Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-12-04
OLLIE HEDDER.
BY ALICE M'GOwAN.

When rode up onto Emory Heights
overlooking Hartman, Tenn, the
sarly twilight was almost upon me, but
could sec, in softened outline, the
curves of the beautiful Emory winding be
low me, the rolling hills beyond, and the
mountains, silent, watchful, and slum-
berous purple ranged around, while in
Ihe middle ground pcepcd out the roofs
of Hartman itself.
When | was there, some two years ago
the only beacon that lit me to the valley
was the cheerful beam from single
farmhouse, the Jackson homestead,
which was afterward my stopping place.
Now, as the dusk deepened, the
seyen-months-old city began to wink
with electric lights.
Phebe vas born and raised far up
the mountains, and is hopelessly rustic
aud country bred, never having seen
more than a dozen houses together in
her life, and regarding II group of ten
people as no less than riot. She looked
with pathetic dismay at this appalling
and unnatural Illumination If the
skies had not fallen, plainly the moon
and large number of the stars had and
the latter objected strcnuously to going
down among the planets.
j went to a real, sure-enough hotel,
where | felt very wayworn and dilapi-
dated, and | put Phcbc in genuine
livery stable, where so far from sharing
my diffidencc, she ate her oats and took
her rubbing with a contcmptuously in
different air, which Struggling parve-
nue. would have envied, and was saucy
and arrogant as possible with the sleek
city-bred horses among whom she found
herself.
One member of the jackson house.
hold in whom l had come to feel
warm, almost tender interest during IN,
previous visit was Olmadella- fol
short-a girl of about fifteen, pleasant,
round-faced little thing, with big blue
eyes and sort of contiding, boyish,
manner, entirely different from the
stolid lumpishness or untamable shyness
of the ordinary Tennessee cracker. She
was the little maid of all work, the only
''help' in the house, very faithful ant
efficient help too, and, withal, the iol
iiest little soul in the world which fact
in the face of her story as told by Mrs
Jackson, was to me particularly touch
ing.
Her parents were poor country peo
pie. There was, of course, Il big family
one girl older than Ollie, and younge
children td H6it1tia, the house never be
ing without n poor little, dirty baby,
that had to be carried by its mother out
into the field, and laid under tree OF
hedge, while she hoed or dug potatoes,
or tended corn, for this was the only
kind of work in which Mrs Hedder was
skilled. The old man was tritling and
worthless beyond expression; he occa
sionally did little tinkering work, OF
little peddling of chickens, eggs an(
butter for some farmer. The oldest girl
Lometa, familarly Lomy, was fine
looking, good -natured creature, in ap-
pearance and disposition much like hei
father. She usually did such poor cook
ing as was done, and worked beside he
mother in the field when they could ge
days work to do.
Her people were not, l suppose, abso-
lu@cly cruel or unkind to Ollie, as they
regarded it; but like nearly all their sort.
when they found that she was smart and
capable and could earn good wages they
regarded her as a valuable work animal,
and her earnings as their rightful due.
When she had been with Mrs. Jackson
two or three months, they having re
celved small sums along as their needs
demanded, they came and applied for
every cent due her up to date, and as
much more as her employer was willing
to advance. They were in high feather.
Lomy was going to be married to an
idle, worthless fellow. Ollie knew what
scoundrel the fellow was, and that
nothing but misery for all concerned
could result from such a marriage, but
she could do nothing in the matter. and
dutifully handed out the money. Taw-
dry finery was bought, and eggs, butter
aud sugar procured, from which the cN.
pectant bride constructed cakes. They
went into the oven freighted with fond
hopes and deadly possibilities raised
like presidential boom, but collapsed
az entirely as the same in an off year,
and came out a sallow, sad, glucy, sub
stance that to any civilized anatomy
would have only been less deadly than
well direct4d bullets.
They had their wedding, they gorped
themselves on these and similar dainfies
and lived, bccaus; they were poor and
wrctched, and had nothing to hone fol
and the world did not need them.
When the last baby was born the 7 sent
again for all of Ollies money with which
to buy food, clothing and provisions, ant
Ollie gave all willingly; her kind, littl
heart was especially tender and pitifu
10 the poor little ones.
On the morning after nv second al
rival in Hartman l set out for Mrs
Jackson's. found the old farm .hnus
upon broad, new street, its pasture
aud meadows cut into town lots. il
ancient dignity pertly elbowed by smart
new structuses.
Mrs. jackson was quite unchanged
natural, notherly self among her me
amorphosed surroundings. AS soon
our first greetings were over l asked f
Ollie.
"Ollie2 do wish you'd been here la
Monday" said she.
"Why, whai happened Monday I il
quired.