traightest way to the heart of the honest
voter is through the women of the land, and the straightest way to the
heart of the women is through the children of the land; and one method
of winning both, with rural politicians, is to kiss the babies wide and
far. So as each infant, at sorghum time, has a circle of green-brown
stickiness about his chubby lips, and as the Hon. Sam was averse to
"long sweetenin'" even in his coffee, this particular political device
just now was no small trial to the Hon. Samuel Budd. But in the language
of one of his firmest supporters Uncle Tommie Hendricks:

"The Hon. Sam done his duty, and he done it damn well."

The issue at stake was the site of the new Court-House--two localities
claiming the right undisputed, because they were the only two places
in the county where there was enough level land for the Court-House
to stand on. Let no man think this a trivial issue. There had been a
similar one over on the Virginia side once, and the opposing factions
agreed to decide the question by the ancient wager of battle, fist and
skull--two hundred men on each side--and the women of the county with
difficulty prevented the fight. Just now, Mr. Budd was on his way to
"The Pocket"--the voting place of one faction--where he had never been,
where the hostility against him was most bitter, and, that day, he knew
he was "up against" Waterloo, the crossing of the Rubicon, holding the
pass at Thermopylae, or any other historical crisis in the history of
man. I was saddling the mules when the cackling of geese in the creek
announced the coming of the Hon. Samuel Budd, coming with his chin on
his breast-deep in thought. Still his eyes beamed cheerily, he lifted
his slouched hat gallantly to the Blight and the little sister, and he
would wait for us to jog along with him. I told him of our troubles,
meanwhile. The Wild Dog had restored our mules and the Hon. Sam beamed:

"He's a wonder--where is he?"

"He never waited--even for thanks."

Again the Hon. Sam beamed:

"Ah! just like him. He's gone ahead to help me."

"Well, how did he happen to be here?" I asked.

"He's everywhere," said the Hon. Sam.

"How did he know the mules were ours?"

"Easy. That boy knows everything."

"Well, why did he bring them back and then leave so mysteriously?"

The Hon. Sam silently pointed a finger at the laughing Blight ahead, and
I looked incredulous.

"Just the same, that's another reason I told you to warn M