The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-03-24

BODY allus hated to set in with him.
They lived poor enough in the little
shanty up the bluff there. don't know
what they'd done if it hadn't been for
Jake's wife, tearin' smart woman,
who took in washin' and did little
SEWN and mendin' for the neighbors,
while Jake was spendin' what money he
got agin the Golden Gate bar.
"They had a little gal, as pooty a lit
tie thing as ever you see, with eyes as
blue as a pool on the top of the noun
tans, and hair that shone like streaks
of bright gold in the rock. Her name
it was Maggie, and at the time I'm
tellin' about she must bin seven
or eight years old She was just as
cute, and pretty and smart as they ever
make EN-, and Jake was mighty proud
of her, as well he might be. Why,
I've seen her come down to the Golden
Gate and take Jake home up the noun
tain when it was so late the stars was be-
ginnin' to fade out o sight before the
sunrise.
Zone night a lot of us was over to the
Golden Gate. was playin' poker with
a Sacramento chap and another Teller 1
didn't know. but who seemed to be a
friend O. his'n. The creek had riz
about three feet that day. and it
looked mighty scary for every
thing in its reach. Cy Parker, who
owned the saw-mill little above, had
been pokin' round with a long pole
pretty much al. day to see how high
she was, and how fast she was risin' ),
and he looked mighty solem, I tell
you. Folks livin' in the houses along
the banks had moved. out, and Just be-
fore dark everybody in town had been
watchin' the bridge, fearin' every in
slant to see it carried away. 1t was
still rainin', and the wind and the
waters were tryin' to see which could
ma de the most noise. We KEEP on a.
playin', me and the Sacramento man
and the other Teller, not carin' for the
flood nor any thing else but the game.
Jake and the other boys, who had got
tired watchin', was snoozing around
the hot stove. 'Magine my feelin's
if you can, when l got hand on the
Sacramento chaps deal with four kings
in it. backed her for all I had, Just as
you'd done, stranger, and the Sacra-
mento chap stayed! But fill me with
buckshot if he didn't show over me
with four pesky aces and scoop in the
pot. That wound up the game for me.
| sat down in a comfortable place by the
stove with a nlght-cap of my regular
gin and water. Daylight was stealin'
in through the the drippin' winders. 1t
was still rainin' and the wind was still
howlin' just about as it is now. All at
once heard somebody calm. What
had imagined before was wild, scared
voice some time l was now sartin about.
Invoke up the boys and we went out to
see what was the matter. 1t was hard to
believe your eyes. The mill was gone,
the bridge was gone. Every house that
stood anywhere near the banks had been
carried away. Trees that were high and
dry before were bendin' their boughs be-
fore the ragin' waters, and the boilin',
tumblin', foamin' creek was tearin'
along full of logs, lumber, drift-wood,
wrecks OF. houses, and every thing you
could think Of. But we didn't stop to
look round much. For there on the
other side o the creek down to the
waters edge was Jake's wife, stand
in in the gray mornin' with
her hands at her chin, clutchin'
and old, faded shawl around her head,
and her dress soakin' wet and switchin'
in the wind. Jake she called. in a
scared, wild voice, is Maggie over
there?' Jake Civ sudden start, turned
pale as a ghost, reeled as if stunned, and
answered back, No. as it was the hard
est word he ever spoke in all his life.
I'll never forget. if 1 lives to be a hun
dred, the shrek of that poor woman as
she fell in heap to the ground.
''Ye see, she'd sent Maggie down to
the Golden Gate to get Jake, fearin' he
might fall into the run if he tried to 90
home alone while full. Every body
thought she must a-ben on the bridge
when it went down the creek. Jake
took on awful. We got up a party Of
us and went sarchin' down both banks
for the poor little girls body. We
didn't find it for purity nigh a week.
The rain had stopped, the sun was
shinin' brighter'n ever and the creek
had gone down agin to where it be-
longed. 1t allus seemed to me as il
that tree down there was claspin' that
poor little dead gal in its arms in kind
o. savin' like way. For, tangled in the
branches of big fallen tree about q
mile down the stream, and partly xiv.
cred up with leaves we found her. II
was purity place. There was a little
clearin near by in the shade of some
big trees that the first birds O
spring was chipperin' round in.
Below was the creek, a
murmurin' as if sorry for what ne had
done. On the other side was the noun,
tains, bristlin' with pine trees that shone
in the sun as if they had been vanished.
There wasn't no graveyard here then,
and Jake, who didn' believe in churches
and regular funerals and such things,
allowed he'd bury her right there in the
little clearin'. One of us went back fol-
Jake's vile, and to TIL the folks who
hadn't heard she'd been found. There
was a preacher in the sarchin' party, q
chap that he'd been tryin' to get up some
religious meetin's in the hall over the
Golden Gate. When every body was
ready he said Il little prayer, and blamed
if what that preacher said about that
poor little dead gal there didn't start the
tears a-Howin' in every body's eyes,
Then Jake, who said as how no one but
hisself should dig that grave, took pick
than one of us had borrowed from a
mine near by. Almost the first lick he
struck Jake stopped sudden, turned
pale. and rubbed his eyes with his fist:
I, Taa1- xryoe N,