Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1890-11-15
DRIV FROM HOME.

the road which ran along the Yad-
kin river, with half mile of the
stream in full sight, when / caught
sight of a canoe coming down. 1t
appeared to have broken adrift, and
as the current set it directly toward
the marshy spot in front of me |
waited and watched with some inter-
est. The craft finally drove into the
reeds and came to standstill, and a
minute later a mans head slowly
appeared to view. IL was the head
of a real live native-long haired,
sallowed faced, high cheek bones,
unkemp whiskers and yellow teeth.
The head regarded me with surprise
for a time, and then body came
into view. It's long arms, dun color
ed garments, talon like finger nails,
stoop shoulders and long neck prov
ed the presence of a native scracker. "
He gazed and / gazed, and as he did
seem inclined to be the first to break
the silence I finally said:
"Hellol "What are you doing
there ?"
" Stranger, I've bin driv from
hump he replied, in a voice so full
of sorrow that / could almost see a
burying ground behind him.
He used piece of board to pad
die the craft ashore. A closer in
spection revealed that he was the
essence of sorrow and dirt boiled
down and caked hard. He was six
feet tall, loose jointed, lanky and
evidently as lazy as he was long.
Had | been sure that he was 900
years old / would have bet one dol
lar to shilling that he had not comb
ed his hair or washed for 800 years.
He held out paw like dashboard,
and greeted me with:
"Stranger, EN- Well, old Bill Smith
bids We welcome. Las mite he had a
hum to take We to, and cheer to
sot out fur ye, and some pone and
bakon to offer We, but this mornin'
he kin only shake We by the hand.
All is gone-all is gone"
"Has some calamity happened?" I
asked.
"Some calamity has. I've been
driv from hum, stranger. I hain't
got no place to lay my head no more,
'cept in that thar leaky canoe"
"That's bad. Who did it?"
"Selutha, sah-and nobody else
driv me right away from the hum in
which | was born"
"And who's Selutha?"
"My wife-the woman who vowed
to love and cherish and support me.
Married her more'n seventeen years
ago, and we've got five children,
and last mite she driv me from huml"
"You had fuss, / suppose ?"
"Furse? Purse? No, we had no
furse. She jist lit down OIL me and
pulled hair and clawed, and said
she'd stood it long enough. She
driv me out in the cold world, and I
went to bed in the canoe, cast her
adrift and yere / am, stranger. Pm
wuss nor an orfun. Won't you GO
back hum with me and argify to the
ole woman.
"How far is it?n
six miles, and I'll take yeu in the
canoe. Do it for me, stranger. Don't
stand by and see q husband and IA
ther driv from his hum"
we got into the canoe, and he
used the paddle in vigorous man
ner. l sized him up as lazy, good
natured native, and it wasn't long
before he "gave himself away
CAR We a lawyer?" he asked as we
drove along up the river
Something of one."
GOOD l was in hopes you was.
You can argify the ole woman in ten
minutes"
"What made the fuss7n
"Jist a notion o. hern. hain't
well and can't work, and she's got a
notion / orter. Jist tell her that /
look like man who won't live a
year. Tell her that hard work would
break me down in week. Tell her
you never felt SO sorry fer any one
in yere hull hfe."
We voyaged along for awhile in
silence, and then ! noticed that the
man was weeping. He wiped the
tears away and asked:
aStranCer. was We eyer f3riv from