The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-02-02
THE TIMES RICHMOND vA4 SUNDAY. FEBRUARY ?, 1890

stayed till votes counted out. You kin
Jest stan thar like post till it thundera
ef you want TO. won't make you be-
lieve what I'm a-tellin you"
Berry" she said desperately, moving
chair to his place at the table, supper
Is ready. Come before its cold"
Don't want no supper" he said tes-
lily; "ain't gwine to eat at no table whar
I'm looked on like a brute. CAN'T tech
drop with ole friends | wuz fotch up
with thout the whole world bein' up
set"
He rose angrily and staggered out Of
doors. She heard the glIrgle Of bottle,
and when he came in she noted the
bulge Of capacious whisky flask in his
pocket He resumed his chair without
speaking.
Hours passed by; he was becoming
more deeply inebriated. He sat, an
inert human mass, with lOlling head
waggling, now and then, on his breast,
and was in great danger of tumbling u
the floor. The last pine knot was flick.
ering in the chimney. When it expired
darkness would fall. She shuddered at
the situation. Something must be done
she must get him upon the bed.
She touched his feverish head with her
cold hands. He paid no heed to her,
breathing very heavily. She pulled at
his arms:
"Berry" she called gently; Berry, git
on the bedl'
lie raised his head with inhamed eyes
and a bestial growl She tried 10 raise
him again, praying inwardly. He got
TO his feet and plunged toward the door.
With all her strength she endeavored to
pilot him to the bed. Maddened by the
restraint her hands put upon him, he
threw back his arm with brutal force
and struck her in the temple. Then he
plunged into the darkness without and
she fell to the floor
The grayish light of dawn stealing
over the hill tops into the cabin fell on
the face Of dead woman. A few hours
after sunrise a neighbor CHANGED to look
in at the door and discovered her.
Immediately he summoned his wife
and daughters, and sent a bearer of the
tidings to the Comptons. Before the
mother and father arrived, Berry Brad
lev's body was found i'm the river, not far
from the cabin. In his blind wander
ings he had fallen into the stream, and
drowned helplessly. In consideration Of
the circumstances attending his death,
and the death of his wife, it was deter
mined that his remains should not be
brought 10 his cabin.
There are few things in human nature
more sublime than the patient fortitude
Of the simple people in the region in
which these evenss occurred. The dead
girls parents drove up to the cabin about
noon. While the old man. with trem-
bling hands, unhitched his mules, his
wife stood waiting for him, with her
back to the cabin. Tears had not
dampened her cheeks that day. The
women standing around the rough coffin
retired as the old couple entered the
cabin.
Neither Of the two shed tears even
then though their aged frames trembled
violently as their eyes fell upon the
dead. Slowly and gently, as if Martha
was sleeping, Mrs Compton raised the
brown hair from the bruised spot at the
temple and softly stroked the pallid
cheek.
"She loved him more'n she did as.
Poor little Mattiel' She retied the lit
tie bow Of blue ribbon around the pale
neck and went outside the door and sat
down amongst the old women, and a
few moments later they bore the body Of
the daughter she loved TO its lonely
grave on the hill side.-Will y. Harden
M Nnrth's Communion.