Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-06-07
SMANTHY.
Why the Family Take Such Good
Care Of Her Now.

The point which l had reached il
the long, sinuous ascent was as high
as the crests of the range of hills be
yOnd the valley to the westward. Daz'
zlinc shafts of light came straight and
level across the undulating line of
dark-green with which the distant de.
clivities were covered. and l found my
self in the warm glow of summer
sunset.
Three miles away. by the road l had
come. but appearing to lie almost at
nv 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 a melting glacier
rom the far north.
But however its presence may be &C
counted for, there is a very light sprink-
linz of gold dust through the sand
along the ''crick" just at this point,
and a score or more of slow-moving
:..::"n, by close industry and tedious
washing and sitting, continue to main
tain laborieus existence. The reck-
less extravaganza and lucky finds
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 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-
s;.icted bottoms, appeared plain and
white away TO the north. where jut-
ting promontory closed the view. Agri
cSl,ure 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 kcntry than that thar,
stranger?"
The speaker had como down the hill
unnoticed. rs / stood looking at the
wild landscape and the beautiful touches
of color which the sun was laying. with
lavish generosity, upon the highest of
tho dark. uplifted masses opposite me.
at surely is a sight worth coming far
to see." was my scarcely candid reply.
Yes SIR" he continued. taking the
words for the highest praise; when
CATER Pauley an me left Carliny. we
never lowed we'd find sich kentry as
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 the diggins'. That's
Caters corn-patch over wander. an
that smoke riSin' up behind them trees
is from his cabin. l low Smanthy's
Sit:in' supper"
lis Samantha Mr. Pauley's wife,"
"Who? U. yes, Smanthy-ye>, she's
Cajer's wife. | reckon 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 Cajer, fer he alluz said he didn't
keer whether the leaves on the trees az
green er blue, eff he could raise n crap
o corn to suit him; an eff the rocks
wanted to be big an have moss on 'em,
an little cracks o water a-tumblin'
down over EN-, he lowed it made no
difference to him so they wuzn't in the
way o workin' his claim.
But ez l 'uz a-saria'. Smanthv
wuzn't like CATER She 'uz almz a-talk-
in about the hills a-bein' so purity an
green in The spring o the year. an
she'd nigh Almost take tit about lit
tie spring o clear ike water a runnin'
over the rocks er tricklin' out from I'M
der the roots o tree. Seemed like
she 'uz sort o weakly. too, an not pert
an rugged like Cajer's side o the fam
bly,. Many time I've seed her 60
down to the spring below them trees
You see over thar whar the smoke is,
an set down on i rock an jes' set an
look up hyar ut this hill without sayin'
word fer sometimes half an hour, in
the evcnin' when the sun 'uz a-shinin'
on the top. the way it is now. an ever
thin down yander in the hnller 'uz still
an sort o dark like. She set heap
O. store by flowers. too, an when the
johnny -jwnp-ups an dandylions begun
to come out an the weather 'uz a-git-
tin warm she'd go up in the woods an
gether all she could carry.
''Caier, he used to low sometimes
that Smanthy ort to be a-doin' some
thin to help take keer o the children.
stead o. traipSin around the timber;
but she'd only sort o smile like, an
say the best part O. Der life 'ud be
a-lack:n' ef she couldn't see the purity
things that uz so common ever where's.
well, one day, about fifteen years
ago, Cajer'd gone down to the diggin's
to get grist O. corn ground fer to