Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-11-06

itnltIH uDONt HUI ntdu utI WAY
through the rain to the stable. The
horse which her husband had ridden
stood at the door waiting TO be let in,
but she could see nothing of his rider
She.listened moment and then again
callcd-low at first and then with all
her might
John! Ooh Johnw
The weary, drenched and mud-bo-
spattered horse lifted his head and gave
low whinny, but no answer came to
her call:
"Johnl O-o-oh Johnr'
She listened; but only tho swish of
tho rain, falling in literal sheets, and
the dull roar of the swollen waters in
the ravine below, reached her ears.
And now she noticed that the horse s
bridle-rein was dragging. Had he
thrown his master, or had John dis
mounted in order to better keep the
road, and by some means permitted the
animal 60 escape himP ''.
She examined the bride rein and
found it broken, ard she felt certain
that the horse had thrown her husband
and afterwards stepped upon the rein
and broken it,
Then John was dead. The father of
her crippled boy, her companion for so
many years, was drowned, it might be,
in the angry waters that even now were
pouring through the gorge with tho
roar of demon. Or he was lying in
the road. cold and stifl, with his lifeless
eyes staring up into the blackencd heav-
ems, the pitiless rain beating upon his
face.
Such were the thoughts that burned
their way through the brain of Martha
Parsons rs she stood dumbly looking at
the broken rein by the dim light of tho
lantern. The impatient paving of the
horse, demanding to be let under
shelter, recalled her to knowledge of
her surroundings, and quite mechanic
ally she opened the stable door, The
horse entered, rubbed his nose against
that of his fellow and began at once TO
eat from the bin in front of him. Mrs.
Parsons followed him in, removed the
saddle and bride, and taking the Ian
tern from the floor where she had set it,
retraced her steps through the storm to
the house.
Fortunately, Johnny had not wakened
sufficiently to note her absence, and was
unaware of the return of the horse
without his father, and she could sit
down and think what to do. What
could she doP Over and over again
she asked herself this question. 1t was
two miles to the nearest nsighbors, and
between ran the gorge, in attempting
to cross which, perhaps. John had lost
his life. 1t was too dark to see more
than a few feet ahead of one, even by
the aid of lantern, and if that were to
go out, it would leave her in utter ina
bility to return. Besides, there was
the sick child, who would scream him
self to death if he wakened and found
himself alone in the house. And just
then he did waken, and she went to him
and gave him the water he asked for,
and induced him to again close his eyes
and sleep, doing it all without showing
the terrible agony at her heart, or say
ing word about the return of the
horse without his rider.
When she thought Johnny asleep,
she arose and went into the kitchen.
She did not dare to remain in the room
with the child lest he should suddenly
open his eyes and see the agony which
she felt she could no longer suppress.
There was nothing she could do for her
husband, living ordead, except to keep
the lamp burning in the window as a
beacon, in case. as was just possible,
he had been thrown after crossing the
gorge, and was now wandering about
in the darkness.
But for Johnny she would have set
out to follow the road back towards
town, hoping to find some trace of her
husband, but to do so and leave Johnny
when there was SO little chance of any
good coming of it, was not to be seri-
ously thought of. She must wait until
daylight, and then-even then what
could she dop If the rain should cease
it would still be DAYS and may be weeks
before any one would be likely to visit
the cottage. But this fact did not
change matters. There was positively
nothing she could do except toIwait and
keep the lamp in the window burning
as brightly as possible.
For many moments she sat motion
less, and then stole quietly to the side
of her child, whom she found much as
he had been for some hours past-sleep-
ing uneasily and with considerable
fever. As she was slipping from the
sick room again, she heard q noise as
if some one were fumbling at the
kitchen door in vain endeavor to find
the latch. She listened with feeling
of returning hope. mingled with hor-
rible, superstitious dread; the latter
born of her excited condition and the
terrible dreariness of her surroundings.
The sound continued until she could
not be mistaken; it was some one try
ing to open the door, and who else
could it be but her husbandp With
feeling of faintness, as if she had sud-
denly been caught as she was about to
drop into horrible abyss, she hastened
to lift the latch. AS she did so, form
covered with mud, hatless and with a
lock of death upon his face and in his
eyes. entered For an instant she did
not recognize the form as that of her
husband, but when he staggered for
ward into the light and sank upon a
chair, she saw that it was he, and in an
instant she was at his side, striving to
remove his storm-soaked garments.
Tell me where you are hurt. John;
tell me what to do. quick" she said.
"Are you wounded anywhere, or only
terribly bruised by your fallP Tell me
quick. so can help YOU"
But he only stared at her and made
no reply.
John, john" she cried, now doubly
alarmed, "what is itP where is itP tell
me, dear Is it your head that hurtsp"
He looked at her SO strangely that
she thought he must have been crazed
by blow upon the head.
Slowly he raised his hand at last and
drew 1t across his forehead.
II d'know, Marty" he said, in
hestating tone, II reckon-I d'know-
exactly what is the matter"
He still sat gazing at her with that
strange look in his eyes, as if he was
not certain of where he was.
Mrs. Parsons hurriedly placed the
tea-kettle back ON the stove, where it
instantly began to sing, and moment
later had a cup of tea prepared. Then
she came and put her arm about her
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