New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-05-13
mark to make bout my black silk, 4
he stuck to it that he would give Annie
one like IL before he died

mark to make bout my black silk, n
he stuck to it that he would give Annie
one like it before he died.
But year after year went by. N my
silk was all worn out n I'd got anoth-
er, N still Armies best dress was but a
cheap de1aine n it wasn't often she
could afford to buy even a pair Of cot
ton gloves to cover her hands. Things
hadn't gone better with Luther'n n
they had other things to sorrow for
than losing their best horses n cattle r
their crops. They lost their six chill
dren, one after the other. Three of 'em
died in one week of scarlet fever n the
others was sickly little things, m went
off in slow consumption.
eff it hadn't been that she had to
keep Luther up, believe Annie'd have
give away many time; but for his sake
she didn't show one-half she felt. An
she never lost faith in the Lord She
said His ways seemed hard, but that He
knew what was best for her.
"Well, time went on, n about five
years ago things seemed to take a turn
for the better with Luther. His wheat
crop turned out well, n he sold it to
good profit, n he got his corn off the
bottom lands before the river rose, n
that was great help to him. He
seemed real cheerful, n told John he
was just beginnin' to enjoy life, n if
things went we'll he'd soon have the
mortgage cleared off the farm. The
weather set in cold n stormy just after
Thanksgivin' n one afternoon was out
in the chicken yard shellin' corn to the
hens, m all mufaed up to my eyes,
when I heard wagon stop at the gate
n there was Luther noddin' n beck
onin' to me. I went down to the gate to
speak to him, n before I got there he
was tellin' me how he'd sold Tom Lay
ton colt he'd been raisin' n was on his
way at last to buy Annie that silk dress.
He asked me bout the number of yards
he ought to get m where he'd best go to
buy, n said he couldn't hardly wait to
get it now he was ready. He was goin'
to give Annie surprise, he said; she
didn't know what he was goin' after.
"Well, the tears was in my eyes as I
watched him drive off, pleased as child
at the idea of surprisin' Annie. But I
never guessed what the black silk dress
was to cost her, poor soul!
1T began to rain soon after Luther ID
gone, n poured down for upward of
four hours. I was at the window when
he went on his way home, m I noticed
he didn't have his overcoat on, n
wondered what he'd done with it,
for [ was sure he'd had it on when he
stopped at the gate. Annie told me
afterward that he'd taken the coat off
his back N rolled the black silk up in
it to keep it from gettin' wet. It 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 n the doctor
couldn't give him no relief. But he
said he guessed he'd pull through all
right n 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, n the doc
tor was still tending him; but no one
lowed he was anyway dangerous. It
was John who brought the dress home
from Miss Parsons, n he said Luther
was just too pleased for anything to see
the bundle.
" I'm goin' to have Annie dress right
up in it, he says, n you n Jane must
come over after supper n see how she
looks. @
"Well, as I 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. Shed
got the skirt on, n was fastenin' the
waist, when she heard queer sound
from the spare room where Luther was
lynn. She stopped minute to listen,
m then called to him to know if he
wanted anything. There wasn't no an
swer, II she crossed the hall n 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 I got there he'd been
dead only a few minutes, N tell you,
child, it 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 moanin' n shudderin' over
him n beggin' him to speak to her.
He isn't dead! she says to me as /
came in. He has only tainted. O,
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
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