Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-06-07

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woods, to look fer flowers an to see
what the children 'uz a-doin'. When she
got Up thar about forty rod. she could
smell somethin' Albumin. an purity
soon she heerd the children a-screamin'
like bein' killed. She ran up the hill
through the bushes an turned around
the pint of sort o off shoot of the
bluff, an then she seed what 'uz the
matter. They had made fire in the
leaves that laid on the ground thick
over winter, an it had spread out an
got clean around EN-. an when
Smanthy see EN-. it 'uZ a-burnin'
tur' BILE fierce an gettin' closter to 'em
ever mint. She never stopped her
runnin'. but jes' went tearin' right
through them blazes ten foot high, an
grabbed the two youngest an held 'em
clost agin her breast an bent her head
down over 'em like. an run out to a
safe place. Then, without stoppin' to
take breath. she run back agin-fer
the fire w a-drorin' up into a mighty
small ring by that time-an' grabbin'
the other one o. the children up, she
Rugged it clost, an sort o wrapped
her dress around its head, an then run
out with it.
when they started down to the
cabin. Smanthy made the children lead
her, she 'uz burnt that bad, an seemed
| like she couldn't see very well, fer she
KEEP a-stumblin' an askin' the oldes'
gal which way TO go.
Along i'll the evenin'. Cajer, he
come home. an went in the cabin
hungry as a houn'; but supper wuzn't
ready, not even fire burning in the
stove. He 'uz powerful vexed. an
axed where Smanthy WIZ. The chill
dren said she 'uz a-settin' down to the
spring. He up and went a-tearin'
down thar. purity mad. an thar she set
on the rock. a-cryin' soft, an tryin' to
! look up hyar at the sun a-shinin' on
the top o this hill. She heerd him
a-comin'. an seq she, kind O. quiet
like. afore ne could open his mouth:
'Cajer.' says she, I'm that burnt that
I'm blind, an can't see the sunshine
mr. the flowers mr. the children no
more An then she bust out cryin'
like she'd die.
''Cajer went back to the diggin's an
got the doctor. an he tended on her
for nigh onto six months. Her face
'uz allus kind o. smooth-like an white,
an her eyes 'uz blue an big an looked
plumb through Teller, afore that; her
hair 'uz sort O crinkly. too. like the
shaller water in the crick whar it runs
swift; bu: when she got well. they 'uz
bic scars all over her face. an her hair
'uz ez stiff an straight ez wire, I'M the
wust thing 'uz that she 'uz that blind
that she couldn't tell whether it 'uz
day or night.
After that it seemed like she 'uz sort
of stupid. an nothin' Cajer mr. any o
the neighbors could do 'ud make her
chirk up. She jes' set there quiet. an
never said nothin' hardly, an every
day when the sun 'uz a-shinin' she'd
have one o. the children lead her down
IT, the rock by the spring, an then
she'd turn her face up lords this hill
like she 'uz a-tryin' to see the yeller
light on the trees an rocks up hyar.
Il reckin her a-grievin' an sor-
rowin' that way sort o changed her.
fer she got to be like child agin. The
children 'uz :-growin' up. an they set
a heap o store by Their nanny, recol-
lectin' how her suferin' all come from
her saviu' them; an Cajer, too. seemed
like he 'uz a-tryin' to make up fer bein'
contrary sometimes afore she w hurt.
Yes, they take mighty good keer o
Smanthy now, an she seems kind o.
happy an les like a little gal.
That's why l said while ago that
l lowed Smanthy 'uz a-gettin' supper.
She thinks nothin' nd be done eff it
warn't fer her. an the rest o 'em they
don't say nothin' to contrary her. She
scrapes the ta:ers, an strings the beans,
an ever thin o that kind. an then
after she gifts done one o. the children
takes 'em an goes away whar she can't
hear. an fixes them all over agin, fer
not bein' able to see. she can't do it
right. When they git done eatin,' moth
in III do but she must have a rag an
dry the dishes, and then one o the gals
wipes 'em agin. 1t makes felier feel
kind o Gurus in the throat to see CATER
huntin' around in the woods fer flowers
fer Smanthy to hold in her hand an
smell of, cause he don't keer nothin'
for sech things. an 'ul heap ruther
be a-workin' in the clarin'. Yes. the
family is mighty good to Smanthy; but
l low. eff she hadn't a-ben good to
them, it's them. an not her, as nd be
a-settin' around to be waited on-ef
they 'uz alvin at all.
You must be. a-goin', must you?
Yes. it is a-gettin' quite late. an eff
you're amin to Git to Nashville to-
night, You won't have much time to
spare. Good-evenin'; that: my cabin
you'll 20 by, up thar on the right hand |
Of the road.
20. say, stranger! Look down, thar.
jes' a leetle to the left o that bunch |
o timber. Do you see somethin' white
an small-iike, thar? Well. that's |
she comes thar ever evenin'
when it's gettin' sort o dark down in
the boiler, an looks up lords the sun
on the top o this hill. LES
hes illustrated Newspaper.
Odd Facts About Gun-Cotton.
When gun-cotton or other high ex.