Sharp County record., 1881-05-05

|
with logs, because there WANT nobody to take
care of it in camp, but he used to leave it to
oue Of the neighbors when he went to see Patty;
she wouldn't hev it in the house. And she
wouldn't merry him. though he kept a-coaxin'
| on her to name the day. She said she'd wait
| till he got red of that little Injin.
| $50 it went along for year and more and
| the little lnin was three year old and saul
seemed TO set more and more by it every day;
but he was terrible in love with Patty too, and
| expect the poor feller had struggle atween
| IN
"When it come along spring there was
| terrible freshet. We're pooty apt to heY
| freshet up here along in the spring, but sech
a one as they tell of that year aint common
| 1t had been a dredful cold winter and the ice
in the river was uncommon thick, and when
1t went out it was a sight to see, they ali SAID.
| The great blocks was a-leapin' and tumblin',
over each other as if they was a-wrastlin', and
| they was hove up onto the shore mountain,
| high in some places. Saw-mills was kerried
| off and the lumbermen had hard work to save
any of the logs that they'd piled up upon the
shore, ready to drive down when the river
| opened.
,"They was all there on the shore, a workin'
to save what they could and the hull settle
ment was there too the day that the Ice went
out.
"Sauls little Injun was all by herself, Saul
| bein too busy too look arter her and folks in
| gineral heving a kind of preierdice agin'
| her. She was humbly little creetur, and dthey
didn't set by Iniuns nohow. And what did
| the Young one do but go to where Patty was
| standn' with parcel of gals and cling holt
of her skirts.
"Patty she shook her off anG told her to
| clear out, but Jest then Saul he sung out and
| asked Patty if she wouldn't look arter her
ol hi Daft
| hesitated little and then she said she would.
THE gals was standin' pootty clost to the
| river and the little Iniin she was a-standin' on
| block of ice. They was a-watchin' the lum-
| bermen trVin' to save the logs and the fust
| thing they knew there was that block OF ice
with the Young one oni a-ioatin' out into the
river and she a-yellin' and a-screechin' to Saul
| to come and git her.
"Some thought she'd been a-jumpin' on it
and kind of made it slip down into the river;
some thought the water must a. washed up
without tuer noticin' and kerried it Off; and
some on 'em looked askance at Patty and
| thought she might a pushed it.
ANYHOW, there was the block with the poor
! little lnin on it a-bcin' pushed and drove and
sure to be swallercd up before many minutes.
"Pattv, she stood like stun whilst the 9th
ers was all a-runnin' and a-screechin'. Saul,
| he didn't stop for nothin'. He jumped onto
the blocks of hoatin' ice, fust one and then
another. The current was kerryn' out the
block that the little Iniin stood on pootty fast
but he all but fetched it-all butt There come
a great pile of ice and logs a-SwOoping down
on him and knocked him into the water as II
he hadn't been no morn a fe lther! The lit
tie Iniin she went too and the great heap OF
ice went over em, and they never come up.
"Patty Hutchins she took on like wild
| cTetur; some thought she really vas little
teche and wouldn't never be herself agin.
There was constable whisperin' and most
folks believed that she'd gin that ice block a,
little hist: she did hate that little lnjin so like
pisOn! But Of course there WANT never moth
in done about it. She shet herself up, and
she wouldn't hev nOthin' to sav to nObody-till
after ten years or more. Then she up and
merlied widerer with seven children. Folks
was surprised, but you see her father and
mother was dead and she hadn't no home.
81 don't mind telin' you that It was my
| father that she merried," added Mr.. Jones,
| lowering his voice. 81 hain't nOthin' to say
aoin her. She want never what you could
call fond of children, and she was kind of
| gloomy by spells, but she done her duty pootty
| well BY us. She'd always seem to be a-brOOd-
| in over things, pertikerly when it got along
| towards spring and the ice was a-goin out OF
the river She'd always go and set on the
| bank and watch it a-goin' Seems as il any
| body would kind of forgit arter years and
years, but some folks don't seem to; but when
they git uncommon along in years they do git
kind of mixed, and they're apt to say kind OF
queer things to folks. l wouldn't hev you
mention it to Mis- Jones, for she's terrible
| high-minded, Mis- Jones is-but--"
Our host interrupted himself by throwing
some spruce boughs upon the fire; they
snapped and cracked and filled the room with
spicy, wood odors, and then blazed up in grace.
| full and fantastic shapes. The flames danced
in Grams face and awoke her.
| Her little keen black eyes searched our
faces The room had grown quiet; Mr.. Jones,
apparently exhausted by his efforts as a story
teller, had leaned back in his chair and closed
his eyes; even the low murmur of voices in the
company eend" had died away.
Il want Pamely to come and put me to bed.
always have to wait,n Gram broke out quer-
ulopsly. "Ive waited terrible many years
to find out things, that's the hardest kind of
| waitingln
We murmured an assent sympathetically.
Maybe you can tell me the things l want
| to know" she went on. "You look as if you
knew as much as minister. But then I've
asked them and they don't know They say
that wishin' Gint doin' ;andif for one minute
twas more than wishin', that may turn this
world black, but it can't turn the other-be-
cause the Lord is forgivin' | know He is.
But want to take 1t all baeh What l want to
know is can all Eternity make things jest as il
hey hadn't euer been?" GRAMS voice sunk to
an impressive whisper at that question.
Pamely came in just then with two or three
cronies from the prayer-meeting who had
stopped to get warm. They brought pleas
ant hustle and an out-of- door freshness with
them, which made US feel asif our hosts story
of the old time dwellers " on the edge of the
worldn and Grams mysterious questions that
fitted so curiously into it, were all a dream.
They mingled with our dreams that night. We
saw Grams keen eyes peering into the dark
ness and her worn voice asked us questions
| that no man could answer
Wewere glad to he off in the morning before
Gram was astir.
We found good sport and novel experience
and pushed on !" over the border" into Canada.
When we came back to be again " eaten and
slept at Mr.. Jones' tavernn on our homeward
way, six weeks had gone by. Spring was
abroad in the land. The river had opened two
weeks before. Mr.. Jones was as voluble, ''Mis'
Jones" as mild and gracious as before. Mi
randy and the school master had departed on
their wedding tour to see "his folks.n
But the tiny, withered figure was gone from
the great chair beside the fireplace. A new,
shining plate was added to the row which orna-
mented the mantelpece at the company
eend." On it was inscribed: Patty Hutch
ins Jones, 90 years and II months"
Gram got cold a-goln' down to the river to
see the ice go out" said Mr. Jones. She
was always terrible sot upon seein' the Ice go.
And it is harnsome sightn