The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1890-11-22
HOW SHE FOUND JACK.
A Thanksgiving Story of the East and
the West.


A Thanksgiving Story of the East and
the West.
softly to herself as if she feared being over
heard.
Her resolve sent glow to the faded cheeks
of the aged woman, and her hands trembled so
much that she found difficulty in completing
the household tasks, which the family had
left for her to do.
ssIf Peter s poets of suddint as / be amin
ter run away frum him an go out west ter
Jack he'd come pOstin right home from them
doin's at Ligonier an stop me. Then ireckOn
I'd be shut up in the insane house, like his
wife onct threated so fierce like. Well, l be
goin' ter try mighty strong ter git away" and
with sprightly movements that seemed to be-
lie her years the woman began to dress as II
for long journey.
Satisfying herself that she had everything
ready which she wished to take with her, she
dropped on her aged knees by the bedside, and
sent up her last prayer in the home that had
been hers for so many, many years and asked
God to be with her OH her journey, and for
give them who had so cruelty treated her.
Strengthened by her prayer, and taxing up
an ancient looking carpet bag, she LETT the
comfortable house on the mountain side, ana
walked rapidly away through the trees.
Reaching little hillock the aged woman
stopped and looked behind her. She suddenly
realized how hard it is for one of her years
to break away forever from scenes and assocla-
tions that had become part OF her life.
Her eyes grew moist as she gazed at the
meadows and woods tinted with gold and
brown in the late autumn. Her gaze dwelt,
too, on the pretty, plump cows, which many
time her hands had fed and milked.
Then her eyes wandered back to the COM
Portable Pennsylvania farm house, with its
fruitful orchards and well filled barns, and
over the fields stretching away far down in the
lovely valley, and Oh to the picturesque noun
tains with their evergreen vegetation.
'Good-by ole homeW she said, with
touching quaver in the voice which all her
loveless years had not robbed OF Its motneriy
sweetness ~ be runnin' away from ,ye.
Pears like ther Lord has gin me ter see clear
as it be ther only way I'm ter snatch bit o.
rail happiness in this life. Oh fields an home
an mountains be looking my last on yer.
Pm off ter find Jack.
faced and heart hungry, trudged on carefully
through the wild blackberry vines. then into
a narrow path and out at a small gap IN the
fence to the broad, beaten path that wound in
and out among the beautiful wild laurel at the
foot of the mountains. Then picking her
way across a limpid trout stream she reached
crossing where the train often stopped to pick
up country passengers.
ri reckon Peter an his wife, d sure swear as
l be crazy if they kitch me" she said, glanc-
ing apprehensively about her, as II she expec-
ted to see pursuer
except perhaps the Indifferent mountaineers
had doubtless followed the example of Peter
Tompkins and his family, and gone to Ligo-
nier to the 'doings."
She had not waited more than half hour
when a heavy, rumbling sound fell on her ears;
The train was coming How her poor old
heart leaped as the shrill whistle resounded
among those laurel enameled hills
Her steps did not falter, however, as she ap-
preached the track, waving her shawl as sig
nal for them to stop. The conductor saw her,
stopped the train and helped her aboard. lie
could not avoid noticing how neat she was,
and though she must have been over ~ years
old how sprightly she was.
"Where to?' he asked kindly, having seated
her comfortably in the train.
"Ter Pittsburg" she replied, taking out an
old fashioned reticule. Opening it she disclosed
kerchief, in the folds of which she kept her
money, the little sums which Jack had sent
from time to time from the far west, and others
which were the fruits of her own industry.
At Pittsburg she bought through ticket TO
Denver, Colo.
OTIS a long. tiresome trip for one of your
wears, remarked the conductor, who had assis'
"Yes, reckon it be-" she returned. 'but
thar be worse things ter endure in this life
than long trips on kyars-then ! be mighty
sprylike fur tol BILE ole woman"
'You have friends out there?"
'Yes; be goin' ter Jack"
"And you're going alone?" he asked SYM
pathizingly.
"Ther Lord, he be with me-" she replied
with one of her dear, old motherly smiles.
He did not leave her until he had seen her
seated on the right train; then he went home
to his young wife and baby, and, with tears in
his manly eyes, told of the old lady who was
travelling all the long distance from the Penn
sylvania mountains to some wild place IN the
far away west. ,
AT Chicago a roughly Clad but kindly ma
tured, elderly westerner, Silas Carrick by name
boarded the train for Denver. he became inter
ested at once in the little old fashioned woman,
who reminded him in so many ways OF his own
mother. long since laid to rest III a hillside
burying ground of New England,
After travelling a short time Silas Carrck,
seeing her look sad, said to her.
II guess, mother we be fur from yer ole
home, and ther change makes yer feel sorter
lonesome like"
s.Well. ther change has kinder upset me, ;"
she admitted. $50 diffrunt frum ther mount
ings whar l was raised in Pennsylvany. l
never reckoned on Jacks bein' so fur of"
"Jack?" Silas Carrick asked.
"Yes, Jack-Jack Tompkins-he's my
youngest an be goin' l out ter him. sne
answered.
what does he foller fur livin' i'll Colerad-
err" Silas questioned.
''He use ter herd sheep fur q man erbout
ther gulches and sich places, an done tol Die
well like out thar" she said. "But it's been
two years since heerd foum Jack myself,
though Peter got letter frum him long TINS
summer. So / be sure as Jacks well but
Peter never showed me ther letter, an don't
know 'zactly whar ter find my boy"
"An who's Peter?' asked the good hearted,
if ifinquisitive, Silas. NJ.
an Jack be all ther childrun l have livin'
Peter lives in Pennsylyany, an he's married
an got big family. 1t dom seem as orto
tell yer my Fly troubles, but / reckon trav-
elm so fur tergether makes us not strangers to
each other; then talkin over body's worries
"Yer kin trust me, mother" said the big
westerner.
"Peter was ther oldest O. ther boys l raised,
an allus a mite bossy like ter pore Jack
Jack was all of a dozen years younger'n Peter
an he was allus full O. life an go, an jest a
wee bet wild, with nothing very bad erbout
him. His hearts big one an In ther nghl
| place an believe ther Lord o. all Will rescue
my Jack yit. 1 hain't lost my faith none.
'sWell, when Peter got married an come tel
| live with Jack an me he went ter bossin
| Jack more he, so high strung like, would
bear. So he, ups an runs away out west an
ther furst thing knowed he wrote as he was
| tendin' critters on ranch in Colerader.
''Then gin in ter Peters persuadin', an
made my property over ter him, with ther un
derstandin' as he was ter keep me an keer ful
| me durin' my natural life. But he groweC
greedy an graspin', an reckon tired O me
though the good Lord knows as was spry il
| dom enough ter arm my eatin' an close. An
| Peters wife was a deadful, scoldin' woman
was overbearin' toward me.