think war shuts out politics and politicians you are very much mistaken. On the contrary, it widens their field of operations and thus sharpens their wits. In the confusion and uproar their increased activity escapes attention. Thus it happened that Hildreth of Hall was a commissary. He had a horse and buggy at the expense of the government, and the taxpayers of the country had to pay him well for every trip he made to Tray Mountain.
Under these circumstances, you understand, courting was not only easy and pleasant, but profitable as well, and Hildreth of Hall took due advantage of the situation. He would have made his headquarters at Mrs. Pruett's, but somehow that lady, who was thirty-odd years younger then than she is now, had no fancy for the young man. She politely rejected his overtures, and so he made arrangements to put up at old man Millirons'—of all places in the world. It was such a queer come-off that John Wesley used to go behind the corn-crib and chuckle over it by the hour, especially on Sundays, when he had nothing else to do.
It was plain to everybody, except John
