Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-28
count of her neurology having struck to

GU went To the theatre Win CDarley
Scattergood cries like that
81 amt that bound to you not to go
with who please" she says, "nor won't
be in a hurry neither"
Ma'am they seem little things to get be- |
tween a man and the girl ne liked. Don't
think they ever did seem so small as they
do now come to tell em. IL it had been |
a big thing, I'd have known what to do
with it-somethng like runaway horse, !
or an avalanche, or a fellow | could have
hit, or something like that. But it wasn't
nothing but that little thng-the way a
girls mind worked. Pm a big fellow
you see but all my muscle wasn't good
for that against that strange, small,
pretty creature in the working of her mind.
| could have carried her in in these here
arms from Boston 20 San Francisco: |
conld have climbed to the top of a seventy.
five foot telegraph pole with her and held
her there in a thunder storm-but there
set like a baby on the sofy, beaten by the
working of her mind.
got my hat and left. There wasn't
nothing else to do. | got my hat and
cleared and out into the street and there |
| was mortal hurt. | went from mad TO
hurt and back again from hurt to mad
like [ should die for it, Pm slow man
in my temper, but when it's up, take 1t
ont; same way with my teelin's-she'dh urt
my feelln's. She never hurt me that way
She had her little tantrums and little ways
with me but she never got my feellns
like they was that night.
Now I'll tell you. Whilst | was walk
ing up and down outside and raging to
myself, saw a man come up and ring her
door-bell. He come quite sudden to my
SIGHT for there was a street light opposite
her door, and he come flash beneath it all
to once. He was rugged up in all his sun
day close and he had blarsted curly hair,
and he was handsome fellow, and |
didn't need no splrtooal mejum to tell
me it was Charley Scattergood. Worse
take him
She come to the door herself. She did.
She wasn't taking care of of no step-baby.
She had her things on, and her little nat
set sdewise on her short hair, and she
wore 4 little green gown, she had, her sun
day gown with fiXin's on it made of fur or
feathers, and there she stands, for she
seemed to be going somewheres, ana
heard him say
"Hilloa, Nan for he dih. he called
her Nan. But | had always called her
Annie. She never put her hat on the SIDE
of her head for me. She never stood that
way, with her hand against her-that
| silly little boyish way-wth me- She'd
been all girl to me. But she says
"Hilloa Charley.' just rs II she'd been
another fellow: and she laughs ana mods
at ham and for all it was 50 silly, she
| looked so pretty, and her dimple looked
So standing there, | could have killed
! him.
But, ma'am, when she come to shut the
| door, and he went in and | see him IN the
front entry against the entry light, | saw
him reelin in beside her and said Hes
drunk"
Well She didn't go anywhere with
| him. tor watched to see maybe she had
the sense to make out his condition; may
be her father wouldn't let her-for knew
her father was to home and would look
after her-and so | come away.
come away, and home come acrost the
ferry, and looked up at the stars, for il
was such pleasant night, and I'd been sc
happy coming overland went from hur'
to mad, and | went from mad to mad
and then ! went from mad to terro
lest he should get her after all. And
cursed him for could have killed him
| cursed him on that ferry, all the way.
| seemed to say to him
Charley Scattergood, you've got my
girl. She amt your girl She's mine
You amt At to have her. Let her be
III fling you overheard Let us be !"
For 1t seemed as if he was on deck be
side me, and felt about in the dark as il
I'd got him. And flung my arms across
the railing as if it was | flung him over
And looked down as if see him gOinl
under And watched the paddle-whee
as if it draw awed him in. But | cursed
him for | bated him.
think l had sort of fever in IN.
brain for never wanted to kill a crea
ture before in all my days. If it was
kitten or yellow pup, or If 1t was an ole
hen, | didn't like to do it. But, ma'am
J could have wrung his neck, or could hav'
stomped on him, or if I'd seen him undo
locomotive injine | wouldn't have cared
| hated Charley ScatterSood. | wanted
him to die. | went from mad to murde
in my heart upon the ferry boat, 50 he'll
me God.
Ma'am, where do you think them thing
, come from, plumb, into mans soul
, If he was steady man and tried to do hi
r dooty, and liked his fellow creatures ant
had gentle thoughts like other folks ant
| never wished no harm to no man. Seem
! as If it WdS II brain fever-when you low
a girl. Seems as If you lrdS mad maj
| if it is a girl, Seems as if it amt yol
that love her; it's IA devil or an ange
loves her and he angels you or devils yol
and there you be
7 Well. He wasn't on the ferry-boat
He was setting there beside of her in he
fathers sitting room. Drunk. And cal
ing of her Nan
e So | didn't murder him, for 1t WASH
} handy and / went home, for my siste
that was Il wilder lady made me SOM
| catnp tea and give it to the cat and so
. went to bed. and went TO sleep But
give the thedytre tickets to a horse ca
t had IA girl that squinted. 1t seemed pit
to waste EN-.
+ Now that night there come u storm.
+ was Il sleet storm. I'll tell you about it
I 1t sleeted like the Evil all that night
and come morning if you was to look out
: twas like looking on world OF ice tina
) made YOU think of creature frozen dead
g like it was the corpse of a world 1t wa
e the worst sleet-storm we had that VIII
d ter, for had a reason to remember.
said I'd tell you what trouble ma
is. He's one of them detailed to pick on
trouble-that's the way the name come t
. be given to US. The telephone business
: a mighty accidental business; somethin
!. happens all the time. First you kno'
I your lines won't work. Maybe you sent
message aud it sticks somewheres. IL
the trouble men that have to find on
:. where's. They keep us for that purpos,
4 That's our job. 1t amt an easy jot
s Wneresomever and howsomever tina
d lines out of killer, from Boston to Cal
!. fornia, that's our business TO find out
Il Maybe it's broke by wind maybe it Civ
n way under the ice or it's beaten down b
70 or hy inb mi IL