Wichita eagle., 1888-02-23
ties of Mr.. Jonas Rankin, ana 80 couro

ties Of Mr.. Jonas Rankin, ana so could
make no guess at all
s'The Tree of Death was the next thing"
she said with such an intensity of utter
ance that we stopped the laugh that rose
to our lips and waited with what patience
we might.
eyes" she went on. "It belonged to
his first wife, she that was Lincoln, and
he said they used to have it in their parlor.
This he told me when we were first mar
ried. He gave it to his son, who lives
under the first cliff ON the shore, you
know. One day Mr.. Rankin come in
with q large fiat parcel under his
arm. He took of the wrappings, and
said he guessed we'd have that In the sit
ting room now Then he hung up the
thing in q place where you'd see 1t, and
nothing else, if you were anywhere in the
room l begged him not to have 1t there.
There was nothing in the world hated 20
much. Did you ever see ones"
No, we never had seen ono. cts .
tall, black, dead looking tree, with hor-
rible picture Of the devil tramping about
the roots with q watering pot, from which
great streams Of water are running. The
devil has cloven feet, horns, and tail
with prong to It, He is grinning be-
cause the tree is so fiourishing For fruit
there are great black balls, and in each
ball is printed the name Of some sin, such
as lying, theft, lust, covetousness, and
other sins which need not mention. This
picture was In q frame of wood painted .
light blue with gilt sprigs on it. What do
you think, that man was bound to have
the picture hung there. He said the sight
of it was wholesome for frivolous souls.
told him that If we had ever been frivo-
lous, it had all been taken out Of Us long
ago. He said he guessed it had better
hang there. And I knew it was settled.
found out afterward that Johns little
girl-John is Mr.. Rankin's son-had had
fits just from looking at the Tree OF
Death. could believe that well enough,
for the child was nervous, fanciful
thing. She was frightened almost out OF
her senses. She couldn't keep away from
the picture either, and used to steal into
the room where it was and stand and look
at it. Finally her mother found it out.
Lily threw herself into her mothers arms
one day and said that the devil was wa
tering the sins in her heart, and soon they
would be as big as those black balls.
Then she had kind Of convulsion. That
picture came down double quick The
doctor said that child would be crazy il
she were left to have such notions.
"Do you think was goin' ter hev that
blarsted thing there for me ter stare at 1!
No, that was the last straw. told Mr..
Rankin it was the last straw. want q
goin' to keep house for him no more. He
tried to argue the point. / told him he
might save his breath. The house hap
pened to be mine. 1 told him he might
take his traps and go. He had jest about
enough interest money to git his victuals
and clothes if he lived by himself. Jest
keep yer interest," says 1. You jest row
your own boat and I'll row mine l
guess there want no love lost atween us.
He took his things, or ruther his fust
wife's things, N went an bought an old
schoOlhouse that the town amt had
no use for this dozen years. He paid $50
for it. He's lived there ever sence; be
seven years next spring. I do some
washin' and some slop work, and pick
some huckleberries. 1 git long. l amt
got no Tree of Death in my house, nor no.
body that wears slippers that click on the
oilcloth. do Mr.. Rankin's washing and
for it. l send the clothes back by the
baker every fortnit, and the grocery man
brings 'em. don't see Mr. Rankin from
years enc to years end, and don't want
to. His son and + are on good terms.
John is good fellow. like him and
naturally there's great sympathy between
his family and me on the subject of that
picture Johns wife has been so far as
to say that she didn't blame no woman for
not livin' with no man who wanted to put
the Tree of Death under her nose all the
time.
"Of course I'm lonesome once In q
while. I often think, if my son had lived,
'twould have been different
Mrs. Rankin became silent. Her deep
set eyes seemed to look more sunken than
ever She reused herself.
'Oh, yes" she said, II git long
New York Tribune.