Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-14

Waai, mebbe the ehower won't
lonae up said the old lady, and she
leaned back and began tanning herself
peacefully. ~
"Ihat cloud makes me think Of Amt
oecc 9 funeral" she broke out, sud.
Almiryp" w." 'o ~
No; I don't think you ever did, Mis-
"Wa'al, mebbe you'll like to hear it,
as we're joggin' along. len keep us
from gettin' aggravated at the horse
poor dumb thing!
al, you see, Almiry, Aunt Re-
oecca was my aunt on my mothers side
my mothers Oldest sister she was
q I'd alters thought a sight of her.
ms happened twenty year ago or more,
before Israel died. She was alters such
an own-folks sort of a woman, an lest
the best hand when any one was sick.
lll never forgit how she nussed me
through the typhus fever the year after
mother died. Thar l was took sick all
of a sudden, an four leetle children
erwin. an Israel couldn't get anybody
u that shiftless Lyons woman, far and
near, to come an help. When Aunt
Rebecca heerd of it she jest left every
thing an come. She packed off that
Lyons woman, bag an baggage, an
TUX right hold, as nobody but her could
ma known how to. I alters knew I
should ha' died eff it hadn't been for
her. p
"She lived ten miles off, on this very
road, too, but we alters used to visit
back an forth. 1 couldn't get along
without goin' to see Aunt Rebecca once
in so often; I'd get jest as lonesome an
homesick as could be.
$50, feelin' that way. it amt surpris-
in that it gave me an awful shock when
| heerd she was dead that 'mornin'.
They sent the word by q man that they
hailed drivin' by. He was comm down
here to see about sellin' a horse, an he
said he'd jest as soon stop an tell us as
not. A real nice sort of a man he was
"a store-kceperfrom Comstock. Wa'al,
| see Israel standin' out in the road an
talkin' with the man, an l wondered
what it could be about. But when he
came in an told me that Aunt Rebecca
was dead, I jest sat right down, kinder
stunned like. I couldn't ha' felt much
worse eff it had been my mother. An
it was so awful sudden! Why, I'd seen
her only the week before, an she looked
uncommon smart for her, l thought.
Eff it had been Uncle Enos, her husband,
1 shouldn't ha' wondered. He'd had
the heart-disease for years, an we'd
thought he might die any minute; but
to think of her
81 jest stared at Israel. 1 felt too
bad to cry. 1 didn't, till l happened to
TOUCHDOWN at the apron 1 had on. 1t
was like a dress she had; she had a
piece left, an she gave it to mo for an
apron. When l saw that, l bust right
out sobbin'.
ESQ Lord says I, this apron she
give me! Oh dear! dear! dear!'
"'Sarah,' says Israel, sits the will OF
the Lord
"I know it, says 1, but she's dead,
woman an 1 went right IN cryin'
though he tried to stop me. Every
time l looked at that apron, it seemed
as if l should die.
THAR want any particulars, Israel
said. All the man That told him knew
was that q woman hailed him from one
of the front windows rs he was drivin'
by, and asked him to stop an tell us. ]
s'posed most likely the woman that
hailed him was Mis- Simmons, a widdel
woman, that used to work for Aunt Re
becca busy times.
"Wa'al, Israel kinder hurried me te
git ready. The fun eral was app'intec
at two o'clock, an we had a horse thai
want much swifter on the road thar
the one you're drivin' now.
$50 l got into my best black gowr
the quickest l could. l had a gooc
black shawl, and a black bunnit, too
SO l looked quite decent. I felt rec
glad l had en-. They were things
had when mother died. 1 don't see
hardly how l had happened to keep the
bunnit, but it was lucky 1 did. I go
ready in such a flutter that 1 got on my
black gown over the caliker one II
been wearin', and never knew it till ]
came to go to bed that night, but
don't think it was much wonder.
"We'd been havin' a terrible Dir,
spell, jest as we've been havin' now
an everything was like powder.
thought my dress would be spoilt befor,
we got thar. The horse was dreadful
lazy, an it was nothin' but g'langin
an sIappin' an whippin' all the way
an it didn't amount to nothin' then.
"When we'd got halfway thar or so
thar come up an awful thunder-showe1
from the northwest, jest as it's dom to
day. Wa'al, thar want nowhar t.
stop, an we driv right along. The
horse want afraid Of lightnin', an We
got in under the shay top as far as WE
could, an pulled the blanket up owe:
us; but we got drippin' wet. An tina,
was Israel in his meetin' coat, an m.
in my best gown. Take it with thu
dust an everything, they never looked
anyhow again.
"Wa'al, Israel g'langled to the horse
an put the whip oyer her, but she ies
logged right along. What with feelin
SO about Aunt kebecca, an worryin
about Israel's coat an my best gown.
thought l should never live to git thar
.'When we driv by the meetin'-hous
at Four Corners. where Aunt Rebeccs
lived, it was five minutes after two, an
two was the time sot for the funeral.
did feel reel worked up to think we wa'
late, an we chief mourners. When WI
rot to the house thar seemed to be con