The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-11-09

Smith did die afore long. She uste
set an cry an cry an say she'd neve
see her chile any more. 'Twan't 81
many years afore the ole man died too
cause he wuz gittin' ole. II got 81
lonesome l couldn't stan it no longer
so l took meself down an tole oil,
Squire Carter's gal ther way twas, an
we spliced.
"You see that rise out yander -.
Jedge, one day wuz settin' down there
it war where me an Bill sed goodbye
/ wuz thinkin'-it he'd been ten long
years since we parted, an how things
he'd changed round in that time, an
l wuz wonderin' where Bill wuz now.
Bout that time somethin' slapped me
on ther back. an sez: "Here he is.
Laws-a-mercyr / yelled, fallin' of
ther stump an rollin' all over, What
you, Bill! o, Mr. Bill, reckon ortel
say
+" No, the same ole Bill, he sed, with
ar smile.
"He he'd grown so tall an han n'some,
at first | couldn't believe it war he;
but arter lookin' in that face ar while,
it looked so kin an good, jes' like it
uster, 'ceptin' it he'd whiskers, |
knowed it war Bill. Bill, whar in other
worl' hev you been an how is youp
Come right down an tell me an ther
ole oman all bout it, When 1 sed
that, ar strange look come over his
face. He looked down ar minute an
wuz still. Then he raised his head,
an sez: Ike, is Kildee up at her
housep | tried to get back sooner, but
couldn't but knew she would wait
until came. Let's go up there first
1t has been ten long years I've been
waiting to look in those eyes again.
Come let's find her. A great big lump
come in my throat an my eyes beegun
to water when he sed that Poor
feller! he's been workin all these
years lookin' forward to comm back
an gittin' his leetle gal-an' now
she's gone, the Lord only knows
where. Bill. | sez, tryin to swaller
the lump. .Kildee's gone. She run
away with ar stranger long time ago,
an no one don't know whar she is.
The ole man an his wife, an your dad,
too, are in them col graves in ther
field nigh Big Bar Cave.
"Sech ar look ez come over that
mans face never seed! He turned an
afore could say ar word he wuz gone,
gone!
Il lived on ther same ole mounting
life. Two chilun war given me, a gal
an ar boy. The gal we named Mary,
the boy answered ter Bill
"Now, Jedge, bout Kildee. 1t war
ar mighty long time afore we ever
hearn of ther gal. l never thought I'd
hear again.
when ther feller run away he took
her to New York. He made her ar big
lady. She he'd az fine house an horses
an every thing. She had plenty of
frien's, too, when she wuz ar lady.
want thar, but / knows that leetle
gal wuz ther puttiest woman
thar when she got on them thar fine
clothes, an them eyes a-shinin' an
that hair a-wavin'. An sometimes she'd
git in her fine carriage an go ter
church. Onct she went to hear thar big
gest preacher thar preach. Thar wua
she couldn't tell jes' what.
that made her like him so much. An
his face wuz so kim lookin.
Late one night when Kildee wuz
sick in bed, her ole man come in; his |
lace was sorter excited like; he went |
over ter whar Kildee was layin' an
5ole her he had ter go off on some
business for ar few days. She didn't
5hink nothin' queer of that cause he
vuz uster doing it. But thar mex
nawnin' when she picked up ther
newspaper, 10 and behold, thar wuz
ner husbands picture right afore her
eyes, an ar great long piece about him!
He wuz ar thief! He had been robbin'
lher bank he wuz in for years an
years, an ther bank folks had jes'
'ound it out! But he had gotten away,
b" How come me at home again?'
she asked, lookin' round an
indin' herself in plain, leetle room,
with kim faced woman watchin' over
her. Mother, where is Bill and Ike?
" ell all go down to the cave. an-but
10, that's not mother. What does it
mean? Where is my husband and
,hild? This is not our house. What
loes it mean, kind woman?' The
woman then told her about the bank
'obbery and how her husband had got
en- away. And about her reading
lbout it in the paper and fainting.
And that the house and every thing
lad to be sold. and she and her little
10Y be brought to the hospital.
Poor lettle gal, there she lay. No
riends now an no money. But ar
hought struck her. She'd send fer that
,in'-lookin' preacher.
"An' ther preacher come. He did
ook so lovin' to her. He took her lit
lie thin, white ham in his. She begun
er tell him her story. But, Jedge, she
lidn't! Forgittin' whar he wuz, Bill
hrew his arms round her poor, weak,
eetle neck, an lookin her straight in
her eyes sed:
"'Kildee, Kildee, don't you know
Bill? Look at me-
$50. Bill, is it you! No, no, / can't
ook you in the eyes! Had l but been
rue to you, instead of runnin' away,
nd being miserable all my days, and
hen this end! But God has forgiven