The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-10-08
nOpD,S TRAGEDY.

I q
a great, rough laborer, fifty years OF age
| or more. Some dreadful trouble must
have come upon him to make him show
his sorrow in that way without disguise.
The strangers stared sympathe tically.
After while the proprietor OF the store
went up TO him and said: l.H
"Wen, neighbOr, you seem to be In
trouble; can we help you any W
The man did not look up; he shook his
head and satd:.
'sNo, no, mol! lps very kind of you,
think Pm an old tool; but she was all
! tHNhmily I had, aud she's Dead" aud
great tear spiashed down upon the
floor.
"She's dead. You can't do me any
good now; but if you'd come around to
my little shanty there about 8 O'Clock
last night you might have done some
lgood-G dunno. When man is deter
Imlned to make a brute OF himself he'll
do it, perhaps; but II there'd been some
lone there TO say: 'D0d, what on airth
Iare you aboutT why, mebbe-l dunno,
Itho'-I was mad. When man is MAD,
and has had u glass too mucn, WhaPs
the use Of talking to him? l's fixed
things for me. Any way-Lord, forgive
me !-she's dead"
liz
the people looked at him with faces that
had lost little of their sympathy.
"You didn't-didn'C do anything to
bring it on--whateyer it wasp said an
old lady With large basket on her arm,
Il shouldn't have Thought it of yOu',
"Yes, l did did," sobbed the man.
"If II hadn't been for me it never would
have happened. l loved her too. Yes.
did love ner. Nobody could say she' d
lever hard word from me before In all
the days we'd lived together; but last
night Pd a glass too much, aud stopped
at the buttner's down in the village
and bought a bit OF steak--a man wants
Il change from pork once in way-an d
she was tonu OF steak, she was; and
LEST fetched it in and said to her:
I'We1l nave supper Tonight, ehP ana
she sort OF noaued and wInked at me
IjesL as Jolly, aud then went out w the
well to draw wafer, aud as u body does
sometimes when any body is in hurry,
lost the bucket of, ana was terra.
bic time finding 1t, and when l went III
well, you see, went III with an appetite
i-and there sue SAT, and-We1, l aiu'l
dainty, but couldn't nave Loucneu thai
steak 10 saYs me--and got mad. Well
| got madder tban l ever was before
aud jest goes around and gave her
KICK. Yes, | did. Ii was TO be huns
for il tomorrow, Pa have 10 own UP.
, kicked her,"
/ you bruteW said the woman will
the basket; kicked her because you
steak dldn't SUIT you! Well may yol
, cry"
"Yes'm," said the man. "You cam
speak harder to me than feel to myself
kicked her in the side, and, WuaJ i.
more, l opened The door and Kicked he
out OF 1t, and then l jest sat down along
side Of my fire and talked the worst kline
to myself did, inIeed-Luru forgive
me! and L said I'd never let her il
az ain. Yes'm, you can look as you likt
at mel deserve it-and then l went t.
bed"
event to bed and left her out in tht
cold T' said the Old lady. "Never seein.
whether she was dead or nUtW
Eyes, did," said The poor man, sob
bing hard, land more than that, wen
TO sleep-l slept sound, too; aud Wha
do you suppose walked me? Why, neI
vOice-l knew II from a thousand
1t was the awfullest shrek, ant
: then another, and then another, and i
came all over me what Pd done. II
turned ner that had slept alongside o
: me. winter nights more years than
: could remember out into the cold night
pd kicked her out. Ga! I was sObe
; then, l tell you. l saw what brute
; was to do a thing like that, all for bi
> of paltry steak, and l got up and wen
u | to the door and | called, but she didn
:, come. L called again, and then hear
her scream, but fainter anu further of
. and then l felt kind of horror com
= over me, and L dressed myself and 100
. my lantern and went out. | wake
this way and that. Ilooked and [ ca!let
), l swung the lantern low and l held
~ nigh. There wasn't a sign OF her; an
% at last l got down TO Bolte.'s Pon(
there by the edge of the woods, yC
- know, and l heard kind Of u growing
" and past me, all in hurry as they Z
~ when they've been doing mischief, tie
" those dogs of bolter's-ferce devils
" v but they knew enough to be afraid of II
- | then.
y And when saw them my heart stoc
"a Still, and I swung the lantern low asal
- and l saw her. She lay alongside Il
~ IpOnd, aud her gray hairs were dabblt
~, ~, In blood, and the mark of the dogs teel
~ were on her neck; and l jest LOOK b
'. up in my arms and carried her alol
y the road home, and brought her to Il
- fire, and there l cried over h3r al
~ called her all the pet names l used
,e call her when 1 first had her IL littl
~ young thing; but it wasn't any use-s
'n was jest as sLitf and cold, and | lald h
y ON the bed, ana there she's laid ev
~ ~ since. On! it's dreadtulp
90 Yes, and you deserve to be hung
70 70 said the old lady; but, now, suppo
~ she isn't dead, and may be she ism
;, Let us go over with you, and stop al
~ letch the doctor. Folks have Be,
y brought to that seemed dead. Anywa
us all right"
1T "Well, PHI do it," said the man; "b
~ it's no use, l Know"
~ The proprietor OF the store called h
d. wife To wait on 1T, and he headed pI
I'd cession OF his customers, and they
h. went down to D0dd's cabin, calling ,
ne the doctor as they passed his hOus
d. aud taking him with them. But VIII
IN they came to the lonely little house
il one cared to be the first 10 go il;
OF at last the doctor, as being beat used
il such things, opened the door al
be stepped in. 1t was mean little roo
re ana furnished only with a table, tN
lis chairs, some shelves, and bed, and
Id This bed sat an old gray cat washing h
is lace.
As soon as Dodd's eye rested on tt
animal he uttered Cry OF joy, and fe
at to her side; but she at once set up n
D. back and uttered luud "M ee-ow," VIII
he her tail swelled to immense proportion