News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-08-13
MARY AND JOHN.
APathetic Story ofrhe Mountains ofTennes

There was a terrible thunder storm
| coming up and thunder storm among
the mountains of Tennessee means much
to the traveller over the narrow and wind
ing roads, each one full of peril from
falling rock or rushing water. 1t was
growing dusty, too, and in the gloom
and hurry to reach shelter / came near
riding over O woman who was coming
down the road at run. She screamed
out and jumped aside, and as she stood
for moment called out
"The storm will be here in ten minutes.
Kun for the house J"
For an instant caught sight of white
face under a sunbonnet. The eyes were
wild, the teeth set hard, and | thought
OF maniac. 1t was only for an instant,
and then a flash of flightning set the horse
off at full gallop. He ran for half mile
as if frightened for his life, turned to
the right and leaped fence, and as he
halted at the door of a cabin voice
shouted in my ear:
"Git down and come in Ike will stable
the hossr'
The storm broke at that moment, and
what with the wind the rain, the red
flashes and loud-rolling thunder, we
could only sit and look at each other for
the first quarter of an hour. Then the
storm lulled into a steady pour, accom-
panied by an occasional fierce gust, and
/ knew that it would be daybreak be-
fore we saw the last of it..
The man placed provisions on the
table and sat down to board with me.
He made a great effort to appear hospi-
table and cheerful, but l noticed that he
was listening intensely, as if for a voice
or a step, and twice he rose up and went
to the window. By and by recollected
of seeing a woman and asked:
SIS there cabin within a mile or so
of this down the road ~
'None for near onto three" he re-
piled.
''Then God help the woman / met
half mile below as the storm was break
ingw
IA woman did she have on sunbon-
net 2''
eyes"
"And dark dress 2"
eyes"
''That was Mary, my wifel She said
she would but l didn't believe it."
"Would what ~.
He rose up and flung open the door to
look out. A sheet of rain blew half way
across the room, extinguishing the can
die and leaving us in darkness, and the
cabin. rocked Ui.aavr the wind as if it
would blow over. The Nan shut the
door, relighted the cas lie, and placing
it at window so thaE its light would
shine down the Toa he came over to
me and said:
eyes, that was my wife. We have
been married two years. Yonder in the
cradle sleeps oCr infant"
"And what possessed her to start out
in this awful storml'
81 did I" he exclaimed, in an accusing
voice. We had a quarrel. But '1r
me it would have been only trife. She
was proud and naughty, though loving
and affectionate, and, while l knew
was ia the wrong, 1 was determined to
humble her. An hour ago, when | de-
manded, with the bearing of a tyrant,
that she retrGct certain statements-sshe
calmly dressed herself and set out los
seven-mile walk to her father S. y
" You must have been insane to let
her 60"
"God forgive me, but would not say
one word to keep her! didn't believe
she would go, and when she went out,
kissing the baby goodbye, but having
neither word nor look for me, would
not ask her to stay"
"And what are the chances in this
storm9"
His face was deathly pale, and his
voice rrembled like a child's, as he an
swered:
"rm going to look for her, and
want you to mind the cabin and +nS
child. The little one is a sound sleeper.
and the storm will grow no worse"
Taking down his rifle, ne opened the
door and dashed out into the storm, and
| was left alone. For hours there was
no break in the fury of the storm. For
hours the child slept peacefully through
all the eturm5ffp9s d - N
When morning came the sky was
clear, the sun bright, and the birds sang
ioyously, The colored man who had
taken care of my horse soon appeared,
and after bite to eat started down the
road in hopes to meet my host return
inc with his wife. A mile and half
from the cabin 1 found them both
Whether she had been struck down by a
FASH or her life beaten out by the storm,
/ could not say. She lay beside large
rock at the roadside. In the awful
darkness he had found her, but she was
dead. He lay beside her, one arm part
ly covering her face, and in the centre
Of his forehead was a blue-black hole,
from which the blood slowly oozed. He
had shot himself beside Mary's dead
hodv