The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-05-15


wonderful"
"You do not mean TO say that he is dy-
ing 2"
al don't mean 20 say nothing shorter
And Pm mighty sorry to lose him, too. He
cleared all this field all round back of The
house, and them thar two fields in the bot.
tom. He kept three acres a goin, 10 Joe
Stebbins' one, but he warnt patchin' to
Joe at cutin' timber. Poor Joe | buried
him in the fur corner of The .urnip patch"
'You buried him ?n
"Marred him one year and buried him
the nextn
"What did he die of1"
"Fevernager."
was shocked al the mechanical manner
and facile emphasis Diminishing with geo.
! me,rical rapidity toward The last syllable
with which she uttered this fearful word
"Joe warn't much at hoein, but he could
knock the spots out of things, with an axe
Hs could cnt more steamboat wood in one
day than Bill Sparks could in a week"
"And who was Biil Sparks 2" asked I,
with a dread presentment.
"Bill was husband of mine, too. He
had money, Bill had, and he rented two
forties of upland, and bought four head OF
cattle. Yonder's two of them, now. Pm
going 10 take 'em up on the next boat, to
swap for groceries"
''Did Mr.. Sparks die, too I"
"Now, you don't think I'D a gone and
got married, and him alive OF course he
died. He was took down sudden, ke,chiu'
drift wood. My boy ran home about him,
and went down with Jane, and we packed
him 20 The house, and made him as COM
Portable as we could but il warn't no use."
"Fever and ague, suppose z"
"Fevernager? You'd said so, if you'd
seen him shake. gave him all the quiz
nine there was in the Hubbard, and
then sent Jane TO Mr.. Skeggs' to bring
al! the quinine he had, and his hymn book
He went off peaceable, and his last words
was, where's Jimmy 2"
"Meaning your little boy ?n
"No; Jimmy Sands, my husband before
him. They had been great friends and
think poor Billy must have seen his sperrit,
fof the owls was whooping awful that night
Them two mules in the cabbage path was
Jimmy SaHds,' and that thar mare, whose
head is poken' out o. the corn-crib is the
same mare he married me off from"
"Married you from off horseback 2"
@Well, you'd said so if you'd seen us.
1t was when lived down to Stony, at the
crossin,' with Sal. Sal, she heard some
one no llerin' and shakin' the gate one
night, and thinking it was jst some stranger
wantir. 10 git to stay all night, she never
minded but the noise kept on so, that at
T last she poked her head out o. the dividing
and asked what was wanting.n
"Are .hey anJ young gals here as wants
/ to ge; married Pm goin' down to the riv-
er bottom, | am, to live in The timber l've
got mare and a mule. and lois of traps,
and don't ask no,hin' in return but plain
cookin' and kerrec! behavior"
''Jane," says Sal, "what do you say 2"
"Sez, !, Pm willin', but can't be mar
ried without preacher
"He says there's preacher out there
with him.
"Ask him if it's Mr. Skeggs won't be
married by nobody but Mr. Sksggs''
ayes, it's him."
"WeIl, struck a light and put on my
Sunday dry-goods mighty quick. Sal, she
carried out frying-pan of grease with a
rag for candle, and we woke up Sal's
uncle, old man Solomon, and so got mar
ried. Jim and had 10 jine hands, and he
on the mare he couldn't git down on ac-
count of the furniture and things bein'
hitched all round him."
"Bnt is this MIR. Skeggs regular clergy
man ?'
ooh, reg'lar built. He and Jimmy met
together at the crossiE', and it was him re.
commended me. He got sight of tin for
the job, tooD
ga large sum, was it 2"
alt want in money it was tin cups
Jimmy paid him with. Jimmy peddled tin
cups round the country, and had Two dozen
left. Mr. Skeggs put 'em round mis- neck
in a string, and we heard 'em rattle on the
prarie a mile off p
swell madam, did have some idea Of
living down in the bottom myself, bat"
"Down in the bottom What, among
those ponds of water1 | see you livin'
there A pound of quinine a minute
wouIdu't keep you alive two days. If you
want good buildin' lot, there's my two
forties, I'll sell 'em cheap-a dollar and a
half an acre."
81 am not certain, after what you have
related, that could live long, even in the
upIands.D
mot without you was used TO 1t. Some
can stand it, and some cant Now there's
an old gentleman up G :oHn Tia | uihiRl|