The Red Cloud chief., 1884-09-12
AUNT ABBY'S LITTLE ROMANCE,

In hunting up my friends at Wells.
march. i had occasion to inquire my
way OF an old woman digging potatoes
IN a weedy little patch by the roadside.
She looked up as | spoke, and leaned
on her hoe, tall and gaunt and some
what grim, but with a %singularly lucid
and kindly expression i'm her large gray
eyes. She was cOarsely clad, her thin,
gray hair, cut short, was covered by a
mans straw hat. and she had the mus
cuiar brown hands of 4 man. Yet,
y when she paused in her potato digging
10 answer my questions. it was with an
mir of quiet intelligence and a simple
grace of utterance hardly to have been
expected from one of her sex engaged
In so coarse an occupation.
Having spoken. she stopped to pick
mp and put into a peck basket the pota-
toes her hoe had uncovered, and | rode
on, but could not forbear looking back
and watching her as she rose up with
her light burden and walked away,
across the weedy patch, towards the
door of a lonely little house near by.
HE sun had gone down, heavy shadows
fell across tie fields from wooded hills
beyond. the night crickets had struck
up their melancholy notes. and in the
aspect of the woman entering her soil
tary door, at that hour, there was
something SO sad that it made my heart
ache.
The picture haunted me. and on
reaching MY friends house | spoke of
IT. Il WAS directed" | said, .'by the
loneliest old creature, working in the
lonc!iest potato patch. and living in
tic ;oneliest little old house | ever
saw
-.Ah." said my host. with a look of
interest, ''you have seen Aunt Abby!
She is quite an extraordinary charac-
Ter, and, little as you would think it, to
see her digging I~otato's for to-mor-
rows breakfast, she is a real heroine
fhe heroine of a genuine romance"
He old me something of her story,
which excited still further my curiosity
and sympathy, and expressed a desire
10 make her acquaintance. That could
te easily managed. he said; and, driv-
Ing me about the country the next day.
he took me to her house.
We found her trimming a Bet of old
fashioned flowers at her door: and as
he drew up to the gate and spoke to
her she came towards us with a sprir
OF mignonette in her coarse brown hani.
".Aunt Abby" said nv companion.
she. e's a friend of mine l want YOU to
know" AMI he proceeded to introduce
me IN a way which the most modest
autho:s of books get accustomed to and
learn to endure without blushing.
Il have heard Of you," she sal \. Civ
ing my hand a coriial grasp. and look
ing into my eyes with an earnes., al
most ardent, expression. Come in,
won't you? It's a long timen-turninc
10 my friend-''sincc YOU have made
me q call"
He excused himself, but said that l
could 90 in if | chose. and wait till he
returned for me. after ~transacting a lit
tle business which he hsd in view. The
arrangement suited me admirably. and
as she repeated her invitation l alighted
and entered the gate.
81 hear that you live quite alone
here" I remarked, as she preceded me
along the narrow grassy path towards
the door.
.cueesfully, turning to face me il the
HiOHt Oi her ittie HOWer SarCSn.
-.Here are some of my companions"
and she pointed out the pinks and
pansies and phlox and hollyhocks,
which grew in an almost wild state,
! along with fennel and caraway and
ksage, in the tangled but well-weeded
beds. '.But l have other and better
-comFpnions than these. With flowers
s.And sunshine and grass and trees and
bOoka and ones own thoughts, how can
= body be alone?"
81 quoted Emerson's saying: IF a
n,an would be alone, let him look at the
marx
5 why, bless the good man." she said,
sssHiea 1 look at the stars I am some
Unes least alone! 1t seems as if they
1gDqght the hosts of Heaven near to me. |
come In. come in"