Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-04-22

coarse nature was wounded to
the quick. 1t was a wonder
with her ln'govefnable, spirit,
that she did not attempt person
al violence upon him. But she
reserved her revenge for some
thing more tragical. In her in
tense excitement she began to
drink, and the liquor, of course,
infamed her rage. Finally just
about dusk, she came 10 my tent
pretty well intoxicated, and the
scene that ensued is wildly I'M
pressed upon my recollection.
Her dIsordered appearance
added to the effect she made.
Her hair hung rough and un-
combed about her flushed face.
Her eyes gliitered with excite
ment. Her countenance we'll in
dexed her turbulent soul. Her
massive frame shook under her
fiery agitation. She poured out
a volume Of talk, speaking none
the less deliberately because of
the yehemence of her tones.
Her language was singular and
effectively dramatic, She be-
gan By telling me that she had
no quarrel with me. 1t is true
| had refused to do her will, but
/ had been candid with her and
never deceived her. | had told
her the truth like a man. But
Reub- Keith had acted like a
dog. AS she spoke his name it
seemed to intensity her wrath.
She elaborately and, it must be
said, eloquently portrayed per-
fidy, giving a graphic picture
Of her hopes, her plans, her love
fol. her boy, her strong yearning
to get him home, her labors, her
appeals, her trust in Keith, his
ready, sympathetic cooperation
in her fervent desire, lis base
betrayal of her confidence. The
stern old soul got right pathetic
and touching in some of her al
lusions, Her tale was told with
the finest simplicity and effect
of dramatic art. The conclu-
sion was as striking as it va,
unexpected. Throwing herself
upon her knees, the declining
sun casting sort of illusion "a
round her1homely but express
i've old face, its marked features
anguished and vindictive, she
uttered snch an Imprecatioh up
Oh Keith as Mortified ME and
those who heardit. The malig-
nancy Of that malediciion, was
something dreadful. She,inyok-
ed deadly blight upon his mind,
heart and home. She hoped he
might never know peace or hap
piness; that he might live in
and terror, and when he
died that he might die, like a
hunted hound, friendless, ,up-
pitied, away from friends, and
nncoffined as food for carrion.
And she frcnziedly declared that
her curse would be fulfilled.
There was nothing inl,the
scene to break the monotony
of the old woman's -demonstra-
ton Of hatred. She. preserved
her rude dignity through it all,
and never lowered her tragical
effectiveness. She certainly
thrilled her hearels, and left an
uncomfortable horror for The OBJ
ject OF inlprecations. The
deep words, the falling twilight,
the martial surroundings, all
were fit accessories of the pict-,
ure. Rising slowly, COMPOSING
her features, and stalking ST.
lently into the woods and the
night, she disappeared, leaving
only the dark hideuns memory
of her appalling malcdiction,
THE FULFILLMENT.s lsotr
Old Rachel Stone passed out
Of immediate memory, The
swift and changing drama of
war left no time nor opportuni-
ty for retrospection. But the
creatures curse sped none the
less surely to a seeming serifi-
cation. The passage of Gener-
al Sherman's army through
Georgia lett in the northern sec
ton of the State a frightf'ul con-
dition of things. This favored
section of the sState-li
healthy, beautiful--was a con-
tinuous ruin. 1t exempIified'
fully the horrors of war. The
white section Of the State, it
furnished the bulk of the Union
element. The arena for con-
tending armies for a long peril
od, it was ,lesolatcd in its eEtir-
cty.l Left for months outside
of the protecting agis of both
Governments, the hiding-pIace
cf guerrillas. ct both armies, the
theater of that worst of all strife
that exists between inimical To-
cal factions, it realized in all