Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-03-19
JETmRo TIMBEREE's AFFLICTION.

--LNU n. DulI, ~ ". f. LedOrT.
-
JETHRO TIMBEREE'S AFFLICTION.
was spending the summer on the
tablo-lands of the Cumberlands, Mt a
farmhouse Where the mails were left to
be distributed to the neighboring COM
munity. 1t had rained steadily for u
week, and the roads had been so wash
ed by the storms as 20 be almost impass-
able. We had not seen vehicle pass
for four days, except the blackboard
that carried the mail. A strange face,
under these circumstances, created an
interest that, at another time and place,
1t would have found impossible to raise,
and we invouutarily dropped our sew
ing to watch the new arrival.
II was an old man that walked or tot
tered up the path, leaning on cane
whose crooks SO exactly correspond ii
with those in his lower limbs as to sug-
gcst the possibility that it had been
made from his own skeleton. Long
iron-grny hair fell upon his shoulders,
and hung in dishcveled masses over his
forehead; then stopped as ii to give
place to the exchanging brows that
guarded pair OF eyes, large. dark and
luminous An unkempt beard covered
all of his face but the sunken cheeks,
and fell in Il mat 10 his breast. He came
into the sitting room, where we had
brought books and work, TO surround
the blazing logs in the fireplace, and
LAYING aside his sloIch hat and stick,
uttered the customary salutation of that
region" IIow-de!'
Good afternoon, Mr. 1imberec, ="
said my hostess, and proceeded to in
troduce the stranger, whose weak voice
and dolcful aspect at once enlisted our
symprhies.
HAS my wife sent me letter, Miss
Stewart
Il think not, ~ said the CHEEKY little
woman To- whom he had spoken, appa-
rently quite accustomed to being called
Miss, although married ten years and
more. There is no letter for YOU in
the office.
"Wall, now, I'm uncomnonly sorry
to hear it, for | need her most terrible
bad. You see, when she went away |
told her she might stay rs long as she
pleased, seem as how had some one
TO hum TO see after the milk and gct the
victuals, but since I've had such heap
of trouble feel that | must have her
back again right of. ! shouldn't ha'
walked all this way in the mud if I'd
ha' thought there wouldn't ha' been n
letter for me. sent her word nigh on
10 fortnight ago about it. I'm an old
man to be left all alone, and need her
powerful bad.
Here he drew from his hat-crown n
red cotton handkerchief and began TO
wipe his head. His voice had grown
slower and weaker. and | thought he
might be going TO cry, so | said. in my
most sympathizing tones:
Perhaps il will come tomorrow. Mr..
Timberlee. You must kecpup courage"
81 alters does that, ma am. If hcdn' {
I'd ha' been under the ground long
ago. I've been good ways under, as il
is, but | was heap younger'n smarter
then than ! am now. Since I've got
old | fight shy of going under, for fear
I'd stay too long and the pair of eyes
blazcd out at the little joke.
''Nlr. Timberlee was miner once"
said Mrs. Stewart in n low tone.
Yes, I've been all over the world.
Il
was well raised, and I've known good
society in my time. Wife an didn't
live here alters, and the State we was
raised in can't be beat. Tennessee is
good enough, but it's nowhcres along
side of Pennsylvany. Since my trouble
come on me I've lost all my peart
ways, and aged wonderful. Trouble
worse than work TO age folks, and I've
had moron my share since l came TO
the mountains. First it was fire, and
we lost all we owned; then it was hog
distempcr, and | lost all my hogs; then
my oldest gal died; then my boy got
married and moved away; then heard
of the death of my wifc's mother; then
l broke my mock, and now has come
this last, which Is worse'n all the rest
put together. That's why / want my
wife to como home. She'd kinder help
me bear il, an I'd have some one to
talk to about il, though | reckon she'll
say its my fault. She alters says that,
though she's real sensible woman,
and we've lived together nigh onto fifty
years; it'll be fifty next October, but
she has way of making me see I'm 10
blame when I'm out'n out right"
"Did you say you once had your
neck brokenph l inquired, anxious to
hear how he had succeeded in mending
it.
ITO be sure | did. Miss Stewart can
tell YOU all about il. 1t was broke right
in two, all but the pith, and every one
said I'd die, but this wasn't half so hard
TO bear as this now trouble. You see,
j was taking young heifer down TO the
creek TO drink. She was q frisky young
thing, and had made me heap oi
trouble, getting lost, SO ! thought I'd
manage her a new way. took rope
and tied il round her horns, and l tied
il round my waist in moose. so as &c
have my hands free TO drive her with
Then | let the other cattle get goot
start and turned her out. She went al
right till we struck the woods, when sh,
put her nose TO the ground and heI
heels and tail in the air, and started &c
run as tight rs she could for the creek
| thought my time and come when
felt the moose draw tighter an tighter
an ! knew somcthin' must be done. fol
she was going as if she was stark, starin
mad, so / threw myself onto the grount
and held my two arms over my head
hopin' she would pull the rope of, bu
she only jcrked it rs far as my neck
and then ran around n tree and snapped
IL in two, leaving me as good as dead OF
the ground with my neck broke In two
all but the pith, II took me n goo,
long time to get il well. and wife say
my head is n trlle sideways ever since
but as long as it don't hurt, dom
mind"
"Then you have a farmPr I ques
toned, hoping TO hear him tell the stor,
of his wonderful trouble.
II reckon you'd say so, il you see 1
once. I've got nigh onto two hundred
acres, and that's why cant get along
alone. My plowin' amt done yet; corr
amt plantcd garden amt made; moth
ing done. and summcrll soon be here
All I've done is TO set my hens and tak'
IT.