The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-12-24
LIFE EVERLASTING.

Everything in it froze stiff-an' it's goin'
to snow this afternoon. A Flower story!
There's none left to tell about! OF course
there's the house plants, but they're a
different set altogether. Pm sorry to dis
appoint you, when you've come on such
cold day, too. Set up to the fire an
warm your feet.
Tell you story bout myself. Land
sake! What would there be to tell2 You
wonder why 1 never got married. Oh,
you needn't beg mF pardon! What is
there l should mind about that? Pm 81
years old, am it amt the first time folks
has said they wondered. L never pre-
tended to be set 'gainst marryin' as some
does, an had my chances; but l had my
reasons for stayin' as l was, an | KEEP
'em TO myself. They WANT nobody s
business but mine.
Now don't go to thinkin' I'm put out
with you for speakin' as you did. Pll
tell YOU how twas, if you want to hear,
but faint likely it'll interest you.
wasn't brought up TO talk much bout
myself.
Well, this story's got a flower in it, too,
after all. DO you see that life everlast-
ing" on the mantel? That on each end
come from my garden, but the bunch in
Atlt AulAhAC dlll lOlIlll OllL LIC wiz oOA I
that grows out anywhere on the hills
some calls it "Injun posy." What you
say? Immortelle? | never heard that
name for IT, but l reckon it all mounts to
the same thing. 1t has a pleasant smell
when IT'S fresh, kinder soothin'; some
folks thinks a pillow stuffed with it Is
good to make you sleep. That's why
grandfather wanted one But | may as
we'll begin at the beginnin'.
Cousin Almiry Beamon had always
KEEP house for grandfather sence grand
mother died, am | guess he thought he
could pend on her long IS he lived. She
knew all his ways, am was used TO 'em,
an he had more ways to get used to n
some, which made it harder for him, am
other folks, too, when she got married.
Twas all kinder sudden, we WANT none
OF US prepared for it, am it put US out. |
never blamed Cousin Almiry particularly
after I'd took her place with grandfather
Tor a spell. Deacon Swan was a pleasant
spoken, peaceable sort of a man, if he
WANT one 10 set the great river on fire,
an l guess AlInIry never regretted the
chance.
But as / was sayin', there didn't APP
pear to be nobody but me to go over an
take her place with grandfather. / tried
10 make mother say she couldn't spare
me, but 'tWan't no use; sho felt bad
enough bout lettin' me go, but she said
grandfather needed me more, am that
settled it.
Twas a lonesome place for girl who
had been used to livin' right in the town
with plenty O. neighbors am five or six
in the family. Tor there WANT nobody
but grandfather an me in all that great
house. 1t used TO be tavern once, an
then it was lively enough, L dare say.
There was rooms in it for plenty of visit
ors, an the great ballroom was there yet
whore they used to have their dances.
The house stood close to the river, right
at the foot of a big hill, covered with
rocks and pine trees. The road come
WiDdin' down round under the hill
pretty steep in some places it was-an'
ended at the ferry, front O grandtathers.
If you wanted to 90 further, you'd got TO
cross over. The ferryman was the only
neighbor we had, near'n Essex, am
grandfather wouldn't call anybody
neighbor that come from there; he was
dreadful down on Essex folks.
Twas in October when l come to live
at the ferry, towards the last of the
month. Grandfather want enjoyin'
very good health; he'd been so put out
'bout Cousin Aimiry-it had upset his
liver, an he'd been takin' thOroughwort
tea an tansy, an | don't know what all.
Mother always said he knew as much as
most doctors, an maybe he did, 'cept in
prescribin' for himself an takin' his own
medicines. Reg lar doctors keep their
doses for other folks an find it paws
better. But grandfather tried all his n
on himself first, an twas no wonder he
got run down. There was always a
basin of somethin' stewin' on the stove,
an the garnet was hung from one end to
The other with herbs dryin'.
l hadn't been there more'n a day when
he sent me after ''Injun posy" to make
his pillow. | didn't mind goin'; twas a
beautiful afternoon, the sun a shinin' am
the red am yellow leaves droppin' down
softly an ruStlin' away under your feet
There didn't none of it grow down at the
ferry, so l had to walk up the road an
hunt round in other folks parsters, for
there was plenty of it on the other side
the bill. got my basket full in no time
an all l could carry in my hands besides,
an then l stopped under an old cedar to
rest. was real warm, twas so sheltered
there, what with the trees an all to keep
the wind away, am took Off my sun
bonnet am sat down on the grass
How did l look, child? Well. to be
sure, it's kinder unhandy to describe
ones self. on see how 1 look now
then l was younger. that made all the
ditference-an' perhaps happier; l reckon
that helped some, too. Oh, can go into
particulars If you want me to- Nobody
ever would "a thought was sister to Cath.
crime, she was so light, an | was dark AS
Il gypsy. ! took after father, you see, an
she was clear mother, right through. l
used to kinder envy her yellow curls an,
pink cheeks, though l had good head o.
hair myself, thick am soft, comm down
to my knees when | undid it; but, land.
'twouldn't curl, an twas black as could
be.
Yes, 1 had plenty O. red in my checks.
Somebody told me once they was like
punches O. carnations, an | reckon they
didn't lose none O their color by hearin'
'bout it. Got some of it, vet? All, no
child, those carnations faded an died
years age, winter-killed, like the flowers
in my garden.
But what was l tellin' your Oh, sat
there on the ground tannin' myself with
my sunbonnet. There was q bitter-sweet
vine CROWN over the old cedar, just full
o. berries, an L sat lookin' up, an think
in Pd get some of it to take home to put
in the jars on the mantel. when
/ see man COMM towards me
down the hill. I'd heard good deal o.
firm round all the mornin'. so when |
see how he was dressed an that he car
rIed a gun, L judged twas him I'd been
listenin' to. 'Twa'n't nothin' strange to
see gunners round that time o. year
They'd come up fairs Essex in their boats
an just overrun the whole country.
There wouldn't "a been a feather left in
the land if they'd been the sportsmen
they looked to be. But L reckon they got
as much satisfaction out o. their 1ixin' as
they could have out o. the birds, an twas
better for all hands.
Well, l want no more 'fraid o. him
an his gun than the birds had 'casion to
be, so Just sat an watched him comm,
But fore he got close up l see I'd :made a
mistake-on more points IN one He
WANT no stranger to me, though twas
much IS five years since I'd seen him; am
as for the birds. they hadn't been so safe
all the time as Pd thought-his bag looked
pretty heavy. l was real pleased to see