New-York tribune., 1880-01-18
GEORGIA SKETCHES.
GOSSIP GRAY.

"I reckon I've been llVln here mos fifty
vear.- SAID the old man, my neighbor Gray,
"Ifs molen fifty. amt If, old woman 7" ap
cealing 70 his wife, an even older looking per-
son than himself, who sat, white and aged,
stod as an Indian, calmly smoking her cob
pipe Nv the big fireplace.
PIT mnst be fifty-three year." the old wo-
man said after due pause /; g the widow was
ms learnin' To walk then. | remember how
the little thing used to git about; an she's
goin' on to iifty-:wO, now, the widow Is"
IL sounded so strangely, this worlds name
for their eldest daughter, from the lips OF her
own mother, who remembered her tOddler
on the cabin floor. | wished, with vague dis
comfort that she had called her Jane or Betsy
instead of the widow But-twenty-nlnIes
yearsi For this eldest daughter OF the old
couple had been the widow" all those long
gears time.
sat in the old log cabin, by the bedside of
the invalid daughter, Sarah, to whom l had
brought some new magazines TO read. For
twenty years TINS most uncomplaning OF
Heavens creatures had lived life Of quiet,
helpless suffering. 1t had refined her till she
was like "a lily-the whitest human being
ever saw, with "a pure, PLAIN, reserved lace,
lying there placid IN her bed, the pale brown
hair smoothly and neatly Ordeled, the hands
long, white and thin, with the delicate nails
of q lady. Her voice was low and pleasant,
toe, not q Jar of complaining In 1t, not an APP
proach to whmper or impatience. Icverenced
Miss Sarah as Il real saint, although the chlnks
and walls ABOUT her were papered with penny
drcadfuls which she had read duIlng those
mOtlonleSs yeaTs-plctuie papers or the linkeSV
sensational type. -
Miss Sqrahs bed occupied one corner of the
biz square room, and the bed for the old folks
the other, with a small high window between
At the foot OF the old folks bed was lhe front
door. with its primitive tastening-latch and
bobuin-and opposite, at the fOOt OF MISS
sarah's bed, the door leading into the second
room of the log house, which was dlning-room
and kitchen together. The fourth side OF the
room was taken up by hugo stone chimney
eight or ten feet vide, with fireplace three
or four feet deep, and by two small windows,
one ON each side OF the hre.
The old mother had her regular seat 10y THIS
fire place, and whether | found her there InF
Summer time, when only few emberS glowed
among the ashes, or In Winter, when the great
"baek-log" simmered slowly and the lesser
ones roared and blazcd merriiy, her 1usty
pipe was never tar from her hand. l dld not
like Mrs. Gray when l first made this LADY,
acquaintance l admit, but she grew upon
me- AT first she almost alarmed me-so fIal ana
sickly was she with such d, haecid white cheek
and faded white hair, covered with spotless,
dead-whIte cap, but with dark deep eyes which
had way OF resting upon you with serious,
not 10 say malignant, hXedneSS; these dalk,
fixed eyes, and a large brown mole OF so con-
trusting strangely with her pale complexion.
She spoke little, and the little she sald came
forth suddenly and Unexpectedly. Alto
gether she seemed TO me an uncanny Ola
soul.
contrary, as the sparkle of a Winter fire. lie
is a tIiy brown old man, whose general aspect
suggests that he was bigger once anu mas
shrIyeied 10 his present proportions. lie Is a
great gossip and always comes III 10 TAX
wien i 20 TO see Miss Sarah sitting III low
rush-bottOmed char, u brOad-UllumCu 1elt
hat OH LIS gray head, no coat on his Dack, Out
wearing "a PLAIN hOmespun cotton shlrt, an ola
nair of gray breecheS and waistcOat; ne
wipes his mouth and shaven chin good deal,
as he talks, with his trembling Old brown mana,
aud looks at you with twlnkllng brown eyes
where life and vivacity sllll nnger, though
the old man has passed his elghteth year.
.Yes, il was fifty-three year ago that we
come here TO SETTLE" the old man said. \
The ground was all maiden-cane ana pea
vines then, an the cattle roamed through me
country i'll herds. THIS house bad been built
AM one acre fenced III, but not cleared, when
come here an bought 1t. Thar want no
nejgbbors for miles an miles. Thar was only
a few houses in settlement whar Decatur Is
now. An thar was all kyinds o. Wild beasts
in the woods around. An deer! I've shot a
fne buck standin' here in my house door, as
they dashed right across below yohoer "har
the widow lives nOw."
Wasn't it dangerous TO let the cattle roam
around loose, III those times T. L querieu, III
order to keep him talking.
"Well every man owned mOre'n he could
house; thar was buDdted or more ruDEln
loose with each mans mark on EN- an, the
owners ID all git together an divide on and
brand the calves in the reglaI season, an glt
up a lot to send of to sell. Thar was lois ol
profit for little work. The cattle want no
way harned-not often. Sometimes Il wolf d
git after a new born calf, but 1t "a blate, an
It's mother ID low, an try to defend II, am
all the herd d coIae runnln tOgetner an
gather around, an the wOlf'd get OFT, Tor fear
% tramplin to death. The most daDgetousest
thing | ever hearn tell of around here was
when some neighbors o mine that hved about
sixteen mile off SIT out TO hunt up then cattle
II woman. L was, an her son. Ihey each
TUX thar guns an set Out
Did the woman know now TO shoot guh'
tooP" L rashly quefled.
Shoot Like smoke That what I'm teln'
We She was standln oil thrO' the woods,
some distance from her son, when she Doteed
there was motion i'll the leaves not lar from
him. am lookin' sharp she saw what 1t was--a
painter JUS wigglin' its tail an crouchln', to
sprng on her bow She was the coolest, spryest
hand YOU ever see. She leyelled her gun
ker-bang An the painter jumped an rolled
an bit the dust. She Killed nun dcad as a
dooI-Dail. that woman did shot him right
tho !"
wolves got after you," said the gentle voice
of Miss Sarah from the bed. . Miss Alexander
seems TO like.to hear abOutuadyentuTes."
"Ihat didn't happen here, that was on my
trim to North Car'iiny," said the old man, wip
ing his mouth again with bis leathery palm.
" spec Miss Alexander glts theu U my long
Being most cordially assured to the contrary.
mine ancient gossip laid aside his bashtulness
and began. q,
1--WE came here from North Car''iiny, in the
sust plaee-fIOm near Raleigh ; an aftef wed
been here year two, was OleeSed 10 80
back To see bout some property nay unc had
LET me, an some o. the other nices an nep-
hews was tryin' to june me out of. My cousin
was with me that year-a likely boy, aboui
elghteen-an' left Linn in keer o. the place an
the folks, ,'an' got on a horse I'd bought year
back, with some saddle bags an provisions,
an' set off III a Decline for home. got along
all right, the first o the journey, an got to