Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-11-19
Gales and Sketfbes.
sreRY OF 4 PREACHER's TRIP.
By JANE GRAY SwIssHELN.
(Conunuea from yesterday. }

fever. had no place to stay no one who
could take care Of her; she would be very
i'll, maybe. for a long time; would prob
ably die: had no money; but back in
Pennsylvania she had friends who would
paw any expense Of sickness or burial.
Her auditor listened calmly. and spoke
no word until she had ceased. Then.
Strengthening herself, she replied;
Silver and gold have none ; but such
a. have give unto thee :" then descend
ed from the log. took the visitors bundle,
and led the way ints the house.
In one corner was bed Of straw, made
upon poles fastened to the wall. From
these poles she removed the bed, and laid
it in the opposite corner; took clean
bed-tick from chest. went 10 a little barn,
filled it with fresh straw: and with clean
sheets made up an inviting bed F.; undress-
ed and washed the wet feet; put away the
bonnet, which had been such a cause Of
offence to the good brothers and sisters ;
and soon had her guest in bed and herself
installed as nurse. The bed in the other
corner was made up for herself and her
two bows, one oil whom was an idiot, made
so by brutal beating inflicted by his IA
Their. This beating had changed the cur
rent of the mothers life, so that, from
living a wife. after the plan Of Paul, with
her husband standing in Gods stead, she
became in her own right a moral agent.
accountable to God for all the deeds done
in the body. There in that lone cabin she
had 1nraveled the contradictions and
sophistries OF the great apostle and gained
n standing ground on which she defended
her own right to life and that Of her chill
dren.
The mind once clear in case Of this
kind, all else is easy: for woman who
has never worn corsets or an extra skirt
for appearance sake, and who can. In
consequence, WELD an axe as well as any
man OF her size, has no difficulty in max
ing her rights respected. She had
thought out and written out the whole
problem Of the slavery of her sex; had
lost respect for the churrhes, which had
established and maintained that slavery
and so was every queer and not at all
respectable, for. if the church can no long
err burn as witches the women who think,
she can make it very uncomfortable for
them. This one bore the disapproval of
the orthodox with stoical Indifference, and
proved tower of strength to her sick
guest, in her time of need. Her best
drinking cup was a gourd, but she kept it
filled with pure water from distant
spring, and golden goblet could have
made it no sweeter to the fevered lips.
From where the sick woman lay she
could see the house from which she had
come and where her husband still lay in
that death-stupor. Every day messen-
ger came to bring tidings, which were al
ways the same "stil living" As the
two beds occupied one end of the cabin,
huge fireplace and dresser filled the other
and this fireplace opened into an outside
chimney. built of mud and sticks. One
forenoon. while the mistress was occu-
pied with her guest, the boys raised an
outcry of Fire Fire ~ rushed and
screamed:
NANNY. the house is afre ~
Sure enough. So it was. The roof
had caught from the chimney. She got
her axe. climbed up. and began chopping |
away the burning clapboards, calling to /
the boys to hand up the bucket of water !
and gourd dipper; but almost her first /
blow released a store of hazenuts, which |
she had secreted. and which now began to |
pour down on the floor of the burning
house.
For the nuts the boys began to scram- |
BILE. utterly needless of her calls for assis- |
lance. No help was in reach. and in the |
extremity the poor patient crept out of
bed. and on hands and knees reached
the chest where her hostess kept her I'M
recorded deed and other valuable papers
secured them. crawled ont and lay
down on the prairie while the woman with
the axe left it on the roof, came down.
hogged the boys. ard made them 90 for
water. while she took up what was al
ready in the house. distributed it careful
ly from her gourd dipper. then chopped
and threw away the burning roof. until
the third OF IT was gone and the danger
past, when she came and helped her guest
back to bed and "set things to right"
But they were destined to alarms. The
country was wild. and there We're many
accounts of robberies and ouirages. and
Just then there was an alarm about one
or more escaped prisoners. So. when
both women heard the footsteps of two
men pass around the house. between mid
night and morning, heard them speak in
low. cautious tones. wait, then walk
toward the door. il was no wonder that
the brave defender OF the house rose eau
tiously. secured her gun. took her posi-
ton and stood ready to shoot whoever
opened the door. But those on the out
side stopped, stood. consulted. then turned
and went away.
They afterward learned tha, il was two
good neighbors. who had package and
message to deliver from the absent hus-
band. and who. ''for fear Of frightening
the women" had acted in this strange,
suspicious way but came in the morning
to explain.
After the fire the fever grew worse.
Delirium set in. and the patient could
seldom know when the message came
that her husband still lived
Her stout hearted nurse and the doctor
began to think she might go before him;
but when messenger came galloping,
one forenoon. she was sane and too sick
to be sorry that Hiram was released
from the WEAKNESS which lay so heavily
upon her. The news. however. was not
what she expected; for the man. hurry
ing in. exclaimed;
..Oh, we are havin' such time over at
Pop Thomas's. When they thought
Hiram was gone,he came to all of sud
den. shoutin' Glory, Seems like he'd been
in trance or an angel come to him. He
says he isn't goin' TO die. He's goin' to
preach. He has to serve the Lord on
earth and bring thousands of sinners To