The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-02
LITTLE OLLIE HEDDER.
TOUCHING STORY OF A TENNEs-
Sc CIR.

and How it All Ended S ores Of
Southern soil in Young CITY
Brings Her q Little Fortune Her
Happy Marriage.
HARR1NAS, Tenn, Nov. 1-Wbea rod,
up onto Emory Heights, overlooking
this place, the early twilight was almost
upon me, bat could see, in softe1ed out
line. the curves of the beautiful Emory
winding below me, me rolling hill beyond,
aod the mountains, silent, watchful, and
slumberous purple ranged around, while IN
the middle ground peeped out the roofs of
Hartman itself.
When l was here some two years ago, the
only beacon that lit me to the valley was the
cheerful beam from q single farmhouse
the jackson homestead, which was after
ward my stopping place. Now. as the dusk
deepened, the 7-months-old city began to
wink with electric lights.
Phebe was "Dorn and raised" far I'D the
mountains, and is hopelessly rustic and
cOu try bred. never havingsssen more than
a dozen houses together in her life. and re-
gardlng group Of ten people as 10 less
tnan riot. she looked with pathe-i c dis
! may at this appalling and natural ilumi-
the moon and large number of the STA .
had; and she later objected strenu Jusly to
goi4 down among the planets
went TO a real, sure-enough hotel. where
/ felt very wayworn ald dilapidated, aud
put Phebe in a genuine livery able,
where, so far from sharing my diffidence,
she ate her oats and took her rubbing with
a contemptuously Indifferent air. which a
struggling parvenue would have euvied,
and was as saucy and arrogant as pJssible
with the sleek city bred horses among wnom
she found herself.
One of the members of the jackson house
hold in whom had come 70 feel a warm,
almost tender Interest, during my previous
visit was Olmade la-Ollis for saort-a gIrl
Of about 10, pleasant. rouad faced. lit lie
thing, with big blue eyes and sort of con
filing, boyish manner, entirely different
| from the stolid lumpis 1ness or untamabie
s1yness Of the ordinary Tennessee crac er.
She Was the little maid of all work, the
only "nelp" in the house, very faithful ana
efficient help too; and, withal, the jolliest
| little soul in the world, which Ct in the
face OF her story as told by Mrs. Jackson.
was to me particularly touching.
Her parents were of the common poor
country people, a little better than the or
binary white trash, though neither Of them
cou d read or write. There was, of course, a
big family, one girl older thaa Ollie and
younger children ad libitum, the house
never being without a poor little dirty
baby that had To be carried by it's mother
out into the field and laid unda- a rec or
hedge, while she hoed or dug pota oes, or
| tended cora, for this was the oulv kind of
work iu whicl Mrs. Hedder was skilled.
The old man was trlfing and wortnl s. be-
yond expression; he occasionally d.d little
tinkering work, or little peddling of
chickens, eggs and butter for some farmer.
n OIL fa Il T,
was fine-looking good-natured crea ure, In
| appearance I'd disposition nue. like her
father. She usually did such poJr cooking
as was do e. q d worked beside her m 1ther
in the field, when they could get days work
to do.
Her people were not, 1 suppose, absolutely
cruel r unkind to Ollie, as they REGARDED
it; but, like nearly all OF their sort, when
| they found that she was mart ard capable
aid could earn good wage, they regarded
| her as a valuable work-animal, and her
earnings as their rghtful due.
When she had been with Mrs. jackson
two or three months, they having received
| SIN II sums along as their nee ls dema uded.
they came and applied or every cent due
her up TO date, and as much more as her
employer was willing to advance. They
we're in high feather. Lomry was going to
be married t. an idle, worthless fellow. a
vicious, disreputable scamp, a sort of neigh
| bJrhood scoprge, whom no decent girl
the eabout, however poor and humble,
would have spoken to. Ollie knew what a
| scoundrel the fellow was, and that nothing
but misery for all concerned could result
from such marriage, but she could do
nothing In the matter, and dutltully handed
| out the money. Tawdry finery was bought
| and eggs, butter and sugar procured from
| wuich the expec ant bride constructed
cakes. They went into the oven f. eightei
with fond hopes and deadly posi- ilities,
| raised like a president al boom. bnt col
lapsed as entirely as the same in an OFF year,
and came out sallow, sad, gluey sub
stance that to any CIVILIZED anatomy would
have only b zen less deadly than we'll di-
rected bullets.
They had their wedding; they gorged
themselves on these and similar dainties and
livel, because they were poor wretched,
| and had nothing to hope for, aud the wor ID
did not need them.
When the last baby was born they sent
again for all of Ollie's money with which
to buy fool, clothing and provisions. and
Ollie 6 I'VE all willingly. Her XII I'd lite
heart was especially tender and pitifu to
tue poor little ones.
With all young creatures love for
pretty things, she yet denied herself every
hing but the coarsest, commonest cloth z.
always saving, saving; hoping to get
enough together to do some permanent
go1d-to lift the miserable family out of
their slough Of poverty.
we'll remember one day was sitting in
my own room talking to Mrs. Jackson.
when Ollie sud lenly burst in, with her
mouth already open TO deliver me start
ling news, bat SIZE stopped abruptly, with
her hand yeG on the door knob, aud looked
at me with her soul in her eyes, as a Young
devotee might gaze at his particular Dc
saint.
30, Miss Alice! o, Miss Alicel" she ex
claimed, "What purity dreS What 4
beautiful dress! Mrs. jackson, die
you ever see such a lovely dress!
Then, after devou5 pause. in heartfel,
tones, Pm going to havea frock like taat
before dep
Poor child, l bad on a gray, pic uresqut
house gown. After pause. in which hei
big sott eyes drank in every detail of it,
fiamboyant beauty. she ST. denly gave q
little sp and sud, 20, forgotl Nj
Mabry sent JeanY over 10 tell We the leave
is Il IN their nigh woods, aud they're
af aid hi ii burn the fence, an can Jim an
Oscar come over an help fight it awhile
On the morning after my late arrival in
Hartman set out for Mrs. Jacks ms.
found the old farmhouse upon broad, new
street, i pastures aud meadows cut into
town lots, its ancient dignity pertly elbowed
by smart new structures.
Mrs. jackson was quite her unchanged
! natural. mOtherlV self among har tueta.