The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-05-19

SAcB0stVA RS0AOA SCA A1y VI SANAA~AA han on my heart. Why did l on CT sudden lean ergin CT tree2 Becaze heard her voice. I went inter de church an ez I walked wid bowed head toward de pulpit I heard some- body whisper "He's been in de woods ter pray" did not look up but knowed who it wuz dat whis- pered, for my heart felt de tech O de tremblin' han. preached dat night de best l could, an it seemed dat l made my hearers feel some O my own sadness, fur wen I called fur de stricken in heart ter come up ter de mothers bench, mo- come forward den had eber come befo' under de 'fu- ence O my callin'. We stayed late in de church dat night. Nearly all de mou'ners, habin' wuck ter do de naixt day, had dun left de house wen I no- ticed one po' feller whose heart, it 'peared like, wuz almos' broke. He lay flat on de fio' an groaned like he suffered great pain. I went ter him, raised him up am hil' his head on my knee. De congregation thinned out, one by one. leaned over an talked ter de po' man. Lookin' up l seed dat Frances wuz kneelin, wid us.
 "Lady-sister Frances" said, "it's time dat you wuz goin' home. De can'les is all burned away an de lamps is goin' out"
 q will stay sn' hep you poor de balm on dis pol sinner" she replied.
 "I didn say no mo- but wen mo- den CT hour afterwards de sinner got up ter go says ter her:
 "Sister Frances, if you ain't got no jections, Pll walk home wid you."
 She smiled-de same smile dat 1 had seed twixt me an de worm-eat head boa'd O de grave-an' said dat she would be pleased fur me ter company her. I doan know what I said ter her ez we walked erlong, but know dat wen we got ter de little gate il front O de cabin war her folks libed, she wuz leanin' on my arm. De moon had gone down, an de flutterin' in de trees in de yard told me dat de Elawnin' birds wuz fixin' ter begin dar twit- terin'.
 "Brudder Summers" said de lady ez wuz erbout ter bid her good bye, ''dar pears ter be sunthin' on yo' mine"
 "Not only on my mine, Sister Frances, but dar is sunthin' on my heart"
 wuz goin' ter turn erway alter dis, but she put her han on my arm de same tremblin' han dat had teched my heart-an' said:
 "Tell me 'bout yo' troubles. Tell me whut is lyin' on yo' heart"
 "Er tremblin' han, lady,"
 "Does you know dat it is CT han'?"
 "Yas, fur keen see it in de light O Ter bright smile."
 "Is de ham cold?"
 "No, lady"
 "Is it ez wa'm ez mine?" she said, ez she put her han in my own fever like grasp. De naixt mint my arm wuz around her. De mawnin' birds twit- tered in de trees, light gunter wink ercross de bottoms, an dar, ez de gold O de day wuz chasin' de feetin' silver O de dawn, faxed her ter be my wife.
 CHAPTER II.
 We wuz married. I tuck her ter my cabin an bright light fell on my hearthstone. She wanted ter hep me Tn my work O 'swadin' folks ter do right. "I know," she said, "dat folks all erround us will be maxim mo- money den we is, but money doan water de flowers O de heart, nur broaden de 'joyment dat comes ter de soul" 1 dubbed her deeper alter she said dat, fur I seed dat her natur want vain nur her heart set upon de flesh pots O de world.
 Two years passed erway-two O de happies' years O my life. One day dar wuz some bills stuck up 'nouncin' dat Andrew Hennifen, CT colored poli- tician dat libbed in town, would on de naixt Friday make CT speech ter de folks. Er campaign wuz on ham an gre't intrus' wuz felt in de outcome Wen de day come de weather wuz so showery dat da couldn hoP de meetin' out dos, 80 some O de men come ter me an axed me ef da mout meet in de church. I didn' much think dat it wuz de right sort CT meetin' ter be he.' in de house O de Lawd, but seein' dat da wuz all so anxious, tole em dat da mout. Den da axed me ter go ober an lissen ter de gre't speech wut de generman wuz gwine ter make. I didn' like de idee O settin' in my own church and lissenin' ter de skussion O de erfairs O de worp. Den Frances spoke up:
 "W'y, Dave," she said, "if we are gwine ter lib in de worl' we mus take some intrus' in de erfairs O de worp. Elf de man had got anything wuth yearin', doan see wy we aughtenter go an lissen ter him. Elf we finds dat wut he says ain't fit fer us, wy den we ken come erway0