The Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1870-1875, 1870-11-26
From the Overland Mohthly, Noveml
1870.
RAND-MOTHER5 STORY.

about that dreadful adventure of
yours, out West. We are dying to
hear il, all Of Us.
1T don't seem quite the thing to
put such frightful ideas into your
Young heads grandma replied strok-
ing Mary's brown eurls as she spoke.
Your Aunt Lucy shouldn't have
mentioned it. But since she t1IS so
foolish, an you've got your curiosity
raised, So"
you think il best to crafty il, ["
cried Mary, clapping her hands; so
do /. Now, girls, don't dare to speak
word; l wouldn't, for the world,
miss . syllable"
1t was about two years after my
marriage, began grandma, with little
shake Of her head at the roguish
speaker, that the adventure, as Mary
calls II, took place. john aud l went
West directly after our marriage.
We we're pretty poGr, both Of Us. Not
but what our families stood as high as
any In the village added the old
lady, drawing herselfu up q little. My
father, he was deacon in the Baptist
Church there. But, as was saying,
We we're not very we'll of, and John
and I had little to depend upon but
our own heads and hands. But he
was 8 smart fellow, aud was strong
and healthy, aud used 10 homework.
Work was more the fashion then than
it is nowadays. Many's the large
washing my sister and I have got
through with In the time one of your
Biddies would have spent in fretting
over it,"
The girls laughed merrily, and
Kate glancing glyly up into the hand
some old face, said, You we're very
pretty, as well IS smart, grandma, OF
/ am much mistaken
"Oh, yes" aaid Mary, demurely, Il
have heard of those 'peaehy cheeks,
and sVioies eyes and that lovely light
brown hair. Bat. Oh dear We shall
never come to tbs adventure, at this
rate. Girls, do b. quiet.
Well, as was saying, we had moved
out West. We ownsd . houss--a very
small one-and quite . piece Of
ground; and, by degrees, we grew bet
ter OF. After q long time, Ssiry Hen
derson came to liFe with us-the first
hired girl we'd had since we were
married. She was tall, TaW-boned
thing, nigh on to six feet high, /
should imagine. She was q smart.
tidy body, and Jehn liked her; but 1
never could, not for anything she ever
said-she was rather close mouthed
than otherWise-b on account Of
queer, little ways she seemed to have
&C times. But, thinking this might be
fancy, and not being apt to give way
to my feelings. said nothing to John
about lt.
When my baby, (your father, Katie),
was six months old, Sairy had been
With US then about three weeks. John
received a letter from his brother in
the big city. He wanted to see him on
business important to John, as well as
e himself. We both felt badly; he'd
scarcely left me day since we were
married, but there seemed no help for
It. But he arranged that / should
have o neighbor, (the nearest lived
only two miles off, girls). come aud
stay with us. He insisted on this,
though / laughed well at him, saying
/ wasn't mite afraid.
Nell, he left, and 4 week passed by,
and by that time l began 20 feel al
most as secure, with only Sairy and
ourselves in the house, as when q
neighbor came to stay with US. For
GAtH A8NOGnC4 AWACEF A1A nun W.
Wilson sent word for the third time
that he couldn't come, and who should
he send instead, laughed, and said ::
oh, never mind. Sairy's as good as a
man, any day; she can handle a gun,
and, fancy, could throw Mr.. Wilson,
an 4 minute, If she tried
So that was settled; and Sairy, baby
and / were left alone. After making
Anrun a.
came up to bed. Sairy's loom was at
one end of the passage, and mine at
the other. / never was one OF your
nervous women, going into fits, If
q mouse runs across them. But some
how, that night I did feel nervous and
restless; and, after nursing Willie and
laying him in the bed, sat some time
By the window, trying to get breath
of air. At last l rose and undressed
me. / had said my prayers, and was
creeping into bed, when a great horror
and trembling-I can't describe it any
other Way-fell upon me. Thers
seemed no reason for It'll didn'
think of any reason, that remember
but there I stood shaking, though
was q July night, shaking from heaC
to foot, aud gTaspiDg the bed-pOst.
i must be nervous, said /, at last
with laugh "sakes alive how fathe
would laugh at me. But lori 1t mus
be because / am tired out. And
getting into bed, / drew Will
towards me, with feeling of relief
as felt bis soft, little hand on N.
breast. The shiyering ft had left me
but / couldn't sleep.
Toss an tumble. toss an tumble
all that blessed night The room q
hot as any oven; the queerest faneie
in my head, of hearing soft footstep
through the house. Believing then
to be faneies, l wouldn't give way t.
EN-. though, no ways; till, at last, to
wards one O'Clock, l fell asleep.
must have slept till nearly three, an
the great horror and trembling was o
me again, taxing me In Hy sleep. BIZ
/ had consciousness now OF somethin
wicked near me-of something dread
fuI,about to happen-and | WOk
There, in the gray morning lIgnt, 81
aSairy on the bed, looking down, 80
couldn't see her eyes. She had th
Ratchet in her haud-the one we use
for chopping wood aud size va
drawing Il back and forth, over ii
fingers of her other hand.
Did ! scream you ask, Katie2 N
nv dear. What kept me from II
Perhaps IL was fright; perhaps it WI
my baby's dear little lips prsssir
against my breast, begging me to cal
for his sake. No; said one sileI
prayer to God, aud lay still. watehir
her. Suddenly she turned and locke
atme; l knew not what that que
look in her eyes meant-the creatu
was crszy-and there lay Willie and
In her power.
.'Sairy," said I, looking right IN b
eyes, though my voice sounded hollC
and strange to me, not like my oH
4 lis it time to get up2"
She said not q word, but look
= away again, nodding her head
and down two or three times, Al
drawing the Ratchet through b
fingers as before.
'sSairy," said /, again, With difficV
ty. for my heart seemed TO rise 60 !
shroat, aud lie beating there, is 10
late? Then / must get up.
She turned on me NOW With sha
Il won't be given up to them" )