The daily Cairo bulletin., 1882-05-31
MRS, COLONEL COYOTE CLARK,

She must have begun by being as
much OF an extraordinary child as she
afterwards was a woman, for she ran
away with and was married to an equal
ly enterprising youth when she was lit
tie over twelve years of age, "My dear
Mrs. Hampton" her husband would
say to their next door neighbor when he
went off on his affairs. II wish YOU
would keep an eye on Sophronia while
she is playing with your children TODAY
Soph, as you know, is up to almost any
thing"
And she was beauty in her way"
old Mrs. Hampton would say long after
ward Not that she was round and
rosy. She could not have weighed over
eighty pounds then, and was thin and
spare, ilaXen headed, blue eyed, waxen
faced, just like Il coon in her smart ways,
always chattering, climbing fences, shak-
ing down pecanS hidden away up in the
tops OF the tallCSt treeS-a regular torn
down piece il ever there was one. |
ought never to have let her play with
my girls, never but when her husband
was gone you could no more keep her
out of the house than you could cat.
Always playing tricks upon somebody,
dashing across the pasture on a bare
backed colt, teasing the calves, devling
the dogs, running down our turkeys
Oh, but she was little minXr'
do not know how old she was when
al 4
fell desperately in love with the little
panther Shot her husband in the end,
ran of with and afterward married her.
"He objected to me-" the Colonel ex-
planned of her husband, "and had the
first shot at me. Somehow contrived
to dodge his shots but had to kill him
or be killed
All that was years before knew the
parties. When she began to come to
my church knewhcronly as the mother
OF house full Of children, pallid-faced.
serious-cycd, somewhat mournful-visag-
ed woman, very graceful, with a singu-
larly pleasing smile, and the gentle
bearing Of an injured lady, very low and
sweet Of speech, There were rumors in
the air which caused us to be very slow
in admitting her to the church Itmay
be said she did not understand our rules,
but perhaps it was because she always
had her way with the Sinuous silence of
o gliding snake. but she took front
seat dressed in sad-colOred silk among
our communicates at the first commun-
ion atterward. do not see how Mr..
Brown, the Oldest of our elders. could
have had the heart to do it, she was
weeping so pitifully yet so noiselessly
as she sat; but he stole into the seat be-
hind her before the service was more
than begun, whispered in her ear and
she very quietly withdrew to the back
pews, and did not offer to partake Of the
bread and wine
"All she is after" Mr.. Brown said,
lis TO creep through us into good soc-
city" "Gou don't understand her any
more than you do her disreputable hus-
band, all the elders argued with me. |
was indignant at their hardhcartcdncss.
talked TO them at length in regard 10
the Magdalcn and had MY own way
about her.
ave saw how you hated TO receive
her, the ladies of the church said TO me
after my announcement of her reception
from the pulpit. "The paper shook in
your hands, they trembcd so; oh, saw
that! Mrs Brown added. She was
dreadfully mistaken, and it was only al
my entreaty that some of them called
on her afterward None were moro
faithful attendants at church than her
children, her husband and herself but
II she returned any of the calls made on
her never heard Of it.
In some respects women are TO men
as II they were awholly different species.
After half a century OF intimate associa-
tion with them Talleyrand said 81 do
not even pretend TO know ANYTHING
about them, suppose they know
each other better than men do; for |
} could not induce u lady in my church
70 believe in the sincerity of Mrs Clark
then or after
Il do not inquire into her past" | re.
monstrated with them; but cannot
see how you have the heart TO distrus,
her as you do No woman could seem
to be more modest, unassuming than
she is. The pitiful gentlencss Of Mrs