Wichita eagle., 1888-03-09

meddIin woman, that he was going to marty
. rich young lady, the daughter Of q rich
storekeeper in Chattanoogy.
"'Uncle joe she said, q looking at me out
Of pair Of eyes q tender like and innocent
as . new born babes, I don't wantter live in
this troublesome world nuther minute after
be marries; they say it's next Thursday
evening At o'clock: 6o'clock is jest the
tine that the sun goes down behind the hill
yAnder-behind the hill: if he marries
won't be living after it; mark my words
II trembled ali over from head to foot as
she said it, fur in all my born days l never
seed before nor sense SIGH a Unhappy, miser-
able look On a human face; she looked like
her last hope was gone.
Il loved her like she was my own flesh and
blood; an when l seed what the black
hearted scoundrel lad done to make her life
hell to her. was as mad as blazes and my
heart felt like it was being dragged through
5rier patch, bleedin fur her in her
trouble
Il had no idea, however, Of how desperate
she was, really, and how far things had gone,
until afterward, an so kept q hoping that
when the first pain o the disappointment
was over she'd be ali right agin; but there is
where was fooled in her.
II tried mighty hard to git her to stop
cryin' when we was walking back home, but
she kept on and said it wasn't no use, she
didn't want ter live arter he'd deceived her.
Uncle Joe she said, shaking from
head to foot and weepin', yer don't know
it all; can't tell you the worst
Il left her nigh her pap's house, begging
Of her not to take on so, and to drive it from
her mind She never made no promise; she
went on up the little gravel track beswixt
the two rows Of grapevines, staggering like
a drunken pusson, or some one a losln' Of
their mind. Her pretty figure in her gray
dress looked kinder bent and droopin', nothin'
on earth hike what she had been.
Il never seed her to talk to her again; l
thought she's seayin' in ter drive it off from
her mind never once thought of Thurs
day being the day sot for his weddin, not
withstanding she'd said it was; but Thurs
day, about this time Of day, l was a-passing
this identical spot, for the sun had jest gone
out Of sight over there where it's so blood
red in the sky. Now observe first, before l
go any further, the shine On the side of the
rock
He paused and pointed to the monstroUs
cliff. Directly across its rugged surface,
high above our heads near the summit, was
distinctly delineated the shadow of the earths
surface: as the sun, already below the
horizon, sank lower the shadow line mounted
higher, and the sad song OF the whippoorwill
and the deep melodious croak Of the frog in
the river marshes indicated that the queen of
night would soon wrap the great mountain,
the iowly valley and the silently rolling
river in her dusky robe. On past the river,
whose surface mirrowed the red sky, shone
the bright red glare of great last furnace
perhaps two miles away in the suburbs Of the
city
On the river little steamboat, with its
single light in the engine room. sped on
ward, and the deep, long whistle from the
factories in the city noted the death OF day.
Had foreseen the end of the old country
mans narrative the very moisture in vapor
waves that hung among the trees, along the
shadow covered part of the cliff and down to
the waters edge would have suggested ma
lures humid winding sheet; the water worn
hooks and assures in the smooth green rock
at its base would have seemed drear, vine
draped sepulchers, and the weeping willows
the bereaved friends of departed one,
standing IN clusters with dropping branches,
as if unity were consolation
You can see the pint Of the rock now
Uncle Joe continued, palmer than We could
before it begun to git dusky down here,
cause the shines all up there in one spot. Its
a-climbing higher every second, and it won't
be three minutes before it's gone clear off the
face OF the earth.
AS l said before, I was coming along
here, and A-happenins to cast my eyes up
ward, seed a woman a-standing on the fiat
rock tha> sticks out over the edge. 1t was
r / 4 L
the big black straw hat. I would not have
recognized any other pusson 'cept her. She
was as still as post, and the wind WAS
a-fapping her frock powerful, with the sun
a-yleamin' through the soft yaller hair.
''Merciful Maker 1t all came into nv
mind as quick as fash Of lightning re-
nembered what she'd said about THURSDAY
evening and his getting married. knowed,
somehow, that she wasn't there fer nothin';
something told me that she was intending to
take her own life.
Il seed her a-gazing at Cnattanoogy, that
ye kin see from there like pictu-. She was
a-wipin' of her eyes like she was cryin'
1T looks like it might be a mile from here
up there, but the little sun spot like stream
of light a-bustin' through a crack in the floor
of heaven, was around her, and l could see
LIE Sdtl- purity LACE, SollcllIcS mighty ntEn
kvered with the yaller hair the wind was
a-playin' with, almost as distinct as if was
within ten foot Of her.
The DEVILS shadder was a-crawiin' up
entirely faster than l wanted it to, fer /
firmly believed that it was in her mind ter
wall till the sun was sot, an as long as she
could see it it was up.
Il yelled and hoIlered as loud as could,
! Iaf- - ~
it looked like the wind blew it off TO one
side: she didn't turn her head, so l knowed
it wasn't no use tryln' for she couldn't hear
me nor see me way down here in the dark
The spot was getting smaller fast. |
dropped on ter my knees, keepin' nv
eyes on her, and let inter prayin' to the good
Lord to save her.
I've got . prayer I pray regular on
Sundays when I'm axed TO, including mighty
nigh everything in gineral; but It wasn't
them words that came from my cold, trem-
bling lips then
y seed her her q bending over the edge Of
the rock. and a-holdin' her hands firm agin he,
breast, like she was dreadinS OF something
she had to do
The words Of my prayer wasn't a-oonin
out Of ny mouth like . parson would have
said them, but my heart was . Dustin With
fear and misery. and what was said went
a-shootin' up that stone side night TO the great
high throne
Il begun to hope, and sot in ter prayin'
harder and harder, fer she'd give up leokis
over the edge, and WAS a-drasin Of her feet
onsartin like away a. if she'd changed her
mind I never felt sch . feeling of conf
dence in prayer in ny life, and begun
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