The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-01-13


mon0tonous chant:
Mary and Marthy served the Lawd,
Mary and Marthy served the Lawd.
hAry s2d g, H,srsny s ssrssd s,es The the liawd.
Tnis was followed by vigorous rub.
bing, the slat s1n-bonnet tapping and
the elbows flying on home made,
rickety pine wash -board-for she was
washing, standing on bench, and lean
ing over 30 far into the hot, steaming
water, that there was danger of her
losing her balance and drowning The
sound of the rubbing and splashing and
her own voice had prevented her hear
ing my approach, and she Jumped like a
frightened partridge and looked at me
with . frightened stare when / addressed
her.
Don't be alarmed, little one, said,
II have only lost my way, and stopped
to ask you where the hotel is.
She wrung the water out of her lean,
red hands, pushed back her sun-bonnet,
and stepped off the bench.
Dew you live at the tavern?" she
asked, putting her brown head over on
one shoulder. like q bird, and looking at
me with bright, inquisitive eyes.
'Yes; what shame to let such
| child as you wash; you ought TO be play
ing with dolls get" remarked indig-
nantly.
She looked-af me covertly, from under
the lashes of her soft, shy eyes, IS if
wondering if would do her q harm,
drew her small form up, proudly, and
pointed to the mountain.
| Keep rite on mp; tha's yoh place; go
wha the road turns, and yew'll site the
| tavern"
She buried her head in the tnb, and
resumed her chanting:
| MARY and Marthy served the Lord
When I was halfway up the mount
| ain side, turned and saw her standing
bare headed, in the sun, looking after
me; but she was gone like squirrel
when she saw me watching her.
The next time / saw her was when I
was looking for a particular species of
beetles-I am fond of bugs and worms
and being caught in a storm, sought
shelter in the next cabin, which was
hers. She did not open the door until /
had knocked and pounded a number of
times.
can it's yew," was her laconic greet
ing, as she swung the old boards that
served as door, and reluctantly ad-
mitted me.
| There was fire on the stone hearth
there was very old man asleep in a
chair, and great brindIed cat, with
green eyes, arched itself at his side. The
room was a clean, warm, bright place,
that was more picturesque than anything
/ had seen In the dreary place called the
Pocket country, which lies between
Kentucky and Virginia, and where fate
had cast me for few lonely weeks.
4 looked every moment for some woman to
make her appearance; yet it would be
hard to tell where she would come from,
unless she had been in the loft above.
There was curtain hung across small
division of the cabin but concealed moth.
ing.
"Do you keep this house alone?" ]
asked.
with feyther and granfeyther, said
the child, an'-an'- Kedsie."
"Oh, your brother"
She nodded her answer; / sat on the
bench. and dried myself in the freight
the old man reused himself and looked
Gu riously at me with red ferret-like eyes
that had no lashes to their red lids, the
little girl whispered to him, and he went
to sleep again.
| DOW OlQ arc yOu. doh0u WHICH, VIC
had talked little, and she was not sc
much afraid of me.
"What do you tbink?" she asked in hel
quaint way.
I looked at her small. childish figure
and guessed ''ten."
She laughed little, and shook hel
small head.
remarked the sharp-curved chin and
ventured fifteen"
'Try again"
She threw back her sun-burned hair
and looked full into mine with hei
bright resiless eyes.
Seventeen" for / caught the glimpse
of woman's nature in their cleares
depth.
"Yoh all out" che sighed as she
spoke.
"I believe you are fifty" remarked
/ sharply. there was such change in eacl
movement of the little woman.
"Y'ime twenty" she replied in hel
! childish voice.
/ think if she had said one hundred,
would not have been surprised, she was
. so weirdly quaint and old. AS we were
sitting about, she Watching every move
: ment made, there was great clatter
ing at the door, and she flew with tina
swift motion of hers TO open it. There
was q loud, angry voice, which she al
, once answered, in her soft tones, an6
then man stum bled into the room, and
without noticing me, threw himself OF
the little bed and snored instantly-ar
ugly, unkempt, drunken man, shabbily
: garbed, and forbidding looking.
> Its fey ther," she sighed. she'
tooken agen; it's the mountin' agoo he'
got, an it takes holt rite sharp. sol
he cannot do stroke of work. Poor
: feyther."
"And the old man2" I queried, point
ing to the slumbering figure in the chair
al "Gran'feyther; he's comfort to me
= mostly; he hasn't the agoo, you see.
DO you take care of these"-thes,
. dreadful people, I had nearly said, bu
: checked myself your father and grand
father?''
'.Yes, and Kedsie; wait till yoh So
: Kedsiei'
| The first happy look had seen cam,
| into her eyes. She was listening, stey
D was at the door, which opened, and
i young, fresh, fair-looking man cam
{ softly in. He was rather neatly dressed
a but one look at his long, smooth chi
4 and open mouth told the story-he wa
r witless.
II But the girls face frightened into
4 sunny smile; she reached on tipsoe {,
4 kiss the pale, fabby cheek of her brothe
and she opened the folded fingers of on
9 nerveless hand to see what he had ther
!, lit was little field mouse, the lii
i crushed but by the tension of the lon
n.x~a H.. I. "a