Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-05-02
DAN MASON'S ONLY. LOVE.

How's my folks, did you saya All, that
question soun's strange to my ears now.
Once had hopes it might O. soun'ed right,
but now, now it falls heavy on my heart, an
makes me think O. times that's gone. 1t
brings 'em all back in my mine-Bill, Their
SPUR, an Minnie, Their squir's darter; but
of 'em all Minnie comes fust. l amt never
hearn er name like SO well as hern. I use to
say it over an over cause it b'long to her, an
do it yit when thar's nobody to hear me.
But it souns so dif'unt now, nothin' like it use
to. After all, tho, thar's nothin' strange
erbout it, cause everything is dif'unt now;
nothin' looks like it use to. It may be me
that's changed. Yes, I 'spect it is. Wall,
had 'nough to change me, so faint surprisin'
after all, you see, when a man puts all his life
in somethin' an it's all of sudden took away,
it goes kind O. hard.
I was out in Californy when I met 'em,
an SOUR Duff got me to go in partnership in
Their mimi business. All wanted was that
chance, SO we sittled things then an thar an
went to work. SOUR Duff had Their puttiest
darter I ever seen, an it never took me long
to like her nuther. She was white an red all
ther time, with long black hair an little black
eyes-the shinyest eyes l ever seen, too-an'
was built up jist like pony. I staid at Their
house, so me an Minnie was in one mothers
com'ny right smart. With her ham holin'
tight to mine we use to go out under Their
trees. sot down on ther roots an talk Their
longest times together. Sometimes I'd help
her pick up burrs an SIGH like, what she made
picter frames outer. Our heads would some
how git close unbeknownst to us, an I'd kiss
her fore l knowed what l was dom. Any
teller would done like me, an perticler if they
liked her as | did.
Their squir' had already gin her to me an
said we mus jis' wait year; then we could
git marrid Min was fourteen an jis' the
kind of a girl to make ther boys like her,
though she didn't pear to take to none O.
them but me- an I was glad of it, too. Thar
was er crossin what we had to pass over in
goin' ov mornin's to Their mines, an twas
gittin' in SIGH bad way we had to stop an
fix it. Mos every mornin' she'd go long by
me far as Their crossin', then 60 back home to
ten to dinner. use to wanter 60 back with
her, but that would er bin knockin' off work
fore I commenced, so I couldn't. Any place
she wanted to go I took her, but that was
only natural, cause she sot heap O. sto'e by
me, an knowed thar want nothin' in Their
worp love like her.
She was bout es happy over ownin' me
es was FIR ownin' her, an she didn't kere
who seen us holdin's hans along Their rode,
neither 'Squir Duff tole me was jes' Their
kind O. man he wanted for his darter, cause
he couldn't bear to see her git bad teller for
husband She was jes' Their one wanted 7
know'd 'thout AKIN nobody's odds, an all
was waitin' for was Their day to roll aroun'
what made her fifteen. Then we was goin'
b. k.oI T ell
thinkin' bout how I was goin' to rig up in a
bran new allapacker cote an pants an red
top boots an shinin' cap. As fer Min, thar
want no tellin' what she'd have, but spect-
ed Their finest lot O. rigin' er man ever seen.
When Their crossin' was fixed SO thar want
no more danger to go 'crost it, me an Their
SPUR went on to work at Their mines. We
he'd struc' err vein an that meant somethin'
to us both, but more to me on count o. Min.
Their SOUR got flush an got her Their finest
nag he could git. Every time had er chance
put in er lick or two O. currin' on her, an
by an by she was mos as shiney es Minis
eyes, Min was ther puttiest sort O. rider, an
when she'd come by Their mines every man
would stop work to look at her pretty face.
She always loped hard an loud over Their
crossin' SO I'd know she was comm, for she
knowd how I loved Their sight O. her. /
want good lookin' much myself, an it made
my heart awful light some way or 'nuther to
think she liked Their looks O me bettern Their
other fellers. Then er gin twas 'nough to
make me proud when I know'd that ther on
lest girl in thirty miles er bout b'long'd to
me. Every piece O. gold foun' put it by
fer her. Her face was fore mine from morn
till night with that hansome smile, an them
eyes what was brighten air hunk O. gold he'd
come a'crost yit On her ham she wore ther
incest sort of silver ring I he'd give her, an
she always hilt up that ham so folks could see
she wored Dan Masons present
Every time looked at it I wished twas
gold, but twas Their onliest kind could git
anywhar near, an it come off Tom McGin-
nises little finger when he sole it to me. But
it was ring, an that she had to have. Once
I sprained my knee joint an was laid up two
weeks at Their house-ther best weeks I ever
know'd, too. Most every mint she'd come to
see how was gittin' erlong, an at night she'd
talk an laugh SO I'd fergit all erbout ther
rackin' in my knee. While I was laid up
took some bark from Their big trees an madea
rope big an strong. When l got well 'nough
Imade swing under Their biggest tree 'roun'
an fasten'd err piece o. chain on to it so
'twould rattle Their mines was only er little
ways off, an I wanted to know when she was
swingin' Whenever hearn that chain rat.
tie felt better to know she liked somethin'
he'd fixed, an ther best times ov all was when
we sot in thar together.
1 sent for her weddin' ring six months
b'forehan', so as to git it on time. I tried to
git her size, but she didn't pear to know what
her number was, nor what finger to measure
on, so l jes' tole Their man ter sem er girls
-, k1,..o1
all safe an well, though ther box what hilt it
looked like it had saw rough rode. / had
er hard time to git Min to try it on, cause she
said 'twould give us bad luck to war it fore
Their weddin'. But to satisfy me she put it on
all her fingers to see what one it fit Their best
It looked too pretty fer nothin' on her middle
finger, so she said she knowed tibet was whar
it 'blonged.
They more thought bout our weddin'
ther harder worked; what wared me outat
fust seemed nothin' then. An when we
started home after knockin off work Their
thought of Minis waitin' at her gate for her
pa an me made me feel es fresh es if had
jes riz out O. bed on er mornin'. It's er
mighta nice feelin' to know thar's somebody
waitin' at home fer you, an wishin' you'd
come; somebody's smilin' face at Their door,
an err smokin' supper on the hearth. Thar's
nothin' like it. 1t make er man think more
ov Their worr am Their people in it. 1t makes
him proud he's livin' an think more O. God.
Out O. all Their miners me an SOUR Duff was
Their onlies ones what he'd anybody to think
o'bout an love. We was always in hurry
to git home O evenin's, an never loss no time
in talkin' to Their boys.
But they didn't kere nothin' tai bout
their camp, didn't pear to mine if they never
got thar, An what was their use O. hurrin'
to ole, empty, miserble lookin' camp? Thar
was no doors open, no fire burnin', no smell
O. grub fryin', no woman's face nor nothin'
to go fer Rooms was all Uttered up, beds
every which way fer Sunday, pots all sticky,
shirts an pants hangin' up eyerwhar, an SO
many feet O. ashes in ther fireplace nobody
kered bout startin' er fire. l usto feel sorry
fer Their boys, but couldn't help EN- lessen we
gin UNI Min, an we'd er little sooner gin EN-
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