Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-01-30

IN the afternoon anu MlllGlc Boous
boxes and gossip. Talk about church
sewing society," No association OF
women l ever knew of can compete
with these gatherings of men in our
small towns on Sunday afternoons, OF
on election, or holidays, for gossiping
Many family feuds have arisen from
these Sunday male gossip gatherings
in the towns and hamlets of the South
which resulted in assassinations and
bloody battles between the families in
yolved for several generations.
/ did not care to spend the Sabbath
in one of those small towns, so Istopped
at the first inviting house | came to on
the roadside that looked like there
was plenty of proyender for my team,
shelter for my buggy and room for
stranger" as wayfarers are called in
the provincialism of the country, to
sleep in.
In response to my "Hellow an old
lady came to the door, vigorously knit.
ting on woolen sock. Peering over
her steel-rimmed spectacles, she asked
what was wanted.
81 would like to stay here over Sun
day, if / can. do not wish to spend
the Sabbath in town, and / am will
ing to pay for my accommodation and
for my horses"
"Wall, my son Hank amt here now,
but his wife is. I'll fetch her Hanks
gone ter town, an low she kin tell
you more about it. Oh, Jinny~
In answer young woman of about
twenty-five years came to the door.
She said ! would be welcome to stay il
l would "put up with what the family
had" as they had made no prepara-
tions for company. MY husband will
be home soon," she said.
A boy was called, who took my team
to the "lot," and l went into the house
1t was one of those great double log
houses, "chinked" with cement, and
whitewashed outside and ceiled within
and papered. 1t was warm day,
about two hours before sunset, and the
great open fireplace was used to set
flower pots in with native flowers,
which filled the rooms with q delicate
perfume In looking over the album
on the table, came across girls face
1 had seen in Illinois years before on a
trip to the country. AS the hostess
passed through the "front" room, |
asked her if she knew the original of
that little girls picture. She stam-
mercd, and said it was hers when she
was small. then told her when and
where [ was at her fathers house, and
ascertained that she had met her hus-
band, Mr. Hank Adams, n Texas
planter, uncultured but big hearted,
while he was up there buying some
fine horses; they fell in love at sight,
atd had been happily married more
than q year. As she said this, her
beaming face told OF supreme happi-
ness and contentment, and in speak
ing of her husband, her voice took on
that soft, low accent and tone which
told Of deepest love and entire conf.
dence ] mention these things be
cause | had them forcibly and pain
fully brought back to me within the
succeeding twcnty-four hours.
When her husband came in she in
troduced me as an old acquaintance,
whom she had met in her girlhood at
her fathers in illinois. He gave me
cordial greeting, and | heard him kiss
ing his pretty little wife in the next
room moment afterwards, and tellina
her that nothing was too good for any
one who had known her folks" and
her.
The next morning Hank was called
away early to go to a lower plantation
he had few miles from home to attend
to some breaks in the fences made by
cattle which had broken into his corn
aud cotton fields during the night.
Mrs. Adams took the family buggy and
went alone to church q few miles away,
as her husbands younger brother
had ter go and ride ter church
with a grl up ther road who he is
struttln' round" his mother confiden-
TALLY Informed me- This left no one
at the house but old Mrs. Adams and
me. Being informed that dinner would
not ha raadv IN Snndav untiI about
four o'clock in the afternoon, strolled
out in the woods with book. about
noon, to enjoy quiet repose under the
shade of the trees and the thick-hano.
ing vines so common to that localitY.
Ii may have been imagination, and
it may have been the spirit OF proph
ecy, but ! stopped reading to hear
the signing of the great tall pine trees
as the zephyrs gently swept through
them. 1t seemed to be whispering tc
them a story of sadness and tragedy
As the soft voice of the southwest
winds played upon the long needles OF
the pines, L could hear them say,
"O-o-o-h, o-o-o-hl W-w-o-o-e-e, w-w-o-
o-e-e! S-s-s-o-o-r-r-row !"