The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-01-29

you think we'd better 90 to Dakota an
take claim?' Well, / was so upset at
the thought o.. leavin' Johnsonville,
where I'd been brought up, an where
my folks all lived, that | just couldn't
answer at first, but at last L see how
much better 'twould be for us to go
somewhere, times bein' so hard there,
so L said. brave as | could Yes,
Reuben, if you say So hopin' all the
time he'd change his mind; but he
didn't, an so L got ready.
sit was hard, thought and the
coarse sewing dropped from her
fingers, as she wiped her eyes on
corner of her green gingham apron; ''it
| was hard, for besides leavin' my father
an mother an sisters, Reuben an ]
had laid in Johnsonville Cemetery the
only child we ever had Well, we
come out here, an it was worse'n I'd
any idea of. We brought all themoney
we had, an we knew we couldn't make
it last much longer'n n fall, when we cal
culated on good crops tokeepus through
| the winter. Of course we laid by the
5000 to pay for the claim at the
end o. the six months, it bein' a pre-
emption. But the crops. didn't any
ways come up to what we'd calculated
on. Twas hot an dry, an the potato
! bugs come, an the cabbage-wormS, an
the gophers, an rabbits, an everything
that could come. So we see from the
first we'd got to be savin's possible.
| Well, that was a terrible summer, an
homesick! Why, it did seems if I'd die,
an sometimes didn' care if l should.
| was sure we got entirely beyond
the Lords care, an He Il forgotten all
about us. got cross an sick, an
helpless. But. my! didn't say much
about it to Reuben, for once in while
he'd say: Sarah, we ain got beyond
the Lords providence yet. Remember
that motto. But likes 5 not | wouldn't t
answer, was so homesick and dis
couraged about havin' to live so. The
motto he spoke of was one he'd bought
| just before we came away from home;
| it was a cardboard one, an | worked
| it in shaded red Worsted, nice as could
be. 1t said: Hitherto hath the Lord
helped u.s.. -..--
| 81 knew what Reuben meant when
| he told me to remember that motto, but
he was so patient an kind that l
couldn't bear to tell him that it didn't t
mean much to me those days. He's a
wonderful good man, Reuben is, but it
just seemed to me the Lord had forgot
ten all about us, an wasn't helpin' us
at all. see you're shocked, Miss, an
no wonder, seein' I'd been a professor
nigh onto fifteen years, but mehbe you
amt suffered what | suffered that
summer! He'd bought nice frame for
the motto, but | hadn't hung it up at
all, an it stood on the floor with its
face to the wall, though | could see
Reuben didn't like to see it so.
''Well, Reuben worked harder |
ever see man work before, an bv
June he'd dug that well you see Wonder,
and people used to come miles to get
water, for good water was even scarcer
last summer than tis this; an / no.
ticed a pale, timid woman comm for
water, driyin' the worst looking pair of
horses you ever see. She used
to draw it up by the pailful,
an set it in the wagon, an then she'd
get up in the wagon an empty the pail
into barrel. 1 couldn't bear to see
her work so, poor thing, she wa
more'n tWenty-three or four, an | was
glad when | see Reuben helpin' her one
day, though she want anybody you
could take fancy to, as you can some
folks. But after spell | noticed she
didn't come any more, an shiftless,
unikely-lookin' man used to come for
water. Reuben talked to him often,
an one day, after he went away, Reu-
ben says to me: Sarah, SAYS he, the
young woman that used to come for
waters sick. Can you go an see her
to-day?
''Now, / didn't want to 90 a bit, but
/ see 'twould displease Reuben if I
didn't, SO put on my sun-bonnet an
went over. Their claim was next to
ours, so walked it easy. An such a
sight when got there! There was that
poor young thing on a miserable bed,
white an sick-lookin' as ever I see any,
body. The little shanty was bare an
dirty, an the crops worse'n ours. |
put my head in the door, an she
opened her eyes an glared at me.
I've come to see you, | said, not
knowing what to say, | was so taken
aback.
"'Well, she snapped out, look at
ne IL YOU WduG 10, dlH no great
sight, am 1?'
Ibid you ever, in all your life? I
was tempted to snap back, but l re-
membered Reuben, an couldn't, so
says: i thought mebbe l could help
you.
"'You can't she says, a little more
civil, nobody CAM an such hard,
hopeless voice l hope I'll never hear
again.
My heart ached for her, so I says:
Yes, the Lord can
"'Well, she says, mebbe he can,
but he amt done it much since I come
out here.
Thinks I, you're a regular heather,
if there ever was one. But then, con-
cluded it want mite worse for her
to say it right out than twas for me to
think it a hundred times, only | was
afraid to say it on account of Reuben;
an me professor, too. I didn't say
any more then, but tell you did a lot
o thinkin'. l went right in an made
her cup o tea, an fixed things up.
4 Ia,&i Al, 7