Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-07-27
THE WORM WILL TURN.
Jim Though lie Knew Mary, But She Cor
vinced Him That lie Didn't.

Jim Though lie Knew Mary, But She Con-
yinced Him That lie Didn't.
From the Detroit Free Press.
We were winding down one of the noun
tain roads of Tennessee in cart drawn by a
mule. The land was barren, the cabins no
better than novels, and it were query how
people made a bare living or was content to
stay. BY and by we came to a turn in the road
where there was trough to water horses,
and the cabin of settler. This cabin was
the poorest of ALL and nothing around II in
dicated that the owner made any attempt to
cultivate the soil. We reached the place Just
in time to witness q tableau. woman,
poorly dressed, and her face bearing the look
ofone who had seen much worry and suffer
ing stood near the trough, and a satchel filed
with clothing sat on theaground beside her.
Five feet away stood her husband, burly
tough-taced mountaineer, and he held u
switch in his hand. Neither minded us as
we drove up, and it was full minute before
the husband said
"Mary, I'll wollop ye!'
"Jim, We dasn'tr' she replied.
''Mary, ye can't leave me- nohow."
"Jim, I'm gwine ter do it! I've starved an
suffered till I'm clean gone! I'm going
home"
"Mary, if We don't take up that satcLel and
march in I'll wollop ye good and stoutr'
There were two of us besides tho driver.
The woman looked up and scanned our
faces, as if to judge how far she might count
on our help, and the driver said:
"'Tain't rulable for strangers to mix i'm,
Mary, and Jim's got knife and would kill
somebody. Better go i'm
"Never!' she hissed.
"1f you don't" said the husband as no
came step near, "Ili make the fur fly.
Take that ~
With swish he brought the switch down
across her shoulders aud raised it again.
She stood stock still for minute and
looked him i'm the eye, and then walked into
the hove.
"Rayther peart, but tho gad will cure
her"' grinned the husband as he drew the
switch through his fingers .,
His triumph was short lived. In sixty
seconds Mary reappeared. She had the
mountaineer's heavy rifle in her hands, and
as she came out she raised it on a line with
the mans heart:
"Jim, | want ye to git''
"N-ow
"Sartin!'
"Shoo Can't do il !"
Click Click.
"Mary, what ye gwine ter do7'
"Kili ye like wolf in yer tracks if ye
don't walk away"
"Whar to ?''
Nobody keers Go sumwhar goin'
don't never come back Hurry up, fur Pm
going down on the stagep'
He looked into her eyes and saw the
change. Poverty and brutality had come 10
an end. Love had turned tn disgust, and in
Ol lear was SuCn bravery ne WDulu
not have looked for in man on the road. lie
saw "shoot" in her eyes, but he still hesi-
tated
"Mary, drop that rifle" he whispered
"Jim, git II you are here when I've fin
ished counting twenty I'll kill you as sure as
there is a God III heaven "
He began backing away. When he had gone
twenty feet he turned and walked. When he
had gone hundred he halted, wheeled
about, and after long look muttered
"Wall, by gosh Mary, let's make up ~
"Keep a-gittin', JIM" she replied, IA she
still covered him with the rifle.
In five minutes he was out of sight up the
road. The woman placed the gun and satchel
in the cart, walked into the hovel 10 be gone
two minutes and when she came back TO the
cart and took seat with us, flames were seen
creeping through a hundred crevices be-
tween the dry logs. Without word she
climbed in, and only once during the five
mile ride did she utter word. At a bend
in the road she looked back at the pyramid
of smoke and flame wrought by her hands,
and said, as if to herself:
"Jim didn't know Mary, Jim didn't"