Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1882-01-20

the nVe years tnat 1OllOWeu ne nau nOl
been able to obtain the sligtest clue to
her residence.
Once when l hinted that she was
false, and had left him purposely, he
shook his head sadly ard said :,
"rrue or false. Brette II is all the
same. There is but one girl in the
world for me-"
l did not know her name, save as
Dick had always spoken of her as
"Cassie;" and my heart ached for the
lite which her perfidy, as l regarded it
had blighted.
My route, after leaving Bonneville
lay for several miles though the bluffs
of the Missouri river, and enjoyed to
the utmost the lovely and varied land
scape spread out before me. But the
Journey, in itself, would not be of par
ticular interest to the general reader,
therefore | will not enter into lengthy
description of
Enough, after few days riding, and
toward the close of one of the most
lovely of October days, l finally arrived
at the Boston Mountains, though truth
compels me to say that did not know
was there until 1 was told.
On my road l had stopped over night
at farm houses, and without exception
was kindly treated and Hospitality en-
tertained One old lady, especially,
seemed to admire my grit. as she called
it, in undertaking the journey alone and
unprotected.
"Yo've got the right kind of temper.
my GIRL" she said, "or you wouldn't
have undertaken it. 1t is the best
medicine you could take; heap better
than yarb-drinks. When l was girl
1 was most gone with the consump.
tion-at least l thought l was-and the
nearest doctor that was of any account
was way up in Dubuque. For won
der l could ride on horseback, and so
they put me on an old, steady-going
mare that hadn't struck a trot in so long
that she'd clear forgot how. I Imade
her remember, though, before l was
through with her. rode along slow
and easy till l got up into Iowa, and
the first thing l knew the sky was black
with clouds, and the thunder and lghtn-
ing was perfectly awful. l was afraid Of
thunder anyhow, but l was heap
more afraid of getting wet, so l COM
menced to play the hazel on old
'Nance's" flank; but laws, had bout
as well switched rhinoceros.
1.-The thunder kept a getting founder
and louder, and the lightning sharper
and the flashes closer and closer to-
gether, and l was so scared that l hard
ly knew what l was doing. But 1 knew
something must be done. and that
right away. had in my back hair
pin about six inces long, and l took it
out and began to jab the old mare be-
tween the ears. At first she only
throwed up her head, but as it come
thicker and faster, that and the light
ming and the thunder finally started her
off. You just ought to have seen her
run. l was SO excited that forgot
that l was sick, and on we went like a |
streak until we came in sight of big |
double log cabin, with wide porch IN
front. Here I managed to turn old
Nance in toward the gate, and she
stopped so sudden that l almost went
over her head, just as a man come to
the door, saying:
"Fur the land sake, gal, be ye a rum
nin' race with a streak O. lightnin'9
| seed ye a comm over the big ridge
like satan let loose. Jump off yer nag
an come In Outen the Storm
81 didn't wait long before 1 did as he
said, can tell you; and had hardly
got inside the house before the big
drops was coming down in a hurry.
How excited was; but 1t learned me
l lesson and that is not to imagine am
sick when Pm not. But you are tired
'f my story by this time" concluded
he old lady as she took another wh,ff
rom her pipe, and relapsed into
every. Suddenly she spoke again,
You ought to have come along about
ix week ago. There was a girl come
trough this way, travelling to where
ler father and mother lived in Arkansas.
in the Bostain, Montains,
he said they lived. A pretty girl as S
ver saw. Long wavy yellow hair, just /
Ike gold in the sunshine. and eyes I
list the color of the pansies out in tn
ooryard But she seemed so SORROW Q
Il, that l pitied her. Now if you had Q
cen here you could have gone on to. L
ether" .