The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-08-06

An Episode Which the Man Re-
membered and the Woman
Forgot.

An Episode Which the Man Re-
membered and the Woman
Forgot.
From Hsrp-r's Weekly.
One wild clustering night not many
years ago. = stage Coach made short
detOur through one Of the mountain
Gus regions Of Pennsylvania. ant
stopped at the house Ut preacher I,
was an old brown house at the f,nt ol
u sterile rock, seemingly rs remote from
civilization ~ the heart III an Arabian
desert. The Rev. Paul Hume has al
ready spent here. So tar as vitality
went. the best years Of his life. liz
had been glad to 6nd ut late the old
rebellious longings. the fierce ambition,
even the fretting discomfort and Latent
hope If the future. becomin: more dim
aud dull. and he began To believe, a.
the years went by. he would be able
To live out those allotted To him honor.
ably a, least, ani in u measure resign.
edly. He had given up the foolish
fondness tor putting fire and fervor in
a long Sunday discourse. He wa
quite content that some of his conyre.
Cation should sleep quietly through
the sermon, and runhinate over what.
ever fieshv aggravation or joy that VIA
uppermOst in their minds. Probably
his spiritual companion, even in the
degree suited To his capacity. was the
serving woman. Hager-black. strishr.
featured, stoical and reticent. hut given
Ia bursts Of religious enthusiasm that
in a measure relieved the dbl mono,
ony Of lite they lived there alone to
gether.
Hager ought to have known her
master better than to believe that he
would refuse suceor to anv helpless fel.
low creature, and il was foolish q! her
To shorten the Chain that barred til.
dU'r that night when the driver of the
coach begged that they would take
Temporary care Of sick Passenger.
She had been getting worse and worse,
the driver said, for the last ten miles,
and ''seein there was NO hotel nor hos
pital. nor anything handy" he had
made bold tn fetch her to the parson's
house. Hager shook the crimson rur-
ban on her fine Egyptian head. and
declared it was not the parsons bust
uess to risk his life with pestilential f.
vers.
kGen as she spoke, however, the
parson had unloosed the chain and
gone out in his scanr and close cap to
the coach. and lifted the poor woman
out in his strong arms. Hager fol-
Lowell him and his burden up starts,
and rs the Ii yht from her candle tell
upon tangled curls and braids, hits Of
ribbon. AMI a long strip Of embroidered
lace that hung from the head Of the
sick woman, a gold chain about her
neck and other personal gewgaws that
to the Contempt Of Hager,
she mutterei tn herself that her mas
ter had had quite enough Of these
flummeries for the rest Of his natural
life.
The lady's trunks hal been bumped
in after her, and presently they had to
be PRED open, for the lady's lips and
ewes were closed. and could not tell Ha-
ger the KEY to these fine treasures.
But Hager went to work with a Will,
and before the preacher hail saddled
his gray cob and started of on his five
mile journey across the mountain for a
doctor. Hag-r had put aside the rib
hons and bits Of travelling aoiornment
for a long white muslin robe, which
struck the preachers heart with chill
and made i'm speed the
pony on his way.
The doctor hal some broken bones
10 set, and told Mr.. Hume frankly
hat, SD far as fevers and disorders of
hat kind went, that black woman of
MS was worth dozen ordinary prac-
itioners. and that he had long counted
N her in extIemities If that sort and
rutting over to Mr.. Hume;s the next
morning OH his way from setting
,rOken bones, the doctor called out to
he Parson to know If he was not right
bout the capabiIiiy Of Hager. The
lex ladys wrists aid ankles were ban
|aged up with cooling herbs, and the
trength Of some healing decoction If
layers reached the surgeons nostril.. |
he pupils Of the eyes were dilated |
title, and a crimson flush burned in
he cheeks Of the unfortunate traveller.
mt the doctor declared that Hager
'as doing we'll, and, with good care,
D a week Or 50. the journey could BIZ
Then. with q curious and
voluntary look Of admiration, the
Cctor looked sgain at the patient and
tent on his way; it was not often, in
region like this. one could look ut
retty woman, sick or we'll. and the
ood surgeon could scarcely be blamed
'r that lingering glance Of his upon
oor Mrs. DelPaine.
~AS ySs tuS pssSOu uuu utcu dIOOe
'ncerned for her safety; for many
ays it did not occur to him that the
'ndition of his guest appealed to any
'ibate OF his nature save pity aud rev.
renee. Hager. however. strongly dis
pproved Of femin ne charms, especi-
Iy when the owner endeavore,l to add
them BY frivolity of dress or de-
eanor. The poor lady. who fell, that
'e owed. perhaps, her very life to
'ese good peoples care and skill, s
,ened her heart to Hager, and told I
r. all about her long journey from the J
,ciic coast, where she had Lust her I
,sband many years since, and had J
nged to come home to the East, but '
rsded. rs well she might, the drearv
,st- Of miles between. Hager knitted ,
'iidly on and listened apparently i
e listened. but not with that active, v
nder absorbed interest that the min q
er gave. q
Mrs. DelpDaine was too III Tn he lcft r