Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1888-07-07
SMANTIIY.

valley to tho westward. Dazzling shafts
Of light came straight and level across
tho undulating limo Of dark green with
which tho distant declivitics were coy
cred, and found mseclf In tho wnr
| glow Of summer sunset.
/ Threo miles away. by the road
come. but appearing TO lie almost ~ -!
feet down In the valley Of Salt creeN: was
Georgetown. tho only villsc->d Indiana
populated by gold mipr .-s<or arc they
miners, In O strict >I6f tho term. rs
| their labor cor-' ,,s6nly Of washing the
yellow dust sTfhe beds Of sand along
the creek sSherc. according 70 one Of
those W. 3rful stories which gcologists
tell. ~ dropped by melting glacier
FROM ,lS far north.
~. however Its presence may be nc.
Ated for. there Is very light sprink.
~ Of gold dust through tho sand along
,,(ic "crick" just at this point. and score
I or moro Of slow moving men. by close In
dustry and tedious washing and sitting.
continue TO maintain o laborious exist
cncc. The reckless extravaganza and
lucky ''finds" which have been associated
with tho richer mining Of our western
states arc lacking hero. and there Is
Mslmply and without exception heavy labor
Mi It's mcagcr returns. Even the Gn
Msat farmer who tends his craps"
aloiis Me rocky hillsides Of the surround
Ing co,ptry has better opportunity to
wrcst a>compctcncy from the soil than
has tho 'i,Npld digger"
brush grown hill. tho valley below was In
shadow. and the windjngs Of the "crick. =
from bluff to bluff Of It's restricted bot
toms. appeared plain and whitc away 90
tho north. where jutting promontory
closed tho view. Agriculture has made
light inroads on the heavy growth Of tim
Der which hides the angles and ravincs Of
the earth's warm bosom. Here and there
an irregular "claim." inclosed by rude
brush fence. showed like an ugly patch
OH the green mantle.
Il reckin you don't see many lkclicr
sections o kentry than that thar. stran.
gcrg''
The speaker had como down the hill un.
noticed, rs l stood looking at the wild
landscape and the beautiful touches Of
color which tho sun was laying. with lav.
ish generosity, upon tho highest Of the
dark, uplifted masses opposite me.
"lt surely Is sight worth coming far
to scc," was my scarcely candid reply.
YES. SIR" he continued. taking the
words for the highest praise: "whcn Cajrr
Paulcy an me left Carliny VIC never lowed
we'd find sich kentry as this hyar nm.
That 'uz nigh onto twenty-five year ago.
an reckin I'll die an bc bcrried In the
graveyard down thar at the diggins.
That's Cajcr's corn patch over yandcr. an
that smoke risin' mp behind them frees Is
from his cabin. Tow Smanthy's gitiin'
lis Samantha Mr.. Paulcys wife!'
"Who! Oh. yes. Smanthy-ycs. she's
Cajcr's wife. | reckin you 'uz never In
these parts much, stranger. or you'd a
heercd about Smanthy. Yo( )sce II 'nz
this hyar way with her: she wuznt like
Cajcr. fer no alluz said no didn't kc.-
whether ts,c leaves on the trees 'uz green
or blue. ef he could raise a crap o corn to
suit him: an cf the rocks wanted TO be
big an have moss on en-. an little cricks
o. water tumblin' down over EN-. lie
lowed /. made no difference to him 50
they wuzn't In tho way o werkin' his
claim.
But. ez 'ua sayin'. Smanthy wuzn't
like Cajer. She 'uz aluz talkin' about
the hills bein' so purity an green In tho
spring o. the year. an she'd nigh a'E,ost
take a iit about little spring o clear like
water runnin' over the rocks or tricklin
out from under tho roots o. tree. Seemed
like she 'nx sort o. weakly. too. an not
pcart an rugged like Cajcr's side o the
fambly. Many time I've seed her 20
down TO the spring below them trees you
SEQ over thar wEar tho smoke Is. an set
down on q rock an Jest set an look mp
hyar at this hill without sayin' word fer
sometimes half an hour, In the evenin
when the sun uz a-shinin ON tho top, the
way Il Is now. an everthin' down yandcr
In the holler 'uz still an sort o dark like.
She set heap o store by flowers. too. an
when the johnny -jump.ups an dandy ylions
begun TO come out an the weather 'uz q
gittin' warm she'd 60 mp In tho woot.e an
gcihcr all she could carry.
"Cajer. hc used TO low sometimes tina,
Smanthy ort TO be a-doin' somethin' Il
help take kecr o. the childScn. stead %
trripsin around tho timber; but shed
oaly sort % smile like. an say the best
part o. her life 'ud bc a.lacltin' cf she
couldn't SEQ tho purity things that 'nz 81
common cvcr'wheres.
well. one day. about fifteen year ago
Cajer'd gone down to the digginis 20 Gil
grlst o. corn ground fer 70 mako corn.
bread. an Smanthy got tho cabin redied
up an went up the hill behind tho truck
patch an into the woods. TO look fer flow
crs an 20 see what the children 'uz ado
in. When sho got mp thar about forty
rod, she could smell somethin' a.burnin'
an purity soon sho heerd the children
asccainin' a like beln' killed. She run W
the hill through tho bushes an turned
around the pint Of sort O. offshoot o. che
lluif. an then she seed what 'uz tho mat
ter. They had made fire In the leaves
that laid on the ground thick over winter
an Il had spread out and got clean
around 'en, an when Smanthy see EN-. Il
'uz a-burnin' tur'blc lcrco an gcttin
clostcr 10 en- ever mint. She never
Eiopped her rnnnin'. but jes' went tcarin
right through them blazes ten foot high
En' i-rabbcd tho two youngest. nn' held
EN- rlost agin her breast IN bent Lcr head
down over 'em like. an run out Co u safe
place. Then. without stoppin' to take Q
brath, she run back agin-fcr tho fir
'ms r.s,rria' up into q mighty small ring
by l.iat iimc-nn' grabbin the other one
% - ,hildrcn mp. shc hnggcd II clost. an
scr; - rlppcl hcr dress around Its head
MI i':ca r;in n,it with II,
''v.hcn ilcy started Gown 10 tho cabin
.:,-nihv y ,,lc the children lead her. she
u. Ini:Ii ..,i ba,l. an seemed like she
G II mr ,r.y well. fer she kcp {
- !lI ~ ....iiI t,:o oides gal which
". i:."
"Aiong In the cvenin'. Cajcr 10 com,
home. an went In the cabin hungry as I
houn'; but supper wuxn't ready, not ever
n fro burnin' IN the stove. Ile uz power
full yexcd. an axed whar Smanthy wux
The children said she ms q sittin' down Il
the spring lie mp an went a tearin
down thar. purity mad. an thar she set q
the rock eryin' soft. an tryin to look q
hyar at the sun q shlnin' on the top 8
this hill. She heerd him q comm. a
scz shc. Kind O. quiet like. afore he couli
open his mouth; 'Cajcr. sez she. I'm thai
burnt that I'm blind. and can't sec thl
sunshine mr. the flowers mr. the ehildrez
no more An then she bust out eryEial
like she'd die.
"Cajer went back 70 tho dlgglns %
got the doctor. an no tended on her q
nigh onto ak months. Her faco uz allal
Kind o. smooth like an white. an her eye
'uz blue an big an looked plumb through