, 1884-02-16
The Widow Lockery.

TNuErT0H NJ NTUD WITCH tut F1 TUTT
meetings at Gershom, was composed of the
surviving pioneers Of 1889. All persons who,
either as adults or children, had settled in
the district covered by the organization pre-
vious to or within that year were entitled to
enrolment
I was spending the summer with a friend
who called herself an old settler by mar
riage. Her husband. Col Hugh Hastings,
had come into the wilds with his parents at
the age OF 9 year,, and SO had grow up with
the country In a literal sense. They lived at
Barhan station, on the line of the one rail
road which travefsed the county. Gershom,
the ~county-seat, was xI miles distant.
1t was arranged on the morning OF the 10
union that my friend Marian and / should
drive over early with the children and spend
the entire day. Tn colonel kept a saddle
horse, and would follow In the afternoon
We started in tho dew, yet when we
reached Gershom the village was all astir.
At 10 O'Clock the beautiful picnic grounds on
the banks Of Shokobee lake were swarming
with the population of many townships. The
old settlers proper were not a numerous
band, but their assemblies had come to be
gala days with the entire community.
Passing among the groups gathered hero
and there, one caught bits of char
acteristic talk A group Of men were
discussing wheat prospects. They scanned
to belong to that class In whom
the uncertainty of the farmers hope
had bred a condition of chronic foreboding.
One said the wheat was too strong, and
would all be '1odgedn before harvest. An
other thought the recent heavy rains would
produce trust In the stalk" A third pre-
dicted a hot, dry time, that would causo 1t 10
fire at the root.n
How does your wheat look, Dnvef'
Tpa o,,.,t,o, -oa .atrol - m t.u ~&aa~-
khouldered fellow, who had been listening to
the rest and saying nothing.
"Derned Z l know was the reply. 81
sowed 1t in good time and good style last
fall, and l hain't looked at 1t since. IOokin
does no good, nor croakin' nuther."
The president OF the club then asked how
many in the assembly had any personal re-
collection of a two-days' aunt for q Lost
child In the autumn Of Al.
Answer Sunday school fashion, said he,
and about half dozen hands went up.
ia tho Widow Lockery heref' he next In
quired.
woman's voice from somewhere In the
crowd.
"Mrs. Lockery,n continued the president,
found the lost child, and II she will tell US
all about 1t, l, for one, will be much pleased.
l have a vngue impression of the terror which
the hunt produced and the excitement 1t
aroused In my childish mind; but / do not
remember that / ever heard the occurrence
fully described by any one h took part In
the searcb.n
He glanced again In the direction whence
came that prompt response, and sat down
A tall, straight woman rose from her seat,
walked slowly down the aisle between the
rude benches, and took a position facing the
r..nz1A Che eaanxaI L. M hY,--u 80 hawfr
her story, but deliberately took of her
starched bonnet and laid It on the grass be-
side her. She was the most remarkable per-
sonage / had seen that day. Though
fully 10 years old, she WA erect as
an Indian, and gave one the impression OF
great physical power. Her iron-grny hair
grow low over her forehead and was gathered
into a great, rough-looking knot at the back
Of her head, and secured in its place by a
brass comb Her complexion was swarthy,
and her dark eyes were shade by darker
brows which almost met above her prominent
aquiline nose Her lips closed firmly, and
her whole face had an expression Of unspeak-
able sadness.
'Friends and neighbors,n she began; and
all at once I found myself smiling, as l OBJ
served many others doing. Never before did
human co~untenancc SO quickly transform Its
expression. The dark eyes twinkled, tho
corners Of the mouth gave a humorous curl,
this lips parting in speech revealed a double
row OF perfect teeth, cleaning with drollory,
and the whole changed physiognomy was
laughter-provoking.
"Friends and n~eighbors; Seein' as how Mr..
Evans has sort o. give out that I'm the hero
wine o this tale O. terror, maybe 1t would
sound better for some one else to tell it" 30
much by way Of preface.
afr tvaa papJapp{n Nvf@ri, ohta thaN -
lost. Ben started one mornin' In October TO
get some grindin' done. There was no mill
nearer than the one on Tnylor's fork. twelve
miles of, and the way roads was then it would
take him away long into the night TO
ret home. That little boy o. his'n, Just 8
year old, took a notion to go long, but his pa
wouldn't let him He whipped the poor lit
tie fellow In the mornin' for cryin' to go; but
when he startod the child Just follered the
wagon and bawjej TO be took In The other
young oues told me that; and that precious
mother O. his'n, instead OF coaxin' him into
the house and fryin' him a dough horse and
twistin' him Eve or six yards Of tow string
for ~drivintlines, just went on about her
work, and paid no ~'tention to him till he was
clean out o. sight. Long towards noon
Mary Ann Nyfer, the oldest gal, came over
to my house, iooldn' real scairt, and said
Sammy was lost He d follered his pa a
ways in the mornin' and hadn't cans back.
I says right away;
"'He s all right Your fathers givs in to
his yellin' and took him long
But the gal shook her head. and re-
marked: +,
Father never gives In TO nuthin,. Hos
druv him back, and Sammy lost
81 went home with her and found Luke
Wilson there. We three families lived purity
cloast-all within u mile. Luke thought
Just as l did, that Nyfer had took the boy
along. but the mother and Mary Ann seemed
10 doubt It. Wilson said he'd go down the
road, and stop at Felrs and Harder's-may-
be little Sam bad stopped to play. Well he
didn't find him. and the good Teller booted 1t
till he met Nyfer. three or four miles this
side the Fork There was no Sammy with
hin He snid the child had turned back at
the big shingie-tree stump, about a mile from
home.
"when Ben druv up to his house
bors thers waitin' TO see II he had
the boy. A sarch was started that night
with lanterns and KEEP up till mornin'. Word
was sent fur and near, and before noon the
next day three townships were on tho aunt
Horns was blowed, bells rung, and the poor
baby's name called in hundreds OF volosa
The woods and xwnmps was secured, and
every brush heap and boiler log peeked into.
The sarch lasted another night and an
other day, till in the afternoon some begun
to give out myself among the number l
went home and throwsd myself onto my bed
with my clothes on, and slept
as I'd nevor slept before. About
10 o'clock that evcnin' l woke up
sudden, just as wide awake as ! am this min
ute My mind seemed clear and
quick. That child can't be fur away /
thought Hes boon with the rest to the
huckleberry swamp this hummer. The uau