Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-12-30
DESBREf EVENING aEEs'
THE uSpERrAAER's STORY.

II have 500 in my Office sac
which may belong to the living u
the dcan.D Tho failow-compic4-
,oneu AMI withered little man WIN
gu. aking Voice sat In the corner q
the vblsge grocery with LIS suooy
AID c.un.sily clad feet resting upon
ritgc Of the stove several degrees
above his head.
IL was the uii,.eytaker who SPOKE
ard every ruraiite Lose habit u
was to smell the nightly coterie .!
the village rendezvous moveo
uervousiy IN Ills seat aud wore IN
annoyed expression rs il his train
Of thought had been unpleasAnt'y
interrupted.
Seth Smith, the store-keeper, .
local character Of recognized I'M
portancc, arose from the uninvitine
macAe.c.-box which hsd been Al
icrdirg him temporary ret, anu,
taking a broom-handse, began 70
savagely poke the dying enters In
the egg -shsned stove III manner
which indicated that he WAS IN
usually agitated.
70. az. ,.a.s the undertaken baa
.one nothing 5ut spend his evening
Al the store, coming SO early that Il,
re ever happened in after suppe
without fiuc,pg Plodkin-that wa
liz Dsme-peIched in the sam,
leather bottomtd chair III an atti-
tude which defied indigestion and
propriety. He seldom spoke and II
vas well that this was 50. His
sulce was rasping tenor, which
al upon the ear like the sound u.
n ak In contact with the grind
stone, and he had an Irritating hesi-
.ancy ia his manner Of speech
which exasler.t-d one IN short
are. When Tie I'D tais u Was IA
relste some uncauny ghoulish story
Of his Iecuiiar professional expert
.jces. There was nothing like a
story fiom Piodkin to reduce the
numerical prci oruoEs Of The con.
any ahd CAUSE an acjournmeb
ing before the usual hour. First
.ne deacon wouid arise, shake him
self. and smooth the crcases out q
lis Jeans lefoIe getting Into tn,
.aded blue overcUat, which hat
served him as a protection fromwi
sr's co,u o.xs,s Ior q l'eric4 whici
a>eu the memory Of the Oldest IL
Iabitaut, and there was no autheb
lie information 70 he had that til,
oar WIS ever new.
When the deacon made good his
escape Sol Martin. the town clerk.
Hiram Ramsey, the constable, anu
A.4ulrw jackson oii.i:i., The tro,.
aasier, followed suit III the ords.
,sr,,eti. There never was q tim,
men q story finn Picukin faiIe
. have the desired effect. III seeIne
s;fan hour rad elapsed from ia.
moment # i'l,dkin's firs, ultsrance
anu the resuming Of his sl<ecL
ssaiT,, anu IL ~ -, a.i inicfinie>svu
:neasiness for all within ear rang.
.Icdkin undoubtedly had some I'M
..-taiull,., ~. tn sei,ra,rviis ~nie.
. .tUi;os usually melted, an.
ion ing his EN-, a-rassment he COL
.nnued apolog!zing by way q
,arenihssis. II don't suppose yOu
lss care much 10 hear ne taih
nd il NAV lie that you don't 81.
h,rr the MT r Of MY stt ries att
ether. ] Il, NJ blame you much.
III .pose might tslk about som
ing else except the dead and tn
aarnvl house. 1 have in mind q,
xpciience which happened TO m,
me Christmas eve-just six years
,go tonight. Ii sin't - uisagreesbi,
try. calculated 10 make the
old chills run ccwn your lack,
but it's how found a WOMAN dying
Of starvation with plenty Of money
tue house.
This statement gained for Plod
in the sIric: attention of every oft
the store, and they all move
.eif chairs closer TO the stove all
.ppared to flllog the speaker u
nterruptedly until the close.
sAs was sayin," he continued,
1t amt none CT your sensations.
TOTES, hut It's an almighty Iecu
i.r one, just Tie same"
Plod sin,s explanations were te-
liou- under any Circumstances, but
as. a; the time v hen lie had sue
eet!.u in arOu=ing intense Interest
all exple.ivcs we've aSgravatins 10
-uperlatiTe degree"
- S.a.s .s.' tonight" he FL
iiy resumed, 81 bad been si:tiDi
ere with yo: as rs'sai, but when
srted TO 20 home | felt sorttr rest
5, 50 | thought I'd jos. 20 Owe
my place and SIT down n spel
nd think. Sometimes l get tb
ues. and nothing does me such
al of good as long think-h
,yself. YoI may remember wins
1T Of night it was. There VS.
sow on the ground up to you
Decs, ami The wind il was blowiB
reat guns. That poet hit II of WHEEL
he said:
- melancholy sound wss l.
re air. A deep sigh in the dis
,nee. a sbrill wall around m.
yelling. Twas the wind ofnight
Il stirred up the fire, which ha'
iot yet died in my stove, and sa
linking for st least an hour. j
las long past midnight, and l mus
ave been nigh asleep when IN
lfernalest noise you ever hear
woke me from my reverie. VINO
yer IL was pounded and kicke'
md then kicked and pounced, an,
Defore l could unlock the door 1
lought it would fall in. When J
tened it end faced gust OF win
which blew everything In the room
arsy-turvey and the lamp cut I"
boot I heard a man say; come
,uicI, my old woman's dying anj
he wants 10 see you.' i recognized
he man az the one who, WIN mn
iamiiy, moved into the old desire,
Peaney cabin, over the ridge, the
ring before. You all recoiiect
Who / mean. the people who came
rom The north and who did no
work. and had no means and mo-
,ody knew Just how they i've.
they begged, and they might
have stolen, hut l can't say that.
When he finished he started away
again. and / put on my coat and
followed him the best could.
finally got 10 the cabin, and alter |
entered / see in one loom woman
with pale features and a wasted
sorm lying on a mattress, with no
comforts or attention such as the
,ick should have. Hunger ard
soyeriy were evidently nothing
new 10 her. There was q poorly
burning candle, which furnished
,be only light, just like you read
abou.-ta tremulous blaze, which
threw fantastic shadows as The
:.ook-writers say. A motion from
the woman's hand drew me 70 her
side. and in a fsltering voice she
ordered her husband and several
sickIy looking children to quit the
com and they obeyed just like
wooden figures, as II tney
mad been used to icing bcssed
,,,out When we were alone
he propoed herself up in the corner
md in = low voice told me to take
Town an old hroken vase which WA
4, pd,rr on q shelf and hand 1t to
~ laAts-- x.f4rspf 4