The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1882-09-07

WarnleSt place, and went TO work
with my knife to cut sticks and twigs
for l>indlings. | worked fast, Jim, /
tell you; and prayed God l might
succeed-for the life of the poor dear
gal depended ont, and my own fu tur'
happiness besides. Rut all to onct
[ heerd the cussed wolves coming
back, Or else another pack gathering
round, and my heart riz right up and
stuck in my throat. higher and
higher they come; and so fast, that,
in less nor minute. as it 'peared to
r1e, they war dancing all round
about. and I could see thar intern al
eyes in big circle, like so many
Goals Of fire. At this. / run to Phoebe,
and stood right over her, putting my
knife betwixed my teeth, and hold.
ing pistol in each hand, determin-
ed to eyther save her from them
howling varnlints or else die with
her
81 never knowed how many wolves
thar war round us that night; but it
'peared to me rs ef they'd bin let
loose from all creation; and sich
swapping, and snarling, AMI growl
ing, and barking, and yelplng, and
fighting, as they done right close
about me-with u hundred balls Of
fire moving up and down and hither
and yon, and now and then some
shadowdy figur' bounding for'ard, as
eff to grab me, and whisking past SO
close that [ sometimes felt his
breat hall this war enough to drive
almost any man crazy, eff thar'd even
bin no poor sweet gal q freezing to
death at his feet to make his feelings
awful beyond what words could tell.
I knowel they war towards as
wouldn't dar' to attack ME when rs
facing 'em, but then I couldn't face
l'em all at onct; though ] kept turn
ing round and round to keep 'em off
my back-for | l1nowed thar hunger
would make 'em risk that mach et
they ence get a gcod chance.
"Wall, they kept me so busy that
[ couldn't git no chance to do moth
inc for Phoebe, who didn't pear to
mind 'em at all ALL but laid thar in
the snow rs eff she war dead. which
Is afeard she war, though | kept
praying powerful that the Lord He'd
somehow preserve her through.
"All that night long l stood over
that poor gal, and kept the cnssed
wolves off of her; and at daylight
they all sneaked away, one arter
t'other, till only me and her was left
Then, as [ looked down on to her, as
she laid thar so still, | war afeard to
Farm the truth and when [ did bend
down to her and shook her, [ shook
my self as eff had a agur-ft.
but what did | find jim :? Oh
my God what did 1 fnd ? Acorpse
Jim u cold, icy corpse! Poo'
Phnje Lna'ies eoar 1'roze to death !
Il don't hardly know what [ done
arter that, Jim,' concluded the mar
rator. sobbing like q child; ''but
found my way out Of that swamp
somehow, and got people to go fol
her. But / didn't tend the funer al
Jim, for war sick abed with a brain
fever. And as soon as | got we'll,
put off for the wilderness, to spenC
the rest of my wretched life away
from women kind.
s'Thar, jim, you've got the awfu
, story, and you knows now why
} keeps away from them as makes m'
think too much about poor dea1
: Phoebe LuE1ens, who's dead and gone
and has took my heart into t'othel
world with her. Thar's not none
, living like her, jim, and SO [ keep:
away from them as makes me thinl
of her, for / can't never love gin.