Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-07-12

carriages; and somebody else would
tell her some story that was bigger
still.
You see, we kinder made n fairy
land out of Portland, and told her
stories about it to please her; thar
wasn't any harm in it-only the little
thing believed ever word we told her
Her mother always said twas too bad,
she'd be so disappointed when she
went thar, she never would tell her
stories about it herself.
"There was one story told her abort
Portland which made the greatest inn
preston on her of all; she never forgot
it. 1t was too bad to tell it, but the
girl herself didn't think how it sounded,
and the rest OF us didn't till all of
sudden it struck us.
you see, Hannah Simmons, their
next neighbor's daughter on the other
side, had just been to Portland, she was
girl of seventeen or eighteen then,
and n master hand to carry on. She
thought the world of little Mary Whit
low, like all the rest of us.
That night after she'd got home,
she was in to Cap'n Wh.tlow's, and had
Mary in her lap, tellin' her what she
had seen in Portland. | was in the sit
tin room (whar the light is), so was my
wife and the cap'n and his wife.
Hannah was tellin' her that the
streets in Portland wasn't like what
they are here-all sand.
"'What are theyP' says Mary, look
in at her with her big wondering eyes.
"'Oh they're paved, says Hannah.
"'What withP. says the little thing.
"'With gold, says Hannah, quick as
flash; with great blocks of gold.
Then how the little thing stared
and Hannah winked at us.
"'The houses amt like the houses
here, wood and painted, Hannah went
on, keepin' her face sober, while little
Mary stared straight at her. They're
white marble, and they stay clean
without sweepin' or washin, and all
the folks sit in the windows, and sing
all day. l had splendid time; but |
had to hurry out, for fear they'd lock
the gate on me-
What's the gate made OFF, says
the little thing. She always used to
ask what everything was made of.
Pearl says Hannah, before she
thought.
Then Mis- Whitlow just screamed
out, why, Hannah Simmons, you've
been tellin' her about the New Jerusa-
semi
Hannah looked scared; she hadn't
any idea of it, but she seen what it had
sounded like, and we all did.
Somehow, it kinder sobered us.
don't know why, but Mis- Whitlow took
Mary right off to bed, and thar wasn'I
anythin more said about Portland that
night to her. But she never forgot it
she'd have it over and over again about
the gold streets in Portland, and the
marble houses, and the pearl gate, and
she was crasier than ever to 90. | don't
know, but at the last the cap'n and his
wife actually DREADED to take her anC
have her find out the truth about it;
don't think | should like to have seer
the look in those sober eyes of her;
when she seen it. Deceivin' little
ignorant, trustn' child, even when it'r
done mostly because you love it anC
want to please it, amt just squar,
after all.
"All of a sudden the little thing was
taken sick and died; she wasn't scl
long, only n few days; | don't know
what they call it. think she Just dice
out of the Lords waEtin' her. She wa
out of her head all the time she wa
sick, and she didn't talk of anything
but Portland. 1t seemed as if it woulC
kill them to hear her.
Il went in thar the day she died, il
the forenoon. She died just about tn,
time when the star came out, and sh'
was babblin' about the golden street
in Portland, and the folks singin' thar
Her pretty hair was all over the pillow
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