The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-12-21
to me while I st-right uociable body,

t'On IT way down town we had to
pass a 'Piscopal Church, where they
were havin' some sort O. doin's s. The
wilder proposed goin' in, but / said no.
We did step Into the vestibule, though,
to listen to the music. I never was no
great church-goer, you know, though I
used to go to Campbellite meetin's with
Maria when / was courtin' her, IN some
little afterwards. Idon't know, though,
as / ever heard anything 'at took me
quite so nigh to heaven rs the voices an
the sound O the organ that night, Kind
right off my feet. You needn't laugh,
Sam. 1 don't have such spells often,
but it was singular bout this, an it
sing, 'On earth peace, good will, peace
sang about the mother an the Babel
disremember the exact words-an' I
could "a swore l had a glimpse O. the
little kid. Maria's and mine, at died, you
know. Foolish notion, but it's queer
how such things will come over a Teller
now an then. 1t was gone in a second,
an Twas goin' down the stone steps
with the widder, she a sayin' how bad
the soprano Observation-Disclosures that
means. .
"a man an woman went by as we
got to the sidewalk, an something in
her motions made me think O. Maria.
Only got a look at the side o. her face
in the shadow for a second, but L saw it
too pale and thin for hers.
When we gotto the store, the wilder
she went back through the crowd to get
the notions she was after, but l waited
up front. WhileI was standin' there,
hands in pockets an wishin, I was some
where else, who sh'd I see Jest ahead q
me but-Maria, Yes, it was. Must a
been her, I knowed then, 'at I'd saw
passin' the church, but / was wrong
about her lookin' pale. Her cheeks was
was red as pinies an her eyes bright as
a new dollar. She wasn't lookin' at
me. She was holdin' in her hand a lit
tie red tin-cart with a white horse
hitched to it, an Iknowed what she was
a, thinkin' of. That yer cart wa the
identical mate to one I'd brought home
fer the baby once, an she laughed at
me for a week about it. The baby
wasn't more'n three months old'at the
time, an she said he couldn't play with
the like O. that fer a 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. hers
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-
49, 1,~, ~-,% ~ p4an PI0c1o~n
an I hadn't seen her since she left.
Differ MT times I 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 a
widower with two or three unruly brats,
an I didn't see what she'd want to make
herself a slave to them fer. And him!
He wasn't noways fit for a woman like
her. If she'd a. jest asked me fer advice
Icould a. told her some things at ID a.
settled his hash. The idea O. his mar
ryin' my wife! My wife-Lordi 1t
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. Fact!
"Mebby she an Cap. was married
already. I didn't know. They come
along jest then, her a talkin' an a
smilin' up into his ugly face as if he was
the only human on earth. The widder
she'd got through, too. l offered my
arm an we sailed out large IS life. I'll
own at I hoped Maria'd see us, but she
didn't pear to. Was standin' outside
with him lookin' al things in the winder.
The wilder, not nowin', of course, said
she thought it was such a pity at q
woman would use paint on her cheeks.
This made me kind O. mad, fer Iknowed
Maria never did nothing o. the sort, an
l said so, addin' at the lady back there
had been my wife once, an I spoke
from the book, as it were. OF course
the wilder she began to apologize.
Wouldn't a spoke if she'd aknowed, she
said. An then she went on to say how
unfortunit it was to be jined to an un.
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 craved. Her de-
ceased husband, she said, did not under.
stand the wants of her soul. Them was
her words, I think, or similar. The wild.
der was a fluid talker, an l couldn't al.
ways keep the drift o. her remarks
Was istenin' now with only one ear, a
you might say. Felt all het up, some
how, an wondered to myself why 2
didn't go back am lay out that Cap
Bemus. Lucky I had n enough K
know I'd be maxim an Internal fool d
myself if I did. It was none O. my bust
ness who Maria took up with. Z
Right here noticed at the widde
was quite stirred up-with talkin' about
Folsom, / reckon-an' vas wipin' he
eyes with her Handkerchief she was s.
overcome an trembled sol had to pu
my arm round her to hold her up. /
was dark along there. 9Cordin, to til
gas companys time, card it was til
moons turn to light the city that night
but the moon must a. been side-tracket
someWers.aWe was purity close home
too, that is, close to the boardin' house
which ant rightly no home, an we wen
in.
s'There was no one in the parlor, an
the widow said wouldn't I set awhile
She'd like to ask me about a little matte
of interest to her, an it was so hard t
talk about nrivate affairs when thos
giddy young folks were around to inter
rupt. Thankful was she they'd gone t
a party that night.
"The wilder she looked mighty purt
standin' there by the base burner, holdin
out her hands to get warm. Thinks t
myself if Maria is a fiirtin' round wit
other fellers Is'pose I'm entitled to equa
privileges. Twas standin' right clost t
the wilder, an I was agoin' towel
what would you "a done with a purt
face nigh to vourn an no n lookin'
you old sinner But I didn't. No, b
George, 1 didn't.
.aCurious how all this time l wa
thikkin' . Maria more'n the widdel
She was a talkin' on in her soft way, nc
SEEM what was my intention-that is,
s'pose she didn't, but you CANT be rigf
sure what a woman knows. specially
she looks uncommon innocent.
"My arm was jest a reachin' out fe
to take her in, when she rolled up he