; a bench stood near the door with a tin wash basin on it and a pail of water and a gourd; a cat had begun to drink from the pail, but the exertion was overtaxing her energies, and she had stopped to rest. There was an ash-hopper by the fence, and an iron pot, for soft-soap-boiling, near it.
This dwelling constituted one-fifteenth of Obedstown; the other fourteen houses were scattered about among the tall pine trees and among the corn-fields in such a way that a man might stand in the midst of the city and not know but that he was in the country if he only depended on his eyes for information.
“Squire” Hawkins got his title from being postmaster of Obedstown—not that the title properly belonged to the office, but because in those regions the chief citizens always must have titles of some sort, and so the usual courtesy had been extended to Hawkins. The mail was monthly, and sometimes amounted to as much as three or four letters at a single delivery. Even a rush like this did not fill up the postmaster’s whole month, though, and therefore he “kept store” in the intervals.
The Squire was contemplating the morning. It was balmy and tranquil, the vagrant breezes were laden with the odor of flowers, the murmur of bees was in the air, there was everywhere that suggestion of repose that summer woodlands bring to the senses, and the vague, pleasurable melancholy that such a time and such surroundings inspire.
Presently the United States mail arrived, on horseback. There was but one letter, and it was for the postmaster. The long-legged youth who carried the mail tarried an hour to talk, for there was no hurry; and in a little while the male population of the village had assembled to help. As a general thing, they were dressed in homespun “jeans,” blue or yellow—here were no other varieties of it; all wore one suspender and sometimes two—yarn ones knitted at home—some wore vests, but few wore coats. Such coats and vests as did appear, however, were rather picturesque than otherwise, for they were made of tolerably fanciful patterns of calico—a fashion which prevails thereto this day among those of the community who have tastes above the common level and are able to afford style. Every individual arrived with his hands in his pockets; a hand came out occasionally for a purpose, but it always went back again after service; and if it was the head that was served, just the cant that the dilapidated straw hat got by being uplifted and rooted under, was retained until the next call altered the inclination; many hats were present, but none were erect and no two were canted just alike. We are speaking impartially of men, youths and boys. And we are also speaking of these three estates when we say that every individual was either chewing natural leaf tobacco prepared on his own premises, or smoking the same in a corn-cob pipe. Few of the men wore whiskers; none wore moustaches; some had a thick jungle of hair under the chin and hiding the throat—the only pattern recognized there as being the correct thing in whiskers; but no part of any individual’s face had seen a razor for a week.
