Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-13
SMANTHY.

The point which had reached in the
long, sinuous ascent was as high as the
crests of the range of hills beyond the
valley to the westward. Dazzling shafts
of light came straight and level across
the undulating line of dark green with
which the distant deelivities were COW
cred, and found myself in the warm
glow of a summer sunset.
Three miles away, by the road 1 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
yellow dust from the beds Of sand along
those wonderful stories which biologists
tell, if was dropped by melting glacier
from the far north.
But, however its presence may be ac-
counted for, there is a 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 in
dustry and tedious washing and sitting,
continue to maintain q iaborioUs exist
ence. The reckless 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 un-
kernpt farmer who tends his t'craps"
along the rocky hillsides of the surround
ing country has better opportunity to
wrest competency from the soil than
has the 'tgold digger"
As I stood half way up the ragged
brush grown hill, the valley below was in
shadow, and the windings of the "crick,"
from bluff to bluff Of its restricted bot
toms, appeared plain and white away to
the north, where a jutting promontory
closed the view. Agriculture has made
light inroads on the heavy growth of tim
Der which hides the angles and ravines of
the earth's warm bosom. Here and there
an irregular "claim," inclosed by rude
brush fence, showed like an ugly patch
on the green mantle.
II reckin you don't see many likelier
sections o kentry than that thar, stran-
ger2"
The speaker had come down the hill un-
noticed. as | stood looking at the wild
landscape and the beautiful touches Of
color which the sun was laying, with law
ish generosity, upon the highest of the
dark, uphfted masses opposite me.
1T surely is sight worth coming far
to see" was my scarcely candid reply.
Eyes, SIR" he continued, taking the
words for the highest praise; "when Cajer
Pauley an me left Carliny we never lowed
we'd find SIGH kentry as this hyar IN.
That 'uz nigh onto twenty-five year ago,
an Ireckin I'll die an be berried in the
graveyard down thar at the diggins.
That's Cajer's corn patch over yander, an
that smoke risin' up behind them trees is
from his cabin. I low Smanthy's gittin'
supper"
"Who7 Oh, yes, Smanthy-yes, she's
Cajers wife. I reckin you 'uz never in
these parts much, stranger, er you'd
heered about Smanthy. You see it 'uz
this hyar way with her: she wuzn't Like
Caier, fer he alluZ said he didn't keer
whether the leaves on the trees 'uz green
er blue, eff he could raise a crap O. corn to
suit him; an eff the rocks wanted to be
big an have moss on 'em, an little criclls
o. water a tumbhn' down over 'em, he
lowed it made no difference to him so
they wuzn't in the way O. werkm' his
claim
But, ez uz sayin', Sranthy wuzn't
like Cajer. She 'uz allUz talkin' about
the hills bein' so purity an green in the
spring O. the year, an she'd nigh Almost
take fit about little spring O clear like
water runnin' over the rocks er tricklin'
out from under the roots o. tree. Seemed
like she 'uz sort o. weakly, too, an not
peart an rugged like Caters side O. the
family. Many time I've seed her go
down to the spring below them trees you
see over thar whar the smoke is, an set
down on rock an jest set an look up
hyar at this hill without sayin' wosd fer
sometimes half an hour, IN the eventn'
when the sun uz a-shinin ON the top, the
way it is now, an erer'thin' down yander
in the boiler 'uz still en- sort O. dark like.
She set heap o. store by flowers, too, an
when the johnny jump-upa an dandylions
begun to come out an the weather uz
gittin' warm she'd 60 up in the woods an
gether all she could carry.
''Csjer, he used to low sometimes that
Smanthy ort TO be a-doin' somethin' TO
help take keer O. the children, stead o
only sort O. smile like, an say the best
part O. her life nd be a-lackin' ef she
couldn't see the purity things that 'uz so
common everwheres.
well, one day, about fifteen year ago,
grist O. corn ground fer to make corn
bread, an Smanthy got the cabin redied
up an went up the hin behind the truck
patch an into the woods, TO look fer flow
ers an to see what the children 'uz a-do-
In. When she got up thar about forty
rod, she could smell somethin' Albumin,
an purity soon she heerd the children
a-screaInin' like bein' killed. She run up
the hill through the bushes an turned
around the pint of a sort o. offshoot O the
bluff, an then she seed what 'uz the mat
ter. They had made fac in the leaves
that laid on the ground thick over winter,
an 1t had spread out and got clean
around EN-, an when Smanthy see EN-, it
Iz Albumin tur'ble fierce an gettin'
rloster to EN- 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 |
EN- clost agin her breast an bent her head |
down over EN- bike, an run out TO safe I
place. Then, without stoppin' to take /
breath, she run back agin-fer the fire .
'uz s-drorin' up into mighty small ring /
BY that time-an' grabbin' the other one /
o the children up, she hinged 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 /
'us burnt tifst bad, en- seemed like she /
couldn't see very well, fer she KEEP q
stumblin' an asl1in' the oldes' gal which !
way to go.
Along N the evenm,. Ualer, no cunI.
home, an went in the cabin hungry as q
houn'; but supper wuzn't ready, not even \
q FIRE burnin' In the stove. He 'uz power.
full vexed, on axed whar Smanthy wuz.