Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-06-18


unconscious Of the admiration she excited
she could hardly have been obliVious Of
Yuba Bills adoratlon--I lpew not; but
her very frsnkness suggested a perfect
sexual equality that was cruelty humilist.
ipg 10 the younger Inembeuo Of our party.
The incident OF the bear did not add
anYthipg in Migsles' fAyor 70 theopipions
Eof those of her own sex who weke present.
In fact, the repast over, . chilliness radi.
ated from the two lady passengers, that
no pine boughs brought, in BY ,YpbA. Bill
ahd caet 6s I, sscridce pipoA 1the hearth
could wholly overcome Miggles felt it
and suddenly declsring that II was time
10 "turn In" offered to show the ladies
to bed Ia an adjoining room. "You, boys,
will have to camp out here by the fire as
well as you cam she added, "for thar aint
but the one room"
lude, Of Course, TO the stronger portion of
humanity--hAs been generally relieved
from the imputation Of curiosity, or q
fondness for gossip. Yet am constrained
to say, that hardly had the door closed on
Miggles than we crowded together, whis.
pering, snickering, smiling and exchang-
log euspieieRs, -surmises and q thousand
Rpeculations In regard to our pretty host
ess and her singular companion. | fear
that we even hustled that imbecile para
lytic, who sat like q voiceless Memnon in
our midst, gazing, with the serene indif.
ference of Che past with his passionless
eyes, upon our wordy councils. On the
Inidstof our exciting discussion tie door
opened again, and Miggles re entered
But not, apparently, the same Miggles
who q few hours before had flashed upon
US Her eyes were downcast, and as she
hesitated for a moment on the threshold,
with q blanket on her arm, she seemed to
have left behind her the frank fesrlessness
which had charmed us moment before.
Coming into the room, she drew a low
stool beside the paralytic's chair, sat down,
drew the blanket over her. shoulders and
saying. "If it's all the same you boys,
as we're rather crowded, I'll stop here to-
night" took the invalid's withered hand
IN her own and turned her eyes upon the
dying 6re. An instructive feeling that
this was only premonitoryi to more con-
fidential relations, and perhaps seme
shame at our previous curiosity, kept us
silent. The rain still beat upon the roof;
wandering gusts of wind stirred the
embers in TO lmomentary bfightness, until,
in luli of the elements. Miggles sud-
denly lifted up her head, and throwing |
her hair over her shoulder, turned her
face upon the group and asked
"Is there any Of you that knows me"
There was no reply. -E'H.
"Think again! lived al Maryville in
'53. Everybody knew me there, and
everybody had the right to know me. l
kept the Polka Saloon until come to live
with Jim. That's six years ago. Perhaps
I've changed some.p y0Tuc
The absence Of recognition may have
disconnected her. She turned her head to
the fire again, and it was some seconds be.
fore she again spoke, and then more
rapidly. TI0f i02 SH3CqC
"Well, you see thought some Of you
must have known me. There's no great
harm done, anyway. What I was going
to say was this: Jim here"-she took his
hand in both of hers as she spoke" used
TO know me, if you didn't, and-spent
heap of money upon me. / reckon he
spent all he had. And one day--its six
years ago this winter-Jim came into my
back room, sat down on my sofa, like as
you see him in that chair and never
moved again without help. He was struck
all of heap, and never seemed to know
what allied him. The doctors came ana
said as how it was caused all along of his
way of life-for Jim was mighty free and
wild like-and that he would never get
They advised me to send him to Frisco to
! the hospital, for he was no good to any
one and would be baby all his life. Per
haps it was something in Jim's eye, per-
haps it was that never had baby, but l
said NO was rich then, for was popu.
lar with verybody-gentlemen like your
self, sir, came to see me-and sold out
my business and bought this yer place, be.
cause it was sort of out of the way of
travel, you see, and I brought my baby
here"
With a woman's intuitive tact and poe
try, she had as she spoke slowly shifted
her position so as to bring the mute figure
of the ruined man between her and her
audience-hiding in the shadow behind it
las if she offered it as tacit apology for
her actions. Silent and expressiorless, it
yet spoke for her helpless, crushed and
smitten with the Divine thunderbolt, 1t
still stretched an invisible arm around
her.
Hidden in the darkness, but still hold
ing his hand, she went on:
at was long time before could get
the hang of things about yer, for 1 was
used 70 company and excitement. Icould-
| dursen't trust; but what with the Indi!
ans hereabout, who'd do odd jobs for me,
and having everything sent from the
North Fork, Jim and manage TO worry
through. The doctor would run up from
Sacramento once in awhile. He'd ask to
see 'Miggles' baby as he called Jim, and
when he'd go away, he'd say, 'Miggles
you're trump-God bless you ! and it
didn't seem SO lonely after that But the
last time he was here he said, as he opened
the door to go do you know, Miggles,
your baby will grow up 10 be a man yet
and an honor 70 his mother; but not here,
Miggles, not here 7 and thought he went
away sad-and-and and here Mig
gles' voice and head were somehow both
lost completely in the shadow.
"The folks about here are very kind,
said Miggles, after pause, eominga little
into the light again. ." The men rom the
Fork used to hang around here, until they
found they wasn't wanted, and the women
are kind-and don't call. l was pretty
lonely. until picked up Joaquin in the
woods yonder one day, when he wasn't
so high, and taught him to beg for his
dinner and then thar's Polly-that's the
magpie-she knows no end of tricks, and
makes it quite sociable of evenings with
her talk, and so don't feel like as was
the only living being about the ranch
And Jim here" said Miggles, with her old
laugh again, and coming out quite into
the freight, "Jim-why, boys, you would
admire to see how much he knows for a
man like him. Sometimes | bring him
flowers, and he looks at 'em just as natural
as If he knew 'em and times, when we're
sitting here alone, read him those things
on the wall. Why Lord |" said Miggles
with her frank laugh, ave read him that
whole side Of the house this winter
hAE n
as jim"
"Why," asked the Judge, " do you not
marry this man 70 whom you have devoted
your youthful lifei"p ~,rrf
%Well, you see" said Mikgles, "ii
would be playing Il rather low down on
jim, to take advantage of his being 90
helpless. And then, too, If we were man
and wife, now, we'd both know that was
bound TO do what do now Of my own
accord" ~.
But you are young yet and at