Sharp County record., 1879-11-27

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worshiped the very ground he walked
on. When this terrible misfortune
overlook him, she eXtenuated what he
had done in her faithful heart, and
hated those who, as she considered, had
hunted him down. She staid on in the lit
tie house where he and his mother and
she herself had kept house for years,
winding up their small affairs as was
best for his interest, selling off the fur
niture, packing up the few and uncostly
articles of apparel and of personal prop
erty that had been his mothers. While
his trial was going on in the county
town he wrote to her, and she carried
his letters to the clergyman of her par
ish to read them and answer them for
her. When he was sentenced to the
penitentiary she followed him there, and
took up her abode just outside the walls,
seeing him occasionally, and supporting
herself by taking in washing.
Before leaving her old home she went
to see Helen Lee, who had then been
married a week or ten days. Helen
came out to speak to her on the same
piazza where She and Philip held the
fatal conversation we have recorded
Nanny Jones stood erect before the
young wife, her arms folded calmly, her
bright dark eyes scanning Helen. She
was costumed for the occasion in her
best-a deceht black gown, long gold or
gold-plated earrings, a bright plaid
bandana kerchief bound about her
brow.
81 is goin' ter Mas'r Phil" she told
Helen. 81 knows he wants me, though
he hab not sent fur me. Reckon he
studied it, and thoughtit wud be oncon-
venient fur me ter come. But, laws! |
mus be wild my chile. An l thought
likely you all-you and Miss Amy-wud
hab message ter send, seein' you was
all sich frens.n
"Thank you for coming" Helen re-
sponded, in her pleasant way. 81 hope
you'll have comfortable journey. No
no message at all"
Here Amy came forward. "But l
have a message-a least if my love is a
message. Be sure to give him my
love-"
"In preference, MISS" Nanny Jones
reioined, gravely. And Amy nodded,
as if she understood her meaning, which
was, however, that nanny thereby en-
gagged herself to deliver that message
before all others. Alas! not many
friendly greetings were sent to the poor
convict; but, at all events, that word of
Amy's was the best of all. 1t did him
good. He was not an entirely dishon-
ored man if that sweet, pure girl con-
sidered him worthyo herremembrance.
Certainly that message sWeetened his
life-a life that was not an unworthy
one in spite of his shOrn head and blue
uniform. There is in some natures a
capacity and determined will which
are emphasized all the more distinctly
by failure and disaster II will not be
beaten,n was the cry of Philips soul.
He had rYe against what Goethe calls
somewhere the iron law of nature. And
nature had dealt him sharp blow in re-
turn. But there was power of rebound
in him. He would prove himself fit to
live yet.
Yes, fit to live. He was by no means
equipped for life yet But he would
forge the weapons he would require af
terward right here in his prison. In the
intervals of the labor that was required
of him he did 50. He studied and he
read. He acquired Latin and Greek,
and three modern languages. He ac-
quired the profession of the law. Nam
nv Jones was his middle-woman in buy
ing books. The small sum she had
scraped together from the sale of his
household goods befriended him in this.
The 10 long years of his imprisonment
dragged by. They were short years to
Nanny Jones, however. All this time
she was working hard, so that when
"Mas'r Phil got off" he and she might
have laid up ga leetle sumthin - on
which to begin housekeeping. She be-
came accustomed to his situation. She
had always looked upon it consistently
as the result of the malice of his enc
mics, and upon himself as an injured
man. 1t was in vain that Philip had
tried to explain matters to her. " What's
de use?" she would say. "Don't tell
me. You didn't wont ter keep no mon
ey dat warn't your'n, honey. You
meant ter pay it back. 1t all dat darned
old Gray's fault in de fust place; Didn't
you throw away fifteen hundred dollar
clar de day arter you war rested? Oh
curse. Did dat look like you war in need
OBJ money?n
He had told her of his gift to the Lees.
Poor honest soul! she was his only
friend, and he wanted her to understand
that when he forged his uncle's name he
had done so from ne selfish motives.
"Ob curse,n Nanny Jones had said.
She was apt to say cob curse " whether
things were of course or not.
Philip made up his mind that he would