Evening star., 1886-09-25

| nsalnS ieSer from reeking beds OF moisture
| thaI hao stewed under a tropical sun all day,
| ana now cast off vapors like fetid perspirat ton
whose missionwas to prove howexceedingiy un.
Mrs. Barker broke the silence again, with her
Ianguld dr;iwl, so suggestive OF the physical In.
eI.ia whlch oppressed her, body and soul.
yer?'
Pete shook his head in the negative.
Yer doant know nickP from er dollar
Ihey,d q steal yer blind quickern I ken say
Jack Robinson This dtscouraging prospect
seemed to suggest new idea to the woman.
Yer brung ther stockin' hyar."
Pete arose and after a protracted search re-
turned holding an old stocking at arms length.
| FROM puny protuberance at the toe there
| came a faint Jingle suggestive of coin.
HIS mother took the stocking from his hand
with much deiiberation, and proceeded TO
| empty the contents into her lap.
There Were two silver dollars, some silver
pieces OF minor denomination, and several con.
pers OF the old-fashioned, big two-cent variety.
Pete gaZed In astonishment at this display OF
wealth, SO lavish. and at the same time so unex-
pecled.
.Ycres four dollars n twenty-seven cents
| Ialnt nuH ter git yer clar Norf, but yer'll have
shows yer money ter ary soul yer'll hav em
skin Yer in no time"
.'Thar's a ole suit o cIoes O. yer dads took
EN- IN some. but yer gOtter roll up legs N
sleeves, n eff yer wars EN-, yer's got en- II yer
doant yer aint got EN-. IiIjust baste these year
bits IN monSst er seams, an yer kin ripem out
| on tn sly when yer needs enlist one to er
time save as yer go, all yer kim Pete
| ernuther."
The next night, while smoking as usual, Mrs.
| aversion.
Pears like cayrnt stomac de pipe even.
| DaTs powerful misery croaSt me hyar an INV
| head er bigger'n a barr'l."
| Pete expressed his sympathy crudely and
alter awhile his mother arose and staggered
| weakly into the one-rOom cabin, where she
| flung herself upon the unmade hard bed in the
| corner. Along in the night Pete was awakened
| by iow means and mumbiings from his mother
a N yy:Ifs E.lfo Ha
put the cup OF brackish liquid to her parched
| lips from time TO tIme and sat patiently in the
| dark trying 10 keep awake and WATCH for it
was plain that Mrs. Barker was in great physical
| anguish. When day cane the thin checks were
with the internal nres. She moaned and tossed
| through that day and another night, cOnst stantly
talking about ''th' Norl," and saying weakly
/ she would like poweriu well to ketch q bref OF
| up down hyarabouts."
| Pete listened in mute anguish. but knowing
| there Was no doctor 10 be had in the neighbor-
| hood, and not daring TO cali upon the iraIe aud
/ Called him 'po white IraSh.'
| lie ala mol leave his mother until the third
! day when the last change came. The lever
reused the dormant northern energy, and under
/ Its singing whip she planned for Pete, and in
| siructed hIm where to go and how to reach the
| north.
..Th' cayers costs-too much. Yer'll hav-
! ter-heip long on er-boat.-Git-Out-tO-
! river,-ther Mississip'-an ax-the capn of er-
! boat-ter- let-yer work-long. Somethin1l
/ turn-up-fur yer.-Be oz-good as yer-kin.-
Yer aint-had much chance-but it'll be-ditfer-
! Ienter-up-NOri-'
| y few minutes after the soul o. the tired
woman had indeed left the South although the
wor n-out body remained.
/ Pete being unable To bury her without help
was forced In th Is emergency to ask assistance
! OF W ASH mother and iather. Upon the arrival
| OF the Lormer 1t did not take long tor the expe-
! rlehced eye oi the black woman 10 see what had
| been the disease To which Mrs. Barker had sue
| cumbed.
40 de Lawd-dat Yeller Jack. chile. does
/
Pete shook his head sadly. He would have
| been glad 10 talk freely with those vino had
come 10 90 The last offices ior the dead, but some
way Ills reserve seemed more than ever fOrlni-
| dab!e ana the shyneSs from which he suffered
made 1t Impossible TOR him to talk as he would
nave Hheu TO II the dumb thought could have
! been put into words.
bats Ieiler Jack. Me an de ole man $ had
EN- an reckon we knows Yer mudder'Il
/ nav Ter be burrid 'tEout 40 relay. YelIer Jack
| ,bove ground am certainly de debbe let loos.
/ reckon dar aint no cermOny expectorated in
dis Iurinstance. Yo'Il kotch it too chile done
! gone shore, dar amt no need arggrifyiu bout
| dat
With this and similar consolins words Wash's
mother hastily prepared Mrs. Barker tor the
grave, and with her husbands AID placed the
oody IN the rough board box and laid her be-
sl0e ihe hNe grass-SroWn graves but a short
way from the cabin. Peter was the only
mourner. He assisted in 1illing the grave as
well as he could, and placed d rude stake at the
head.
"Wha yo gwine ter do, chile?" asked the
black woman, "a sense of SYMPATHY and pity tor
the boy hlling her heart. tie might be poor
white trash, but he Was alone in the world, and
| she had children OF her own.
"Gwine Norf? Heah dat chile talk! How
yo'-sWiae git norf, honey? yo' got any frien's
Pete nodded assent to the latter question. but
remained silent upon the score OF how he was
to find them.
Now look hyar,' at last said the black
woman. whose natural good nature was strug-
gIlng with her nlotnerly interest in keeping tue
lever away from her own children. "Yo
M
certain. But yer kin come to de ole hoIler tree
Dy de swump paf, an evry morn oh my lite
Use SwIne put e snack Oh sumIIn fer yer to eat
dar Fl yer gifts down wild der feber am cayrnt
cum III Know 1t, kase de snack III be dar whar
Iei Ii de day aiore, n den Iii come ober an
nuss ye' shore With these and various other
instructions as to what he should do and what
he shooldant, she betook herself after her hus-
D;ind, and LETT Pete alone in the cabin.
After looking about Tor while he proceeded
to array himself in the old and badly worn suit
of clothes which had belonged to mis- iather He
had to roll up third OF their length to make it
possible for him to walk in the trousers, and by
drawing the "gall1ses" tight over his shoul-
uers, bringing the belt up under his arms, he
managed 10 keep the seat from impeding the
movements Oh his knees. The coat was alto
made a tight roll OF it, and wrapping it in a
handkerchief, together with the poor food re-
manning III tue cabin, prepared it to swing over
ms shoalder with u stuck as many q forlorn
being has carried all his worldly effects before.
An Old hat completed his outfit. Taking his
small bundle, ana casting II last look about the
squalld room, he went out TO the graves, and
seating himself beside the newly made one, sat
with ms head in his hands, and gave himself up
! to the luxury oi grief.
she had not been model mother that Door
ieVer-burneC shape lying hidden from sight
mere but 10 the best OF her ability and capacity
| she had done her duty as ii seemed clear to her
Pete thought with paug that what she had
said upon her death-bed OF him applied equally
/ io her. Truly they had neither of them had
| much OF chance. He sat there ponderiug
dreariiy of the past and future.
The prospect looked equally dark in either
As the day waned and il grew q bit colder he
/ arose reluctantly and with streaming eyes
! heid all KIN 10 him lie had ever known. With
many u backward glance, which only revealed
| the mounds swimming through his tears, he
followed the little path out TO the cabin, closed
ana fastened It's rickety door, and, swinging his
small bundle over his shoulder, had at las,
turned his lace towards the great world OF which
| he knew so little.
| striking into Il grasS-grown wood road he fol.
| lowed IL until IL merged into one better used
and showing recent wheel-tracks
As ne sat DOWN to rest a moment before en-
terlng upon the new road, he heard swift feet
| approaching behind him, and, turning his head,
| saw W ash, accompanied by Gumbo, hurryIng
I towards him.
| Nash's eyes rolled in astonishment in his
/ head as he perceived the bundle, but were
nnaiiy rlyeted on the pantaloonS and hat, lux
! urles unheard OF for his own tender years,
/ which corresponded with Peters.
| Gumoo viewed them with suspicion and
| snlfied at the turned-up lengths around the
ankles as II To Intimate that he had small re-
spect for any leg gear palpably SO misapplied as
they. W ash broke the silence in an aWe-struck
question:
Ivy WI hsr yo, ,gwine. Peter"