Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-10-18

4
Sam dropped by the bedside and was hll.
man; his heart was i'm the right place, and
though heavily intrenched by years of la.
Zlness and whiskey and tobacco, it could
be brought to the front, and it came now.
The dying woman cast her eyes appeal
ingly at the surgeon, and that worthy
stepped outside the door. Then the vel
low-faced woman said:
left"
MARY" said Sam, 81 wish ter God ]
could die fur yer. The children"
Its them want to talk about, SAM -
replied his wife. San 1 wish they could
die with me, rather'n hev 'em live ez I've
he'd to. Not that you amt been kind
husband to me, for you hev.. Whenever
wanted meat yev got it somehow; an
when yev been ugly drunk yev kept away
from the house. But I'm dyin', Sam, and
it's cos you've killed me-"
"Good God, Mary - cried the aston
ished sam, Jumping up; ''yu're crazy
doctor can't do no good, Sam; keep
still and listen, eff yer love me like yer once
said yer did; fur hewitt got much breath
left, !" gasped the woman.
Mary" said the aggrieved Sam: " |
swow to God dunno what yer driyin' at. -
It's jest this, SAM" replied the woman.
8 Yer TUX me, tellin' me ye'd love me an
honor me, an perfect me. You mean to
say now yer done it? I'm a-dyin', Sam
hain't got no favors to ask of nobody, an
Pm telling the truth, not knowin' what
word I'll be my last"
"Then tell feller where the killin'
came in, Mary, for heavens sake" said the
unhappy Sam.
Its come in all along, SAM" said the
| woman. "There is women i'm the States.
| so I've heerd, that marries fur home an
bread an butter, but you promised more'n
that, Sam. An I've waited, an it amt
come. An there's somethin' in me that's
all starved and cut to pieces. An it's your
fault, Sam. L TUX yer fur better or fur
wuss, an I've never grumbled."
II know yer haint, Mary" whispered
the cOnscience-stricken Pike. Am /
know what yer mean. Eff God'll only let
yer be fur few years, I'll see eff the thing
can't be helped. Don't cuss me, Mary
I've never knowed how I've been a-goin'.
| wish there was something 1 could. do
fore you go, to pay yer all owe yer. I'd
go back on everything that makes life
worth hevin'."
"Pay it to the children, SAM" said the
sick woman, raising herself i'm her misera-
BILE bed. "I'll forgive yer everything If
you'll do the right thing for them. Do
do-eve-ything! said the woman, throw
ing up 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 i'm full possession of
the rightful Inheritance from which it had
been so long excluded.
Sam knelt for moment with his face
beside his wife-what he said or did the
Lord only knew, but the doctor, who was
of speculative mind, afterwards said that
when Sam appeared at the door he showed
the first Pike face i'm which he had ever
seen any signs of soul.
Sam went to the sod house. where lived
the oldest woman in the camp, and briefly
announced the end of his wife. Then,
after some consultation with the old wO-
man, Sam rode to the 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 years. The
next day wagon brought coffin and a
minister, and the whole camp 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 i'm front of Sans door
and expressed their sympathy, as did the
friends of Job-that is, they held their
peace. But on the fourth their tongues
were unloosed. As aconversationalist the
Pike is not a success, but Sans actions
were so unusual and utterly unheard of
that il seemed as if even the stones must
have wondered and cOmmuned among
themselves.
II never heard of such thing!" said
Brown Buck; ''he's gone and bought
new clothes for each Of the young 'uns."
"Yes," said the patriarch of the camp,
San this mOrnin', when / went down TO
the bank to soak my head, eos last nights
liquor didn't agree with it, / seed sam
with all his young 'uns as they wus
awashin' their faces an hands with soap.
They'll ketch they death and be on the hill
with their mother fore long, if he 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 an out at t'Other ear.
When he was scrapin' around this front
door t'other day, an asked him what he
wuz a-layin' the ground all bare and desc
late fur, he said he was done keeping pig
pen. Now, everybody but him knows he
never had a pig. His heads gone, just
mark my words"
On the morning of the fourth day, Sans
friends had just secured full attendance
on the log, and were at work upon their
first pipes, when they were startled by see
ing Sam harness bis horse in the wagon
and put all his children into it.
"Whar We bound fur, Sam?' asked the
patriarch.
Sam blushed as near as Pike could,
but answered with only little hesitation
''Goin' to take 'em to school to Maxfield
-goin' to do it every day."
The incumbents of the log were too
nearly paralyzed to demonstrate, but after
a few moments of silence the patriarch re-
marked, in tones of feeling, yet decision:
"He's he'd tough time of it, but he's
no business to ruin the settlement. Pm 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 doin', they'll make him con-
stable or justice, am Pm too much of
man To live NIGH any sich.r so