Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-02-14

the men sit out in front of their stores
in the afternoon and whittle goods
boxes and gossip. Talk about a church
sewing society! No association of
women I ever knew Of can compete
with these gatherings Of men in our
small towns on Sunday afternoons, or
on election, OF holidays, for gossiping.
Many family feuds have arisen from
these Sunday male gossip gatherings
in the towns and hanlets Of the South
which resulted in assassinations and
bloody battles between the families in
yolved for several generations.
l did not care to spend the Sabbath
in one of those small towns, so I stopped
at the first inviting house [ came to OF
the roadside that looked like there
was plenty of provender for my team,
a shelter for my buggy and room for a
stranger" as %wayfarefs are called in
the provincialism Of the country, to
sleep in.
In response to my sHelloA" an old
ting on a wooden sock, Peering over
her steel-rimmed spectacles, she asked
what was wanted.
Il would like to stay here over Sun
day, if / can. I do not wish to spend
the Sabbath in a town, and 1 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 a young woman Of about
twenty-five years came to the door.
She said l would be welcome to stay il
L would "put up with what the family
had" as they had made no prepare.
lions for company. "My husband will
be home soon," she said.
A boy was called, who took my team
to the "lot," and went into the house.
It was N of those great double log
houses, "chinked" with cement, and
whitewashed outside and ceiled within
and papered. It was a warm day,
about two hours before sunset, and tht
great open fireplace was used to SCI
flower pots in with native flowers
which filled the rooms with a delicate
perfume. In looking oyer the album
on the table, i came across a girls face
Ihad seen in Illinois years before on 6
trip to the country. AS the hostess
passed through the "front" room, ]
asked her if she knew the original O.
that little girls picture. She STAN
mered, and said it was hers when she
was small. 1 then told her when an6
where l was at her fathers house, anc
ascertained that she had met her hus
band, Mr.. Hank Adams, q Texa.
planter, uncultured but ~big-hearted
while he was up there buying SOM
fine horses: they fell in love at sight
and had been happily married more
than a year. AS she said this, hel
beaming face told Of supreme happi
ness and contentment, and in speak
ing Of her husband, her voice took OF
that soft, low accent and tone which
told of deepest love and entire conf
dence. l mention these things be
cause I had them forcibly and pain
fully brought back TO me within the
succeeding twenty-four hours.
When her husband came in she in
PRODUCED me as an old acquaintance
whom she had met in her girlhood a
her fathers, i'll Illinois. He gave me,
cordial greeting, and I heard him kiss
ing his pretty little wife in the mex
room a moment afterwards, and tellin,
her that nothing was too good for an,
II who had known her folks" an.
her.
The next morning Hank was calle,
away early to go to a lower plantatio,
he had a few miles from home to atten,
to some breaks in the fences made b
cattle which had broken into his cor:
and cotton fields during the night
Mrs. Adams took the family buggy an,
went alone to church few miles away
as her husbands younger brothe
"had ter go and ride ter churc
with a girl up ther road who he j
struttin' round" his mother confide1
TALLY informed me. This left no On
at the house but old Mrs. Adams an
me Being informed that dinner woul
not be ready on Sunday until abou