Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-12-21

I "PoPPY's SICK" SAID THE LITTLE BOY.
the floor instead of upon the griddle in his
surprise, IAN his widder an de little chill
len am at de do wild de corpse. Sho, sho,
now, dat am awful 'scouraging.n
"Shet up, yer black ynwp an get 'em
something to cat" said one of the men,
roughly; "they must be clean tuckered
out"
The rough. toil-worn hands of the
miners helped the widow from the wagon
us reverentially as if she had been prin-
cess, and the children were taken to warm
| hearts and tenderly cared for, while the
I fathers cold form was prepared for burial
| in another shanty-the one which Dan
Voorhees, has so recently scrubbed, little
thinking for whose reception he was max
ing it clean
Three days after the funeral the widow
was waited on by deputation from the
camp. 'We wanted to usk ye ma'am
what We was goln' ter do" said the
spokesman, touching his bearskin cap re-
spectfully.
"Indeed, sirs, do not know, replied
the widow. She had shed all her tears
and could speak of her trouble with dry
eyes "All have is here, and winter is
coming on"
"Thet's what we was thinkin',
ma am" said Dan Voorhees,, eagerly, ian
q hopin' you would consent to stay at the
camp. We're rougi set o. men, ma'am,
but you can feel jest as safe weth us as eff
yer own mother was a rockin' ye. Eff
AIRY man says word o. sass to ye we'll
run him out o. camp at the pint of a shot
gum"
But what can / do for support" fall
tered the widow. She had been tenderly
brought up, and the idea of spending the
winter with these rough men was appall.
ing, deprived of tho protecting presence of
her husband.
"We've wrastled it all out for ye," re-
piled sam Collins. aye see, we'd all on
us calkylated pile on hevin' Brad's
woman an kids among US, an we're al
sort o. ratified like at benz disappointed,
an we're willin to do the square thing
by ye.
"Brad's claim amt pannin' out great,
but it's enough to make ye comfortable, an
well all chip in and do our share toward
workin' 1t, and pay over the proceeds to We
Jest as regular as if he war here Dan'n
give up his shanty, an we want ter make
ye jest ez happy an comfortable as we
can, for we sot heap o. store by Brad.n
The Widows lip quivered; the kindness
of these strangers touched her deeply, and
she replied in a trembling voice: "And
what am going to do to repay you gentle.
men for all this unexpected kindnessln
She used the word adyisably, for in her
estimation they were gentlemen of the
truest sort
THAT'S all right. Don't you worrt
about payin' ma'am. We're a sorter rough
set an we need woman around to kinder
pare us down, an eff you'll sing us song
onct in awhile-Brad said you was a mas.
ter hand to sing-an' lot US hev the kids ter
love cuddle little, We'll call it squar
We've all on us had homes an 1t comes
rough on us, this kind % life year in an
year out, an If you'll live among us an
make home fur us ter kinder look at, as
'twere, we shell feel well paid"
She couldn't refuse such request com
ing us it did from those who had been
her husbands friends and companions for
the two years past, and SO 1t was settled
and the few things she had brought with
her were moved into Dan Voorhees, shanty,
and with her woman's skill she made
such homelike place of 1t that Bradley
would have thought it an earthly paradise
could he have lived to see it.
The children took to the kindly miners
wonderfully, and Willie and golden-haired
Katie were as contented as kittens when
Sam Collins or Dick Gowdy entertained
them with stories or yarns" us they
called them, of their earlier days, or whit
tied out the curious wooden toys which
they were experts in fashioning.
Baby Nellis preference was for Black
Wash, and IL was no uncommon sight TO
see her little pink hood peeping up over
his battered old hat, as she perched on
his shoulder, her chubby arms clinging
close around his neck as he went to the
spring for water or out to the timber tor
faggots for his culinary operations.
Burt Macomber had an old violin which
had dscen its best days, and he often brought
1t over to the Widows cabin, and as he
was quite creditablo performer, many an
evening which would otherwise have been
spent in drinking and dice playing was
whiled away in listening to the squeaky
fiddle aud the Widows really fine voice, us
she sang church music and the Gospel
hymns which had been sung in her Illinois
home until they were old and threadbare,
but which were entirely new in the mount
aims
81 tell you, boys, that air tears me all ter
pieces" said Dick Gowdy. as Mrs. Newell
sang The Ninety and Nine to her audi
encei ther haint no shepherd goin' ter
do very much huntin fer us ef we don't
take better keer of ourselves and il was
noticeable that he left off swearing for
nearly week, and in many ways the pres
ence of the little family, SO helpless in
their bereavement, was refining and soft
eDing influence
"sho, now, fellahs, Christmas am comm
in about TO- weeks" said Wash Jackson,
as he was lighting the evening lamps,
I'D clean done fo'got till dat ar little |
Katie war tellin' whatter fine Christmas
tree dey had las yeah Tell you it mus
be mighty dull TO- dem chillens up heah, |
wild nottin' but us grown folkses ter muse |