The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-03-18
miscellaneous.
WAITING FOR MOTHER.

Philadelphia Times.
81 trust the train will soon come,n /
said, little gloomy at the prospect of
having to wait at the meagrely
equipped station, as my somewhat
cumbrous and noisy vehicle ratified
along the rough mountain road.
had been spending the summer in one
of those delightful, out-of-the-way
hooks in which Tennessee abounds,
and having enjoyed to the utmost
the everlasting beauty of the blue
hills and the quaint, homely people
where life is so interesting in its very
simplicity, was yet willing enough to
welcome a little breeze from the outer
world, and so hailed with delight the
news that my good friend, Mrs. Eva
Ready, was coming up from Nashville
to make me a visit.
| shook myself up to some sort of a
realization of this world that lay be-
yond the little Gordon of foot hills and
waving poplars that had compassed
my life for SO many weeks, inter
viewed my Jehu, Lige Marvin, who
had been my guide over all the coun-
try for miles around, and now, seated
upon the high spring seat of his jolt
ing wagon, or 'kerridge" as he was
pleased to term it, l had come to the
station to meet my friend.
Yer won't hev many minutes ter
watt" Lige said, as we passed by a
shivering aspen, under which man
was standing "Thar's Waitin' Pete,
the dafty, an yer may know the train
hain't fur off when yer see him stanin'
thar. Eff yer air a min'ter I'll jes'
draw up in the shade, an yer kin set
here in the kerridge till the train
comes"
The man under the tree, big,
homely fellow, had not appeared to
notice our approach, SO | had ample
opportunity to observe him. Upon
his face, which appeared utterly de-
void of intelligence, there seemed yet
an expression, or rather a vague sug-
gestion, of something that would
make him interesting even to the cas-
ual observer.
"Tell me about that man." l said,
when we were outof hearing distance
'Bout Waitin' Pete ?" inquired
Lige. why, thar's few enough es
hain't heard bout him in these parts,
an l lowed yer knowed" He set his
whip in it's socket and squared him
self round in the seat, nothing loath, |
knew, to air his loquacity.
What 'ud yer say now ter stanin'
thar under tibet thar tree ter meet
every train es hev passed this station
fur twenty-five year? Err purity long
wait, hain't it? Well, tibet thar is
what Pete hev done, an thet's true.
I've know'd him, man an boy, all his
life. Lord remember like 'twarn't
but yistiddy when tibet man thar war
a little baby wearin' dresses. He
warn't never purity, Pete warn't, but
they do say he war pyeart.
He war the youngest chile an his
ma sot a heap 'er sto' by him. l
knowed her tol'ble we'll, an l ulster
see her when l passed the cabin back
yander walkin' bout quick and spry
like, an Pete allus holdin' ON ter her
dress. Twas on a day somethin' like
this, brisk an cool fur summer, that |
seed her for the las time, but Lord, l
never so much as dreamed it then, nor
she neither, po' thing. Yer see, twas
this way:
II was comm ter town after some
things, an brought long little corn,
bein' es / he'd more'n enough ter do
me, an the ole woman she jes' flung
y
me ter sell. Well, es passed long by
Nance's cabin, l seed Miss Nance with
her bunnet on an er basket in her
ham jes' startin' out the gate, an lit
tie Pete er holdin' on ter her dress an
trottin' behind. l seed they war goin'
ter town, so l offered ter give 'em a
lift. Miss Nance, she put Pete in, an
then clumb in herself, powerful glad
10, nj ~
it's err good piece ter walk. She tole
me she war amin to go ter Nashville,
an war goin' ter leave Pete here with
his aunt Miss Rankin, Nance's sister,
es lives over yon'er 'tother side the
blacksmith shop. The train war late
that mornin'. war thro', an start
in back home when it pulled up, an
| seed Miss Nance when she got on.
''She lef' Pete a-stanin by that tree
es war no more'n er switch then, an
one of the little Rankin gals er hold
in on ter his han. She hist up the
window, Miss Nance did, when she
got on, an poked her head out,
wavin' her hand ter Pete.
"'Wait fur mother, honey she
said. She'll be back when the train
comes
She never, tho, POI thing, an Pete
he went back cryin' like his heart I'D
break, Miss Rankin lowed. But thar
come word that day tibet thar'd been
the kilt. Nance he went on an fotch
the corpse next day, an the ole woman
an me, we came ter town ter the
fun'ral. Jes' es we was startin' out
the gate ter the graveyard whistle
blow'd, an the train came roundup
the curve. Quick es tibet, Pete he
broke loose from Miss Rankin, es war
holdin' on ter his han, an when they
found him he war stanin' thar under
tibet tree, waitin' fur his ma.
sEs tole yer, tibet hev been twenty
five year ago, an he hev not missed
train sence. Seem like he never
thought NV nothin' else for so long,
not KNOWN tibet his ma war dead, he
war so little, tell bimeby he war plum
daft like you see him now. Seem like
he air witched or he kin smell car
smoke for a long way off, fur not a
train hev passed sence that day, don't
keer if its freight or passenger or
special, that he warn't ready an
waitin' fur it.
HE never would consent ter 60
back home, an jes stays long er his
aunt, whar his ma lef' him. He helps
Rankin in the shop, and many's the
time I've seed him when he's holding
iron ON the anvil drop the tongs an
run, an bimeby the whistle nd sound
round the curve
1t sounded out now sharp and shrill
just as Lige finished, and l could
hardly give a welcome to my friend
when she got off the train, so absorbed
was in watching the look of eager
expectancy on Pete's face, as, with
neck outstretched, he peered into the
faces of the passengers who alighted
from the train. And l think l shall
never forget the look of despair that
! that came into his eyes as the train