, 1885-04-05

was teIlin' me how he'd sold Tom Layton 4
colt he'd been raisin', M was on his way at
last to buy Annie that silk dress He asked
nee bout the number OF yards he ought
10 got ~ whore he'd best 20 % buy. M
said he couldn't hardly walt TO got It now be
was ready. He was goin' to give Annie a
surprise, he said; she didn't know what he
was goin' after.
well, the tears was in my eyes rs l
watched him drive of, pleased as a child at
the idea OF surprisin' Annie. But never
guessed what the black silk dress was to
cost her, poor SOUL tarMUHrAMa
at began to rain soon after Luther a
gone, m poured down for upward OF four
hours l was at the winder when he went
by on his way home, m noticed he didn't
have his overcoat On, m l wondered what
he'd done with It, for l was sure he'd had ii
on when he stopped Mt the gate. Annie told
me afterward that he'd taken the coat Off
his back n rolled the black silk up in 1t to
keep 1t from gettin' wet 1t wasn't
even damp whom he unrolled ii IN showed 1t
TO her, but he was wet to the skin himself,
m a few days later there was a doctors
buggy at the gate. John he went over to
zee what was the matter, m found Luther
walkin' the floor m ~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.
"Mi s Parsons was maxim the silk up
Luther wasn't satisfied till Annie had gone to
the village m got some one to work on it, m
she thought best 10 humor him. He wasn't
no better when the dress came home, m the
doctor was still tendin' him; but no one
lowed he was anyway dangerous 1t va
John who brought the dress home from Miss
Parsons, m he said Luther was just too
pleased for anything to see the bundle.
I'm goin' to nave Annie dress right up
in IT, he says, m you m Jane must come
over after supper m see how she looks
aWeIl, as l heard a~fterward, John a
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.
".l've been waitin' nearly twenty years TO
see you in that dress he says, IN won't
wait even an hour longer
HWell, Annie she made him lie
down--for he'd been waikiki the floor
constant nearly all day-'n' she went into her
bedroom to put the dress on. Shed got the
skirt ON, m was fastenin' the waist, when
she heard a queer sound from the spare room
where Luther was lynn. She stopped a min
ute TO listen, m then called 10 him to know
II be wanted anything. There wasn't nc
uusWeTt IA aub CIO1deu inc nail N uuffleu
into the spare room Well, child, she found
him dead, his face turned toward the door
as II he'd been watchin' for her, m the
sound she'd heard was the death-rattle in
his throat
"When John N l got there led been dead
only a few minutes, m tell you, child, IL
was a sad sight to see her kneelin' down by
that low bed in her new black silk, her arms
round that dead man m moanln' m shud-
derin' over him m beggin' him TO speak to
her.
He isn't deadf she says to me as l come
in. He has only tainted. Oh, Jane. do some.
thing for him. Get hot water m you'll END
camphere in the pantry on the lowest shelf
TO the right
"But saw that hot water m camphere
wouldn't be no use, m | told her 30 as gentle
as 1 could m begged her to come away. She
would'n listen TO me at first, but after the
doctor had come. m he'd told her It was all
over, n poor Luther d died from apoplexy
Of the stomach, she let me take her. to her
own room.
"As we was crossin' the hall she heard her
dress rustic, m she stopped short m looked
at me pitiful.
ale never saw me in 1t, after ALL she
broke down m cried as II her heart would
break.
AFTER poor Luther was buried m there
was a stone put over him m his debts
was all paid, there wasn't nothin' left
for Annie, m she was glad to-take a place in
the mills We wanted her 10 come here, but
she was too proud to eat bread she hadn't
earned, she said. About a week ago I was
out with Miss Sniper, gettin' subscriptions
for the church carpet. m we met Annie on
the street. Miss Sniper. she amt over-sensi-
tive herself m she don't give no one else
credit for bein' so, m she up m asks Annie
II she didn't ever wish she'd said yes stead
Of mo- to young Tom Layton.
Never says Annie. Had / my life TO
begin again l would not alter It as far as
Tom Layton Is concerned
But it's pretty hard to ave to work for
him, isn't itf asked Miss Sniper, m l felt it
in my heart to hate her for askin' such a
thing.
"But Annie only smiled. 4 consider my
self fortunate to be able to earn such good
wages she says, m then she walked away
smilin' still.
IL was glad Miss Sniper didn't know about
that black silk dress. II she'd said anything
about that. Annie would "a broke down.
She'd got 1t packed away at the bottom of
her trunk. poor soul, m she never speaks
about itp