The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-05-29
HANNAH.

a only WOnUCT-WNHt ne iNlNhN OF me.
HANNAH.
One day great colony of water
fowl sailed over the hamlet. They
flew i'm a straight line in orderly time
honOred fashion, well marshaled by
their captain. They were glad to
breathe again the rcsinous-scented air
of their northern pine woods. For
they had Travelled hundreds of miles
from Flor.dian groves of wild orange
trees, and low-lying rcedy marshes by
the warm blue sea. They were so near
their summer home as they flew over
Mishawamec that they began to con
graduate themselves upon their safe ar
rival.
Hannah put down, for moment,
the heavy pail of water she was carry
ing 90 the house and looked up TO
watch Their graceful flight and listen
10 their shrill voices. Then she said,
with "a little sigh: Yes. the wild
geese are back again. Spring will
soon be here now, and / am glad
enough, it has been such long, hard
winter
From the scattered houses blue
smoke rose in the clear, still air. The
forest, vast, dark and mysterious,
stretched its huge arms around the set
Element, and the cold sky of the north,
with its oppressive melancholy like a
haunting, monotOnous song, whose
minor tones suggested loss and desola-
ton, brooded over al.
Soon the big logs woulu come float
ing down the brown, swift current OF
Wolf River, and the Wild songs of the
adventurous raitsmcn would wakcn the
echoes in those sleeping forest aislcs.
A daredevil set were these lUmbcrmcn
of the north. 4 reckless, rcd-shirted,
picturesque band of crusaders, whose
arms We're turned against stur " trees
With much Of the lavleSsueSs anC
ignorance, though very little of tn,
pietv, of those mail-clad hordcs of the
middle ages, who went out to fight tn,
Moslcm, these men fought against un
rclcntng enemies, too against tn,
bitter cold of the long winters, whcT
feet and hands were f%Ecn bv eN
posture 10 the cruel air, against tn,
homc-sickucSs and dependency, natur
nj To q lot so isolated. so full of hard
ship i'm various forms. What wonder
that they drank sometimes until look
or word provoked the fierce quarre
which ended perhaps in bloodshed
possibly crimc?'
Yet the majority of the dwellcrs il
Mishawamec were contentcd enough
1t was as cheerful and refined al any
life they had ever known. Not 50 wa,
il with Hannah Barry. The two YEAR
she had spent there seemed an eternity
She was of finer mold than the heavy
Norwegian or Swedish wives who large
" composed the female portion of IN,
settlement. She could not speak {,
them Of sorrows or aspirations that {,
them were wholly inComprchcnsiblc
So her heart was tull of great hunge
for some slight measure of sympathy
Of confidence from one of her own sex
Day by day her great, patient BLACK
eyes carried the pathetic shadow of he
longing in their depths and her well
cut, rather refined features, grew NOR
sharp and her cheek thinner
She was slender, nervous. ambition
little American woman, who had drifte,
away from comfortable home in
State farther south. And the privation
she had borne, the struggles agains
poverty and deSpondCncv had ncve
even been limited at by her To any O
her former friends. For she had mar
ricd Dick sorcly against her father
will, and was far too proud and indie
pendent TO admit to those who blame
with him 50 far had been a Constan
struggle TO keep mp his courage as we
rs her own. For poor Dick. though al
ways Kind and brave, did indeed seen
10 he logged by some malicious Sp.ri
of ill-luck. Hannah had not uudcrwOn
quite such marvellous misfortuncs. il ]
true, as that mariner i'm 'Rilcc Tailor,
who was "hitten by q crocodile ant
swallowed by n whale ''all on nc
count of Eliza but she had bee
scorchcd 10y throcs of fever brought oil
by over work and exposure to cold, 4
say nothing of mental troubles car
and sorrow OF various kinds. all on &C
count of Dick. But il YOU imagine 70
n moment that She wavcrcd, or love
him less, you know little of n tru
woman's heart. Undoubtedly, Hanna
was illogical enough to cling all tn
more tcndcrly to him with each misfor
tune. Her old fashioned. unenliwhtcnc
mind argued that when the world bat
tered the poor fellow most hear;lvsSl
then he had most need Of the dcvotio
Of his wife, and the best right to Il.
Only a farmer daughter. and brough
M in the agricultural districts, sh
knew little of that selfish philosoph
which would have advised Ter to tax
the child and leave Dick to his fate
thus causing herself to be included i
the prosperous ma GRITTY. Hannah ha
always from "a child mendcd the broke
legs of forlorn birds, and uursed TN
weak lambkins back TO life and vioo1
usually to have the latter taken fror
her and sold rs soon as they grew froli,
some and had attained condition unde
her sheltering care.
And thus il was that she stood
front of her small frame house, with tn
heavy water-pail by her side, and w;
,vistfully watching the wild geese
n,er a yyretchcd settlement away up
tbo Wisconsin pine forests. 1t had bee
IRVING winter for the little family, IL
nj The husband and father, had bee
an for nearly month during the colde
1roatber. and. as their home was NOR
1,ol,ed il had taxed Hannah's strengi
sof6e utmost o provide the few con
tor is he required, and save a small su
t totvord the first payment of the NOR
70" ~ which came due in the sPrin.
gag9 sbe was brave little woman, al
. Uu1 on-faithfully, taking in wash'I
w ~o sewing for the mill-hands and luF