Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-12-04
THU OLD SMOKE HOUSE
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.


Garden, nor prettier woman than his
wife; but time brought changes. We
know all about the war and what be.
fell. for one had rather not talk
those things over, and when 1 first saw
Miss Abble she was living alone, her
parents dead.
One old black woman, old Maum
Csrline, had stuck to her through all,
and how they lived they best knew.
On persimmons and peanuts, some
folks said, only if you ever tasted per-
simmonst you'll know no one could
live on them.
Miss Abbie's mouth was puckered
up by nature, as they do pucker your
mouth, I'm free to confess, and she
must have been 80, and looked old for
that.
She was sallow and thin and plain
and had no dresses to SET her of, but
she was very good.
Poor folks, black and white, went to
her in their trouble, and If she could
not help them she got some one else to
to do so.
l used to think about her looks some
times when she came to the mill with
her bags of corn in the wagon, driving
an old horse that seemed just able to
hold his head up. was bachelor oil
40. l wanted wife, and lots Of the
pretty women were only pretty on the
surface knew, and bad enough to
have the faces OF demons, and here
was sort of good angel, SO kind and
tender and sensible, too, that she
would have made any man happy il
she had face he could have kissed.
She wasn't proud. Perhaps she
wouldn't have refused miller because
he was q miller.
came from England and bought
land down there, and had money
But it was just there--she was toe
plain. l never could make up my
mind to ask her. Mo one ever had,
suppose.
There we're springs near our place
where folks came every summer for
their health, and big hotel, of course
One summer a Spanish gentleman
stopped there, as handsome a gentle
man as / ever saw, l think, and once
when he had taken long walk and
lost himself Miss Abbie Garden driv-
ing along in her queer guy of wagon
behind her bare boned horse, offered
him a seat and took him to the hotel.
A little while after it was plain to
all beholders that someone was really
courting Miss Garden. The handsome
Spaniard used to go up to cali on hel
every evening, Maum Carline sewing
in corner while he played his guitar
or waiting on them while they took
tea.
We all wish that it had not been
that summer that an old uncle in Tex
as left Miss Abbie $4,000. Still, she
seemed so happy and SO bright that I
used to say to myself.
Even if the dowry made the match
it's better than a lonely old maids
life.'
And now that she had money she
wore pretty bonnets and nice gowns
and looked quite another figure. The
Spaniard was devoted to her. Senor
Josef " as his name, and at last we all
knew that they would be married in a
week or two. We knew, too, that the
legacy was in portable shape and that
they were going to some Spanish
speaking place to live-a place where
that money would be a fortune, for
Senior Josef was not rich, only teach
er of his own language, making his
bread from day to day.
People learn everything about their
neigAbors in a small town, and old
Maum Carline talked and told all she
knew.
But one thing I'll say, nobody was
ill.natured. Everyone said that who
ever got Miss Abble was lucky, plain
as she might be.
There was wedding in the church
one day and everybody went to it.
Miss Abbie looked better than I
ever saw her before and the Spaniard
very handsome. They were to stay
in the old house q day or two, and
then place it in Jerry Johnson's hands
to lease to anyone who wanted to hire
it--any respectable people who would
use it well-and the senior also had
one more lesson to give, a lesson he
had been paid for.
It was some miles away, and Nine.
Williams, who was driving over, was
glad of his company. He said he
would walk home.
1t was not pleasant walk in any
weather. There were so many wash
outs on the way, and it was lonely,
too, and there we're bits of pine woods
to cross and there were negroes about
who were not pleasant to meet.
But no one thought of any danger
to the senior, and we supposed he had
got home long before the great thun-
der storm began.
It was frightful storm, Our barn
was struck and the smoke house on the
garden place and lots Of trees, and we