Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-09


"lts jest this, SAM" replied the woman
eyer TUX me, tellin' me we'd love mo- ar,
honor me, an perfect me- You mean to
say now yer done it? Pm a-dyin'. sam
| haint got no favors to ask of nobody an,
Pm telling the truth, not knowin' what
world'll be my last"
Then tell Teller where the KILN,
came in, Mary, for heavens sake said
the unhappy Sam. '''0 u
Tvs come In all along, Sam" said the
woman. There is women in the States
so I've heerd, that marries fur home an
oread an butter, but you promised more n
that, Sam. An I've waited an il aim
come. An there's somethin' in me that's
all starved and cut to pieces. An it's YER
fault, Sam. | TUX yer for better or fur
wuss, an I've never grumbled."
Il know yer haint, Mary" whispered the
MISREPRESENTATION Pike. can know
what yer mean. If God'll only let yer be
fur few years, I'll see eff the thing can't
be helped. Don't cuss me, Mary-Tye
never knowed how I've been a-goin'.
wish there was something l could do fore
you, go, to pay yer all owe yer. I'd 90
back on everything that makes life worth
hevin'
PAY it to the children, Sam said the
SICK woman, raising herself in her miser-
able bed CPL forgive yer everything #
you'll do the right thing for them. Do
| do-everything! said the woman, throw.
ing W her arms and falling backward
| Her husbands arms caught her; his lips
! brought to her wan face smile, which
the grim visitor, who an instant later
stole her breath, pityingly left in full pos
| session of the rightful inheritance from
which it had been so long excluded.
| Sam knelt for moment with his face
beside his wite-what he said or did the
| Lord only knew, but the doctor, who was
OF spec ,lative mind. afterwards said
that when Sam appeared at the door he
showed the first Pike face in which he
had ever seen any signs of soul.
| Sam went to the sod house, where lived
the Oldest woman in the camp, and brief
| " announced the end of his wife Then,
| after some consultation with the old
woman, Sam rode to town on one of his
horses, leading another He came back
with but one horse and a large bundle;
and soon the women were making for
Mrs. Trotwine her last earthly robe, and
the first new one she had worn for ears.
The next day a wagon brought a coffin
and minister, and the whole calon
silently and respectfully followed Mrs.
Trotwine to a home with which she could
find no fault
For three days all the male Pixies in the
camp sat on the log in front of Sans
door and expressed their sympathy, as did
| three friends of Job-that is, they held
their peace. But on the fourth their
tongues were Embossed AS Il converse
tlonallst the Pike is not a success, but
Sans actions were so unusual and utterly
unheard-of that it seemed as if even the
stones must have wondered and com
muned among themselves
Il never heerd of such thing" said
Brown Buck; hes gone an bought new
clothes for each of the four young 'uns"
Yes" said the patriarch of the camp,
IAN this mornin', when | went down to
the bank to soak my head, COS last nights
liquor didn't agree with it, | seed Sam
with all his young 'uns as they wus a
washin' their faces and hands with soap.
They'll ketch they death and be on the
hill with their mother fore long, if they
don't look out. Somebody ort to reason
with him."
"'Twon't do no good" sighed Limping
jim. He's lost his head, an reason just
goes into one ear and out at t'other ear
When he was scrapin' round this front
door, t'other day, an | asked him what he
wuz a-layin' the ground all bare and des-
olate fur, he said he was done keeping a
pig-pen. Now, every body but him knows
he never had a pig. lis heads gone, just
mark my words"
On the morning of the fourth day Sans
| friends had just secured a full attendance
on the log, and were at work upon their
| first pipes, when they were startled by see
ing Sam harness his horse in the wagon
and put all his children into it.
"Whar ye bound fur, SAM" asked the
| patriarch.
Sam blushed as near as a Pike could,
but answered with only little hesita-
| ton
Coin to take 'em to school to Maxfeld
| -goin' to do it ev'ry day"
| The incumbents of the log were too
nearly paralyZed to demonstrate, but after
a few moments of silence the patTiach
| remarked, in tones of feeling, yet de-
| cson:
| Hes had tough time of it, but he's
no business to ruin the settlement. I'm
an old man myself, and | need peace of
mind, so Pm going to pack up my traps
and mosey. When the folks at Maxfield
knows what he's dom, they'll make him
a constable or justice, an Pm too much
Of man to live nigh any SIGH"
And next day the patriarch wheeled his
family and property to parts unknown.
4 few days later Jim Merrick, a brisk
farmer few miles from the Bend, stood
in front of his own house, and shaded his
eyes iii solemn wonder. 1t couldn't be
| he'd never heard of such a thing before
yet it was-there was no doubt of it
there was Pike, riding right towards
| him, in open daylight. He could swear
| that Pike had often visited him-that is,
his wheat field and corral-after dark,
but a daylight visit from a Pike was as
unusual as a social call of a Samaritan
upon jew And when Sam-for it was
he-approached Merrick, and made his
business known, the farmer was more
astonished and confused than he had ever
been in his life before. Sam wanted to
know for how much money Merrick
| would pillow and plant hundred and
sixty acres of wheat for him, and whether
he would take Sans horse-a fine animal
| brought from the States, and for which
| Sam could show bill of sale-as security
| for the amount until he could harvest and
sell his crop Merrick so well under
stood the Pike nature that he made very
| liberal offer, and afterwards said he would
have paid handsomely for the chance.
A few days later and the remaining
Pixies at the Bend experienced the great
est scare that ever visited their souls. a
brisk man came into the Bend with TIL.