The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1869-06-19

Una and her lion but Miggles received
it Ss she did other compliments, with quiet
gravity. Whether she was altogether
unconscious of the admiration she excited
she could hardly have been oblivious Of
Yuba Bills adoration-I knew not but
her very frankneSS suggested perfect
sexual equality that was cruelty humiliAt
ing to the younger members Of our party.
The incident of the bear did not add
anything in Miggles favor to the opinions
Of those of her own sex who were present
In fact, the repast over, chillinesS radi.
ated from the two lady passengers, that
no pine boughs brought in by Yuba Bill
and cast as sacrifice upon the hearth
could wholly overcome Miggles felt it
and suddenly declaring that It was time
to "turn In" offered to show the ladies
to bed in an adjoining room. "You, boys,
will have to camp out here by the fire as
well as you can" she added, "for thar amt
but the one ROOM"
Our sex-by which, my dear sir, / al
lude, of course, to the stronger portion of
humanity-has been generally relieved
from the imputation of curiosity, or =
fondness for gossip. Yet am constrained |
to say, that hardly had the door closed on
Migges than we crowded together, whis. |
pering, snickering, smiling and exchang- |
ing suspicious, surmiseS and thousand |
speculations in regard to our pretty host |
cas- and her singular companion. fear |
that we even hustled that imbecile para
lytic, who sat like Voiceless Memnon in |
our midst, gazing, with the serene indif. |
ference of the past with his passionless |
eyes, upon our wordy councils, In the
midst of our exciting discussion the door
opened again, and Miggles reentered.
But not apparently, the same MiggleS
who few hours before had flashed upon
us. Her eyes were downcast, and as she
hesitated for q moment on the threshold,
with blanket on her arm, she seemed to
have left behind her the frank fearlessness
which had charmed us a moment before,
Coming into the room, she drew low
stool beside the paralytic's chair, sat down,
drew the blanket over her shoulders and
saying. "lf it's all the same to 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 ERE, An instructive feeling that
this was only premonitory to more con-
tidential relations, and perhaps some
shame at our previous curiosity, kept us
silent. The rain still beat upon the roof;
wandering gusts of wind stirred the
embers into momentsry brightness, until,
in lull 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.
"Think againl lived at 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"
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.
"Well, you see l thought some of you
must have known me. There's no great
harm done, anyway. What 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 a
heap of money upon me. l 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 and
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
better, and couldn't last long anyway.
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-
ha2s it was something in Jim's eye, per-
haps it was that never had baby, but l
said No. l was rich then, for was popu.
lar with eVerybody-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 brought my baby
here"
With 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 hel
audience-hiding in the shadow behind 4
-as if she offered 1t as tacit apology fol
| her actions. Silent and expressiOuless, il
yet spoke for her; helpless, crushed anC
smitten with the Divine thunderbolt, i
still stretched an invisible arm arounC
} her.
t Hidden in the darkness, but still hold
t ing his hand, she went on:
) at was long time before could ge
T the hang of things about yer, for / wa
used to company and excitement. / could
Z. MT get any woman to help me, and mai
/, 1 dursen't trust; but what with the Indi
3 ans hereabout, who'd do odd jobs for me
!, and having everything sent from tn
: North Fork, Jim and manage to worr,
!, through. The doctor would run up fron
: Sacramento once in awhile. He'd ask +
r see 'Miggles' baby as he called Jim, an
r when he'd 60 away, he'd say, Miggles
= you're a trunp-God bless you and
y didn't seem so lonely after that But tn
g last time he was here he said, as he opene
G the door to go; do you know, Migglei
your baby will grow up to be man yt
lt and an honor to his mother but not herl
I Miggles, not here 7 and thought he WeI
n away sad-and-and -and here Mi
q gles' voice and head were somehow bot
Il lost completely in the shadow.
v "The folks about here are very kind
L said Miggles, after pause, coming littl
1. into the light again. "The men from Ii
h Fork used to hang around here, until the
a found they wasn't wanted, and the wome
= are kind--and don't call. | was pretI
I, lonely until Ipicked up Joaquin in Il
,e woods yonder one day, when he WASH
d go high, and taught him to beg for b
Il dinner; and then thar's Polly-thAt's Il
% mAgpie--she knows no end Of tricks, ar
N makes it quite sociable Of evenings vii
Ia her talk, and so don't feel like as / vi
Il the only living being about the ranc
And Jim here" said Miggles, with her o
&c laugh again, and coming out quite in
At the irelight, "Jim-why, boys, you wou
AZ admire to see how much he knows for
Il. man like him. Sometimes | bring hi
ID flowers, and he looks at 'em Just as natur
n as If he knew 'em and times, when we
p sitting here alone, / read him those thin
I'd on the wall Why Lord !" said MigglI
d. with her frank laugh, GIVE read him th
lis whole side of the house this wintl
n There never was such man for readil
n. as jim"
q why" asked the Judge, "do you q
er marry this man to whom you have devot
q" your youthful lifeS"