The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-08-14
VOLUME ".

ham n0tmn 1Of themselves.
"Melindy used to say sometimes that
she wished Dan'l was little steadicr at
his work, but if you went to blaming
him she always had some excuse for HIM
He had a pain lin his side, or the
So wanted him too work to hard,
or he had to take care Of the baby.
"There always was baby in the house
little, half-dressed, generally miserable
creetur, for they never got the right kind
though Dan'l and Melindy liked them in
their way. can't even say that it was
curious the little things died off after one
another, but 1t lid seem to me fortunate,
for there want no gainsaying but what
they were better off out of the world thai,
in it. Jack though, he TOUCHED i out,
though he had all the drawbacks the
others had, had grew to be a little, black
eyed youngster, hanging to Melindy' S
skirts, trottin' TO und after Danl or lynn
in the sun and sand alongside them mis-
crable dogs.
Melindy went when the seventh baby
come, and she and the child were buried
together, and you wouldn't hardly think
il, but one day when one of my boys went
past the place where she was buried, if
there want that forlorn little Jack a
walking round and round it and pipin
NANNY, mammy!'
"Misfortunes never comes single, they
say, and | believe it, and to prove it
Dan'l's gun went off all of a sudden one
day when he was climbing fence, and
somebody found hlm the same day lying
there clean shot through the heart
After he was deccntly buried no one
knew what to do with Jack. 1t want
to be thought of that anybody around
should want him, and the only way seem
ed to be to send him to the poor-house.
I remember he sat out on hi" st"n" n
Tue yard, hiding his face from everybody
in his torn jacket sleeve, and crying Tor
the dog that Squire Jones had took away
'cause he SAID he was good bird dog,
and somebody or other had hushcd him
up quite sharp when he called fer pap
py.
"Old Mrs Fox asked me if | didn't
feel to take him, but didn't mean to fly
in the face of providence by taking that
child when had tough work to keep
my own. SO Jack went to the poor house.
I'm sure we have to pay taxes to keep it
going, and it's fair somebody should be
sent there once in awhile.
'sDo you know the Brones? No: We'll,
that's curious, for they live only a matter
of four miles away. Likely as not you've
heard enough of them to know that they
arc awful close, but I'm free to say ttat
of all stingy, scraping, rich creatures
they are the very beat. | vas sent tor
to come and nurse Toms wife when she
had her baby q couple of years ago. Tom
came over beforehand to strike bargain
with me, tried to tell me the work would
be light with Samantha, her niece, there,
and asked me right out to take OFT a
couple of dollars in my price. But |
knew the Brones, and they knew me, and
l went for my regular wages or not at all.
You sec, there is great deal ts do on
large farm like theirs, and they expected
me to be busy every minute.
"I often wondered when l was there
what was the use Of money if you couldn't
enjoy it. They certainly didn't seem to
get any good, so to speak, out OF theirs.
Their very table was mean, mean Tor
them who could afford bctter-sour rye
bread, rusty pork and the small potatoes
they couldn't sell. Though they had
big lot of poultry none Of it ever came on
their table, neither did eggs or such, for
everything that could fetch copper
went to mar<ct and II they lived like
that you can think what sort of vittles
Jack got! Yes, Jack, for l found Danl
Briggs Jack there.
"You see the first night when ! see
that tall, shamblin' crectur shuff1in' in
with his head droppln torrards ! mis-
trusted that I'd seen him somewhcres be-
fore, and watched him while nd eat
his bread crusts and cold potatoes, and
after he'd gone out I asked Samantha,
Who's he?'
"JacK,' she says. .........
"Jack what?'
"Jack Briggs
"And then had it sure enough.
Tom got him out of the poor-house
some time ago, she said, sharply: hes
half fool. l hate him
"Well, wouldn't blame any one fol
being half fool living on such food as
they gave him. Fat edges of lork with
out a bit of meat on them. cold potatoes,
and bread left to get hard and dry so he
couldn't eat so much of it. Bless you,
child, I'm not lying; I'm tellin' down
right truth; I've seen Christian folks
more than once play that trick on their
hired folks.
"I spoke to him next morning as he
was washing outside on the porch. i
knew your folks once says |.
"sEh,' said he, looking at me with
those dull, black eyes of his'n.
eyes, and I knew you when you
was little fellow; you've growed
considerable since. How did you get
along at the poolhouse:
az had fits sometimes, and they flogg-
ed me sometimes.
a.you dor'+ 90 Gc;-cc sIv,, ions
have you been heres'
"sQuite spell.
"sYou look kind of peaked and yel-
ler,' says l, don't you feel wcll!
"He stared at me and real tears came
to his ewes. I've lots of pain here, said
he, putting his hand to his side, and nay
head hurts sometimes
"Four days after l went there, Jane,
that's Toms wife, got word that her
father and mother were coming down to
sec the new baby and spend the day
She was nightly fiustered when size
heard it. for she hadn't a bit of pie OF
cake in the house and she wanted me tc
make some. She said though it must be
apple pie and cake that wouldn't take
more than an egg or two, and but little
butter say tablespoonful. concluded