Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-02-29


An old woman. with long, gray hair.
stepped forward when her name was
called, and confronted the Police Judge.
You are n very old woman to be- in q
place Of this kind" said the Judge.
What Is the charge against herr" turn
ING 10 an officer.
Stealing pot of flowers, your
HObor."
who made the complaint?''
Il did. replied a man. stepping for
ward. Il know that it looks hard TO
have such an old woman arrested. but |
am law-abiding citizen, Judge. and
don't intend TO be imposed on. This is
the way the whole thing came about: I
keep a large flower depot Day before
Yesterday this woman came into the
store, and when | asked her il she
wanted 10 buy anything. she shook her
head. just then a customer came i'm
and paid no attention to her, but after
she was gone / discovered that a pot
containing a fine geranium was missing.
L knew she took it. and what she wanted
with II is more than / can tel. II she
had stolen something To eat or to wear
1t would have been different thing"
The old woman looked up and said:
Judge. stole the fiower.''
''Didn't you know it was wrong?'
Yes
''Was the temptation so great that
you could not withstand it?'
There was no temptation. 1t re-
quired more OF a struggle to take it than
II would have require not TO have taken
| it."
This is very singular occurrence,
madam. Tell us all about it. Don't
think that you are among those who de-
sire to see you punished, and rest as
sured that l will stand by you. Law or
no law, 1t makes no difference. There
is a court in the human heart, old wom-
an. whose DEGREES go farther and are
nearer to justice than the written declar-
atoms of any tribunal"
The old woman again looked up.
Tears were in her eyes, but with a
corner of the old black shawl, drawn
around her shoulders, she wiped them
away.
'Oh, sir" she said, 'Io make you
understand why took the flower might
be story too long to tell in n court, and
1t might be out of place to tell it any
where to strangers, but as you have
spoken so kindly will tell you. Years
ago L lived in this city. My parents
were we'll situated. and [ was carefully
reared. l married n man whom every
Jne recognized as an elegant gentleman,
put to me he proved to be drunken
brute. At last he took our little boy
and went away, know not where, leav-
ing me with baby Just two months old.
My parents had died, and went out
INTO the country and changed my name.
| worked for n living, heart-broken as
was. One day my little darling was
taken i'll. l took her in my arms and
started toward town, where she might
have the proper medical attendance. but
she seemed TO grow worse. At last
knew she was dying. and | sat down
dnder r tree. held her 20 my bosom
long time, for she shivered, and when
[ looked into her face again she was
Head. A man who lived near by made a
coffin, and buried the little girl under
the tree where she had died. Then
went away. know not how, and began
a long search for my husband; not that
wanted him, but that | wanted my
son. must have gone crazy, for J was
seized one day and taken to mad
house. How long / remained there /
don't know, but l could see that was
much older looking than when l went
n. From time To time l implored the
keeper TO let me ont, but he refused.
About month ago | saw an oppOrtu-
nifty and escaped. l WAS not mad. for
when again under the clear sky the
memory of my troubles were rs though
out day had passed. l turned after
much inquiry toward my native place,
and few days ago | arrived here, but
did not stop until had found my way
to the little grave under the tree. L had
carried stone and built little wall
around it, but briars and bushes had
grown up so thickly that l could hardly
lind the place. | cleared the briars
away and came to town. While passing
along the street | saw this mans flowers.
| stole geranium pot, and it now sits
on the little child's grave
The flower dealer had sunk upon a
bench. "Great God, Judge" he ex-
claimed. springing up, 1.-THE woman is
my mother. "-ArkdnSdU Trdrcler.