The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-08-04
SMANTHY.
Why the Family Take Such Good
Care Of Her Now.

che long, sinuous ascent was as nigh
rs the crests of the range of hills be-
yond the valley to the westward. Daz-
cling shafts of light came straight and
level across the undulating line OF
dark-green with which the distant de-
clivities were covered. and found my
self in the warm glow of summer
sunset.
Three miles away. by the road had
come. but appearing to lie almost at
my feet down in the valley Of Salt
Creek. was Georgetown. the only
village in Indiana populated by gold
miners. Nor are they miners. IN a
strict use of the term, as their labor
consists only of washing the yellow
dust from the beds of sand along the
creek, where. according to one Of those
wonderful stories which geologists tell.
it was dropped by melting glacier
from the far north.
But however its presence may be &C
counted for. there is very light sprink-
ling Of gold dust through the sand
along the "crick" just at this point,
and a score or more of slow-moving
men, by close industry and tedious
washing and sitting. continue to main
tain laborious existence. The reck-
less extravaganza and lucky ''fnds"
which have been associated with the
richer mining of our Western States are
lacking here, and there is simply. and
without exception, heavy labor with Its
meager returns. Even the unkempt
farmer who tends his ''craps" along
the rocky hillsides Of the surrounding
country has a better opportunity to
wrest competency from the soil than
has the "gold-digger."
As stood half way up the ragged
brush-grown hill. the valley below was
in shade, and the windings of the
.'crick," from bluff to bluff of its re-
stricted bottoms. appeared plain and
white away to the north. where jut-
ting promontory closed the view. Agri-
culture has made light inroads on the
heavy growth of timber which hides
the angles and ravines of the earth's
warm bosom. Here and there an irreg-
ular "claim." inclosed by rude brush
fence. showed an ugly patch on the
green mantle.
Il reckin you don't see many likelier
sections O. kentry than that thar,
stranger?''
The speaker had come down the hill
unnoticed. as / stood looking at the
wild landscape and the beautiful touches
of color which the sun was laying, with
lavish generosity, upon the highest Of
the dark, uplifted masses opposite me.
ut surely is sight worth coming far
to see." was my scarcely candid reply.
YES SIR" he continued, taking the
words for the highest praise; '.when
CATER Paulsy an me left Carliny. we
never lowed we'd find SIGH kentry Is
this hyar un. That 'uz nigh onto
twenty-five year ago. an reckin I'll
die an be berried in the graveyard
down thar at tho diggins'. That's
Cajer's corn-patch over wander. an
that smoke risin' up behind them trees
is from his cabin. ! low Smanthy' s
gittin' supper"
us Samantha Mr.. Pauley's wifea'
"Whoe y. yes. Smanthy-yes. she's
Cajer's wife. I reckon you 'uz never
In these parts much. stranger. err you'd
heered about Smsnthy. You see II
'uz this hyar way with her; she wuzn't
like Cajer, fer he alluz said he didn't
keer whether the leaves on the trees 'uz
green er blue, eff he could raise crap
O. corn to suit him; an Of the rocks
wanted to be big an have moss on 'em.
an little cracks o. water a-tumblin'
down over 'cm. he lowed it made nc
difference to him SO they wuzn't in the
way o workin' his claim.
But ez l 'uz a-sayin', Smanthy
wuzn't like CATER. She 'ux alluz a-talk-
in about the hills a-bein' 50 purity an
green in the spring O. the year. an
she'd nigh Almost take fit about lit.
tie spring O. clear like water runnin'
over the rocks err tricklin' out from I'M
der the roots o. tree. Seemed LIKE
she 'uz sort o. weakly, too. an not per,
an rugged like Cajer's side O. the fam
bly,. Many time I've seed her e
down to the spring below them tree.
you see over thar whar the smoke is
an set down on rock an jes' set an
look up hyar at this hill without sayin
. word fer sometimes half an hour, il
the evenin' when the sun 'uz a-shinin
on the top. the way IL Is now. an ever
thin down yander in tho holler 'us still
an sort o. dark like. She set heal
d store By aowsrA Too, an when t.