River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-05-07

watched him drive off, pleased as a child
at the idea of surprisin' Annie. But ]
never guessed what the black silk dress
was to cost her. poor soul
ut began to rain soon after Luther a
gone, n poured down for upward of
four hours. / was at the window when
he went on his way home, n noticed
he didn't have his overcoat on, n
wondered what he'd done with it,
for l was sure he'd had it on when he
stopped at the gate. Annie told me
afterward that he'd taken the coat of
his back N rolled the black silk up in
it to keep it from gettin' wet. 1t wasn't
even damp when he unrolled it n
showed it to her, but he was wet to
the skin himself, n few days later
there was doctors buggy at the gate.
John he went over to see what was the
matter, n found Luther walkin' the
floor N groanin' with pain. The cold
had settled in his side m the doctor
couldn't give him no relief. But he
said he guessed he'd pull through all
right m there wasn't no need to worry.
miss Parsons was maxim the silk
up. Lnther wasn't satisfied till Annie
had gone to the village N got some one
to work on it, N she thought best to
humor him. He wasn't no better
when the dress came home, m the doc
tor was still tending him; but no one
lowed he was anyway dangerous. 1T
was John who brought the dress home
from Miss Parsons, n he said Luther
was just too pleased for anything to see
the bundle.
"'Tm goin' to have Annie dress right
MP in it, he says, n you n Jane must
come over after supper N see how she
looks.
"Well, as / heard afterward, John
had hardly gone when Luther began to
tease Annie to put the dress on. She
wanted to get supper first, but he
wouldn't hear to it.
I've been waitin' nearly twenty
years to see you in that dress, he saws.
N | won't wait even an hour longer
"Well, Annie she made him lie down
for he'd been walkin' the floor con-
slant nearly all day-'n' she went into
her bedroom to put the dress on. She'd
got the skirt on, n was fastenin' the
waist, when she heard a queer sound
from the spare room where Luther was
lynn. She stopped minute to listen,
n then called to him to know if he
wanted anything. There wasn't no an
swer, n she crossed the hall m hurried
into the spare room. Well, child, she
found him dead, his face turned toward
the door as he'd been watchin' for her, n
the sound she'd heard was the death
rattle in his throat.
"When John n | goS there he'd been
dead only few minutes, m tell you,
kneelin' down by that low bed in her
new black silk, her arms round that
dead man n moanin' n shudderin' over
him n beggin' him to speak to her.
He isn't dead 7 she says to me as /
came in. He has only tainted. 0,
Jane! do something for him. Get hot
water, n you'll find camphere in the
pantry on the lowest shelf to the right
"But saw that hot water N camphere
wouldn't be no use, n | told her so as
gentle as I could n begged her to come
away. She wouldn't listen to me at
first, but after the doctor had come, n
Luther'd died from apoplexy of the
stomach, she let me take her to her OVID
room.
As we was crossin' the hall she heard
the dress rustic, a she stopped short n
looked at me pitiful.
"'He never saw me in it, after ALL
n she broke down and cried as if her
heart would break.
after poor Luther was buried n
there was a stone put over him n his
debts were all paid, there wasn't moth
in left for Annie, n she was glad to
take place in the mills. We wanted
her to come here, but she was too
proud to eat bread she hadn't earned,
she said. About week ago | was out
with Miss SHIPPER gettin' subscriptions
for the church carpet. n we met Annie
on the street. Miss Sniper, she amt
over-sensitive herself n she don't give
no one else credit for being so, m she
up N asks Annie if she didn't ever
wish she'd said yes stead of mo- to
young Tom Layton.
Never" says Annie. Had I my
life to begin again | would not altar it
as far as Tom Layton is concerned"
"'But it's pretty hard to have to work
for him, isn't it?' asked Miss Snlper,
N / felt it in my heart to hate her for
asking such a thing.
"But Annie only smiled. 4 consider
myself fortunate to be able to earn such
good wages, she says, n then she walked
away smilin' still.
II was glad Miss Sniper didn't know
about that black silk dress. If she'd
said anything about that, Annie would
a broke down. She's got it packed
away at the bottom of her trunk, poor
soul, n she's never speaks about it,"