The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-08-12
THE SETTLERS TRAGEDY.

by THE AUTHOR OF "oINx's BABY"
eyes that's a queer-Iookin' place.
now, amt it? It's the best piece of
land you've seen anywhere in this days
drive, and that's good deal to say;
and Likewise, it was once the prettiest
farm along this road. Why, sir, mind
the time when that porch was all a glory
with roses, like a 'ouse in a hopera
bouife for all the world. An right hin
tho front there, where you see all them
docks an mullen a CROWN, that was
choek full o bsds of Lunnun pride, an
chinhy asters, an sweet mignonnette,
you could smell the place mile off Of
warm summers night. All she was
line girl, she was, that lived up there;
an terrible story that 'ouse tells. It
amt Just pleasant to be on the next lot
to it."
MIR. Wellbeloved, for bad ctumbled
in my Canada ramble on a person of
that name, thus spoke of log house
andlot which had attracted my curiosity.
On one of the best stretches of arabic
land, lying well up the gentle swell of
the valley, with good exposure. backed
by fine woodlS..d, was-a singular SIGHT
IN thai raw, yet thriving settlement
" concession, which seemed to have
been swept by some spirit Of ruin and
decay. The Lighthouse stood, but its
roof was rottiDg; its slight porch had
been shattered or displaced by snow
It's windows remained unbroken. but one
could see from the dragging paper
blinds which had once made them CAV
with color, that there was no housewife
within to mend or change things; and
all over the eight or ten acres Of land
which had been cleared about the house
there grew as high us the unremoved
atumps wealth of weed, such "a is
only the crop of absolute desertion and
death. by this place, on one side, nv
friend Wellbeloved, at whose house I
had drawn up for q midday meal, titled
thrlyl2g farm the evidence was visi-
bic IN the roll of ripening wheat dotted
with the disks of the blackened stumps,
ana IN the cattle that loitered from the
suns heat under the circle of Young
naples no had left in n corner of one Of
ms helds, where n spring welled no
from among some boulders, and by the
grunt OF well-fed pigs which wandered
down the road and cooled their heated
SIDES IN the maTshy bottom, where I
1ound' the road like a floating stage of
logs. Moreover, there was Mrs. Well
beloved, little weary looking. per-
maps, Tor number nine in the cradle
was " tho most bothersome child. that
1t was, God bless it, she had ever
Knew and two or three fine strappinp
boys that came home to the noontide
meal from some hoeing work at the back
OF inc concession with an appetite for
the pork and corn that made me envious.
Wellbeloved was n Iondoner and
had been in Canada exactly six wears
He was "just turned forty" having
married at twenty, and now possessed a
graduating scale. of voracious infantry.
winch must in the METROPOLIS have
severely worn his energies and Mrs.
Wellbeloved's patience, but which. ont
here, was his most promising source of
wealth. The elder boy, nearly 10. had
added hundred acres to the original
government concession, and as the
boy grew up more would follow.
Already Mr. Wellbeloved's house and
barns began to take on an air, If not of
wealth or even comfort, of suflicienoy
which, as one looked in his bronzed
lace and clear eyes, and listened to his
cheery voice, gave promise that the
time might come when tho patriarch
should bless his sons and daughters
and sons-in-law and daughters-in-Isw,
looking out upon q scene of civilized
beauty and fertility, and dividing among
them no mean inheritance.
Me, sir No, thankee. I'd not
own rod o that soil for its pawn in
gold. No, no There's blood on that
land let some stranger come an wipe
IL hout."
He wiped the beads from his forehead
(the day was hot) and began:
The mau that took hup that couces-
SION was gentleman, leastways. sir.
you know, gentleman by birth. Is
iaIn9r e was vas a Lqnnun lawyer, you've
caro- OF I'M, old Bytheway that used to
ave the big cases at the hold Bailey.
The hold man, he made money. an
spent it, and this 'ero boy, q made
none, an spent what 3 father made. II
were sent to HetoD, then 10 Hoxford
an afterwards Q went where q weren't
hehJ-leastways, not by directiop-to
the ueyl. The Young CONAN that lived
an died in that house were ACQUAINTED
with me. Lucy Burridge, that were or
real name, though she were called In.
clnda Burrinda, the heleRant dnnseys
Ishe we're IN the corpus de bailey Mt
me varieties thenyter in the Strand. /
HEo'sSay you know mt? Yes d?
Wen, SIR, were scene-shifter in that
iheayter Tor seven years, an five years
before that Mt Drury Lane. I couId fen
you some queer stories If you want to
know somethin' of life, Won get mn in
the wings, night after night. an watch
the stage, you'll zee somethin' of the
nad nan the good o. 'uman natur'
why, SIR, I've seen cruelty an wicked
ness an jealousy, an revenge, an kind
ness an forgiveness, an charity. plave1
lar more real behind tho canvas scenes I
were shiftin' than it were OH the sfoge
or before 1t. One night I see a you1C
BirI' Nhich her name was Sairey Podge,
rom DIRTY little street in the borough;
the was Dut n pretty one 60 look at, an
danced like slyph, an she 'ad n mr.
ticier rival, 'alf.ItaIiau pirI- ms had n
little shrew for temper as hevar Won
saw. Wei, ono night, hin the Christ
mas pantomime-'tworel last Christmas
ten year-this Girl, La Rosa, she broke
down, and the people Missed her. Well
was hup IN the wings an I see il. an
she ran behind one Of the scenes where
Sairey was waitin' to Jump ont like n
fairy, as she was, an say 10 NV mate
Look out for squalls there, Iiorry-
them twou fight for I've seen girls
nSht bemnd the scenes before now,
Wen, FIR, The Hitalian almost bounced
INTO the others arms. Slirev drew bocl,
y minute, and looked straight hat 'er.
Inc other was glowing with passion and
spite, an my fear was that Sairev's fac.
was a-goin' to be spoiled, when 1 see
oalrey. old hout both 'er hands, and 1
card ,er distinct.like cry hout, sOhl
MISS Rosa, l. am so sorryr an will You
believe il, sir the poor Hitalian mid
.er cad on the hother's shoulder, an
cried like a child In a minnie the
stage-master called out, sharp. Miss
Pcdge, an she dried 'er tears an went
bout an danced so beautifully. the nit
nearly went mad with 'er. oh, YES. CIR.
there's 'uman natur' behind as well as
before tie scenes, an the great scene
shiftsr above, he watches it.
Well, sir, Miss Lucy, afterward
Missls Bytheway, wer' clever dancer,
an likewise sometimes took a small
part, for she was as pretty a girl as /
ever seen hon the stage, an I've seen
hall the swells, you know. They're
very Partikler hat the varieties Won
know hits only the royal family. an
two or three very speshul parties as
gets the hentree there. I dunno 'ow
that young Bytheway got in; but