Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-05-28
original

To meet with All evidence Of cultivation,
away of somewhere in the woods. is almost
as charming as the sudden discovery of a
flower, lifting its perfuned petals in waste
place where only weeds were expected to
grow.
The day was dreary. Ram was falling.
The leafiess trees. rattling their stiff fingers
together, sbivered; while occasionally a
rheumatic old oak, suffering his joints to
shrek. would cry out in acute pain. n
house-lonely and humble. with IA stark
chimney and clapboard roof, but a house.
Gone i'm said the whining, though not
unpleasant voice of a woman. Git outen
the way. will you,' she added, thrusting the
toe Of a coarse shoe against the ribs of dog
1T do peer like the dogs will take the place
Set down, sir
I sat down. The woman. while closely
eyeing me, proceeded TO twist up her tangled
black hair, which, in the semi gloom OF the
lLlishted house, looked like the network Of
an uncongenial night
II reckon you air stranger in this here
community
YES
''Out hGntin' hogs l reckon"
NO | am not hunting hogs
1T KANT be that you air the new circuit
rider, ken itf'
No,madan, i am merely travelling through
this part Of The country with a view of writ
ing il up for newspaper"
wall, wall, she said in astonishment "A
man some time ergo put something in the
paper about our place. The paper is up here
now, reckon"
She took down the county paper and
pointed to paragraph setting forth the fact
that her husbands land was about TO be
''sould for taxes"
Where is your husbandf' | asked
''Gone to whip the man that put that
readin' in thar. Jim, he is powerful smart
man an ken read anything at first sight |
amt much NV "A scholard myself | uster
could figger little, but when the war come
on it 50 pe.tered me in my mind that l
forgot how"
Dipping cob pipe into the fire, and skill
fully securing a coal, she settled herself
down to solid enjoyment.
The war was awful" she continued.
'They tuck every chicken Cn the place, an
aigs, why. | couldn't keep one, no way i
could fix il. Pap he got awful mad but he
had TO lay low. One time they tuck him
outea bed, tied him acrost log an whipped
him till YOU mout Nv hearn him holler mile
am er ha'f. was powerful sorry for him,
but it couldn't be helped. That want all.
While they was stirrin' round with him they
broke the finest settin' NV goose aigs | ever
laid my eyes ON. Oh, it was shameful the
way they did carry on
What time viii your husband return,
madam
wall, it's jest owin' to how long il will
take him to git through with the business in
hand. He is usually putty peart. Laws
massy, how he ken slash round when he i at
himself. Don't know Lit Kelly, do youF'
l confessed that was not acquainted with
Lit.
WAL, / seed pap whup Lit with one ham
an pay his respecks to the Parker boys with
the tuther one. Pap, he was edycated whar
they turn out schoiards."
On little table, near which | sat. no
tioed leather-bound book Taking it up /
saw that it was an old copy of Byron.
That's pap's,n she said. ale wouldn't
take nothin' fur it,
The book was well worn. Pap was evi-
IDENTIFY man Of some cultivation. IL was a
surprise to see that book away out there in
the woods, and to know that a humble, OBJ
scure man felt the fire of its burning pages.
THAT'S the ARMY book he's got" She con-
tinued, ''an' it's the ARMY one he keers
about
Il suppose he spends great deal of his
time reading itF'
"Law bless you, no. It's his razor strap.
He lows that there aint't none % these here
ewfangled strops that'll sharpen razor like
that book. Don't be snatched, she added a.
arose.
ayes, | must 20. The rain Is about over.-
''Stop in when you happen to come along.
Wall, er, good day." OPIE Z. READ.
LITTLE Rock. Ark, April ~
Philadelphia Call: A young man asks If it
is unlccky to get married before breakfast.
No; only idiotic.
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps: No man knows
quite how to make woman happy in tbs
wisest way.
There ara now l26, 34S Hindoo girls IN the
native schools Of India.