The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-02-05

raisin', n he was ON his way ut last to
buy Annie that silk dress He asked
me about the number of Yards he ought
to get n where he should go to buy, n
said he could hardly wait to get it now
he was ready. He was going to give
Annie surprise, he said; she didn't
know what he was goin' after.
"Well the tears was in my eyes as /
watched him drive Off pleased as child
Mt the idea of sulprlsin Annie. But /
never guessed what the black silk dress
was to 81 her, poor soul!
cit began to rain soon after Luther'd
gone, II poured down for upward of
four hours. I was at the winder when
he went by on lis way home, n
noticed he didn't have his overcoat on,
n | wondered what he'd done with it,
for I was sure he'd had it on when he
stopped at the gate. Anuie told me
afterward that he'd taken the coat off
his back n rolled the black silk in it to
keep it from gettin' wet. It wasn't even
damp when he unrolled it an showed it
to her, out he was wet to the skin him.
self, N i'll q few DAYS there was q doctors
buggy at the gate John he went over
to see what WIS The matter, n found
Luther walkin' the floor and groanin'
with pain. The cold had settled in his
side n the doctor couldn't give him 40
relief. But he said he guessed he'd
pull through all right n there wasn't no
need to worry.
! "Mss Parsons was maxim the silk
up. Luther 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 doe
tor was still 'tendin' him; but no one
lowed he was anyway dangerous. It
WIS John who brought the dress home
from Miss Parsons n he said Luther
was just too pleased for anything to see
the bundle.
elm goin' to have Annie dress right
up in it., he says IN you n Jane must
come over after supper m 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.
"Ive been waitin' nearly twenty
years to see you in that dress, he says,
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
the bedroom to put the dress on. Shed
got the skirt on n was fastening the
waist, when she heard queer sound
lynn. She stopped a minute to listen, n
then called to him to know if he wanted
anything. There wasn't no answer, n
she crossed the hall N hurried into the
spare room. Well, child, she found him
dead, his face turned toward the door
as if he had been lookin for her. n the
sound she'd heard was the death rattle
in his throat.
"When John n got there he'd been
dead only few minutes n I tell you,
child, it was o sad sight to see her
kneelin' down by that low bed in her
new black silk, her arms round that
dead man n moanin' n shudderin' over
him n begin him to speak to her.
He isn't dead ! she says to me as
came in. He has only tainted. Oh,
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 cam
phere wouldn't be no use, n told her
80 as gentle as l could n begged her to
come away. She wouldn't listen to me
at first, but after the doctor had come
n told her it was all over n poor
Luther died from apoplexy of the stom-
ach, she let me take her to her own
room.
GAS we was crossin' the hall she heard
the dress rustic n she stopped and
looked at me pitiful
"He never saw me in it, after all,
n she broke down n cried as if her
heart would break.
after poor Luther was buried n
there was o stone put over him n his
debts WAS all paid, there wasn't nothin'
lett for Annie, n she was glad to take
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