The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-12-22
to me while 1 et-right lociable body,

"On our way down town we had Il
pass a Episcopal Church, where they
were havin' some sort O. doin's. The
wilder proposed goin' in, but said no
| We did step iuto the vestibule, though
to listen to the music. 1 never was nc
great church-goer, you know, though
used to 90 to Campbellite meetin's with
Maria when was courtin' her, an some
| little afterwards. don know, though
as 1 ever heard anything at took M,
quite so nigh to heaven rs the voices an
the sound o. the organ that night. KinC
o. seemed for minute as if was lifted
right off nv feet. You needn't laugh
Sam. 1 don't have such spells often
but it was singular bout this, an il
sticks in my mind. heard the choir
sine, 'On earth peace, good will, peace
peace it echoed way Off Then they
sang about the mother an the Babe
disremember the exact words-an'
could a swore l had glimpse o. the
little kid. Maria and mine, at died, you
know. Foolish notion, but it's queer
how such things will come over Teller
now an then. 1t was gone in second,
an was goin' down the stone steps
with the wilder. she a sayin' how bad
means.
"A man an woman went by as we
got to the sidewalk. an something in
her motions made me think o. Maria.
On'y got a look at the side o her face
in the shadow for a second, but [ saw il
too pale and thin for hers.
When we got to the store, the widdel
she went back through the crowd to get
the notions she was after, but [ waited
up froat. While l was staudfn' there,
hands in pockets an wishin' was some
where else, who sh'd l see Jest ahead O
me but-Maria, Yes, it was. Must a
been her, l knowed then, at I'd saw
passin' the church, but l was wrong
about her lookin' pale. Hereheeks was
was red as pinies an her ewes bright as
a new dollar. She wasn't lookin' al
me. She was holdin' in her hand lit
tie red tin-cart with a white horse
hitched TO it, an Iknowed what she was
a thinkin' of. That YER cart was the
identical mate to one ID brought home
fer the baby once, an she laughed at
me for a week about it. The baby
WASH t more'n three months old at the
time. an she said he couldn't play with
the like o that fer year or more. He
didn't live that long, an never had no
fun with the little wagon. wondered
what she was dom there, an at that |
saw Cap. Bemus talkin' to her Cap.
you know, was an old beau o her ;
afore she married me, an she said to
me once, when we was havin' things
ruther hot, that she wished she'd took
him. Maria had went back to her rela-
tons, you know, out at Bean Blossom.
an | hadn't seen her since she left
Differ Mt times | might a gone over just
TO find how she was comm on; but
didn't have no excuse fer bein' seen
round there. I'd heard, though
somebody's sure to tell We the things We
amt spilin' to know-'at Cap. was
maxim up to her right smart, an twas
likely they'd hitch teams. He was 4
widower with two or three unruly brats,
an l didn't see what she q want to make
herself a slave to them fer And him,
He wasn't noways tit for a woman Ike
her. If she d a Jest asked me feradvice
! could a told her some things at d a
settled his hash. The idea o. his mar
ryin' my wifei Ny wife-Lordi It
come over me all of a sudden at she
was nothin' TO me no more. had no
right to say what she sh'd do. You
won't believe it, Sam, but it never
struck me till that minute at I'd really
lost her for good. Factl
'sMebby she an Cap. was married
a ready. [ didn't know. They come
along Jest then, her a taikiut an a
smilin' up into his ugly face as if he was
the only human on earth. The wilder
she'd got through. too. l offered my
arm an' we sailed ont large as lie. I'll
own at 1 hoped Maria'd see US. but she
didn't pear to. Was standin' outside
with him lookin' ut things in the winder.
The wilder, not KNOWN, of course, said
she Thought it was such n pity at a
woman would use paint on her cheeks.
This made me kind o mad, fer [ knowed
Maria never did nothing o the sort. an
| said so, addin' at the lady back there
had been my wife once, an l spoke
from the book, as it were. OF course
the wilder she began to apologize.
Wouldn' spoke if She j a knowed, she
said. An then she went on to say how
unfortunit it was to be lined to an I'M
congenial pardner. The late Mr.. Fol-
som, she said, had been a good pervider.
but she would confess at ther'd never
been that deep sympathy atween her an
him at her nature crayed. Her de-
ceased husband, she said, did not under
stand the wants of her soul. Them was
her words, l think, or similar. The wild
der was a fluid talker, an | couldn't al
ways keep the drift o. her remarks.
Was listenin' now with only one ear. as
YOU might say. Felt all het up, some
how, an wondered to myself why
didn't 90 back an lay out that Cap.
Bemus. Lucky had sense enough TO
know I'd be maxim an Internal fool o
myself if did. 1t was none o. my bust
ness who Maria took up with.
Right here | noticed at the wilder
was quite stirred up-with talkin' about
Folsom, l reckon-an' was wipin' her
eyes with her handkerchief she was so
overcome an trembled so | had to put
my arm round her to hold her up. 1t
was dark along there. 'Cordin' to the
gas companY's time card it was the
moon turn to light the city that night,
but the moon must a been tracked
somewers. We was purity close home,
too, that is, close to the boardin' house,
which ant rightly no home, an we went
in.
the widow SAID wOotlct1> or- set awhile.
She'd like to ask me about little matter
of interest to her. an il was so hard to
talk about private affairs when those
giddy young folks were around to inter
rupt. Thankful was she they'd gone to
a party that night.
1.-The wilder she looked mighty purity
standin' there by the base burner. holdin
out her hands to get warm. Thinks | to
myself if Maria is a fiirtin' round with
other fellers s'pose L m entitled to equal
was standin' right elost to
the wilder. an 1 was agoin' lowell,
what would you "a done with a purity
face nigh to vourn an no one lookin',
you old sinnerP But l didn't. No, by
George, | didn't.
Curious how all this time L was
o. Maria more'n the wilder.
talkin' on in her soft way. not
SEEM what was my intention-that is, l
s. pose she didn't, but you CANT be right
sure what woman knows. specially if
she looks uncommon innocent
my arm was Jest a reachln' out fer
to take her in. when she rolled up her