Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-11-21
THE WAYSIDE GRAVE.
A Pathetic Story Of the Lonely
Western Prairies,

About i've miles out of Skytown on
the Ontario trail" there is a lonely
little grave. At one end of the mound
is a rough wooden cross firmly planted
In the earth and careful eye can
trace the words "Joe's Kid" rudely
carved upon the shorter transverse
piece of wood. Many time l have
paused by that little grave and won
dered who lay beneath the rough mon
ument and whether Joe" was alive to
mourn for the child. It touched my
heart deeply, that mound on the dis
tant prairie. and often when going to
or coming from Ontario l would pluck
bunch of wild roses and golden-rod
and lay them by the cross.
'If l were Joe," thought /, II should
be glad to think that some one remem-
bered my child.
One day as l was coming into Sky
town saw q man kneeling upon the
sod by the cross and aimlessly hand
ling the withered flowers | had put
there from time to time. He was clad
in the garb of ranchman and his
brOad-brimmed white hat was pulled
down over his eyes so that l could
scarcely see his face. He had seem
ingly just dismounted, for his horse
a was standing near by.
Now" thought ], perhaps the
mystery can be solved" and turned
from the road and drove over towards
him.
The stranger looked up in surprise
MS halted beside him. spoke to
him cordially. He answered me
grufly and arose to his feet, as though
angry at my intrusion.
IL beg your pardon" said /, "but
this little grave has been an object of
much wonder to me, and, seeing you
here, l thought perhaps you might
know and could explain it"
II can't toll We nothin' about it," he
replied, In brusque voice, looking
across the prairie with an air tina,
plainly told he considered me an in
truder.
l said nothing. but, taking the
bunch of flowers / had in the wagon,
/ laid them by the cross and started
away.
Hold up, stranger! Are you the
chap as has been putin them flowers
on the kids gravep"
bowed. z-
He caught my hand and shook II
warmly.
~ beg your pardon. thought 20.
was some O. them fellers Che waved
his hand towards Skytown) as wa
nosin' round out o curiosity like
You're different people, see 1t now
an IN tell We bout the kid If you't
like to hearp"
/ thanked him and he told the story
Every body called her the KID
At the p. k ranch she didn't go by nj
other name and they called her joe
Kid from Mingersville to the Mussle
shell, Purtiest little gal you ever see
Bout five year old, with curly. yale
hair an blue eyes, an was Away
smilin' an laughin.' She was Away
around with Joe--seemed to take =
him morn to any of the others an
many ride they had together, Joe o.
his broncho and the kid in front Q
him. An Joe was just as careful 9
her as a woman could a been' l tel
We, stranger, it don't seem as IL ina
little gal was dead"
Unwittingly tear coursed DOW
the rancher's bronzed cheek. ii
paused a minute, coughed and cor
tinued:
..She came to us in this way;
Teller from the East came out 10 NIL
gersyille to herd sheep for fran
Smith. He was a cultivated kind OF
Teller, neat an tidy bout his languag
an his clothes, an no kind oil a cna
at all for a sheep herder, but he wa
melancholy and disconsolate IKE aooe
some of his doin's in the States al
came out to Montanny to forget a
about it Well. he brought the n
with him. The gal was his daughts
she want more'n two or three yea
old then, an they went right out
one O. Smiths lonesomest sta.ioI
where they couldn't see no one OUT :.
chap as brought their rations an MAJ
an they couldn't see him more n on
month. l tell We, stranger u o.
full lonesomel Lots o sheep neiael
60 crazy an some kills themse y.
We'll. this Teller stuck to it. an oy
bv Joe dropped in on him an 50