Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1893-08-24

moral woman and pious one, and she'd
been driven TO sin by the mesnuess O..
her pardner You see. she was one Of
them women that lives fur their child.
rem Ef she'd been pelican she'd hev
took all the feathers ont Of her buEzim
to make 'em beds, and she'd sackerfced
herself fur Mrlindy She looked kinder
better when she got to church, but our
minister he wus young and hadn't mar.
ried nobody before, and, bein uarvous.
he commenced fur to read the burial
sarvice instead Of the marriage sarvice,
and we bein all stiff with horrer hadn't
presence of mind enough fur to stop him
until he'd actilly buried Melindy. as fur
as words could so, and MIRA Virgins
wus in high strikes
However, she got over EN-, and the
minister he said he didn't know after all
but it was a providence to keep us from
bein too sot on the things of this world,
and reminded how short life was, and
went back and married EN- proper
And so we did get back TO Virgins
only Mr.. Virgins hevin been too mean
to get the wagin mended, the wheel
come off and they wus all split ont and
eenamost drownded goin over Slabside
bridge that amt got no railin. Mrs
Wiggins. poor dear, was soaked, and
when we TUX her into our wagin she
kept sayin, Observation-Disclosures
Judgments is cominw We knowed what
she was thinkin of, aud we tried to cheer
her up,
Well, when the folks wus dried and
dressed over we all went to supper, and
we praised it up as much as we could,
but Mrs. Virgins sot down in her place
like ghost, and folks began to talk and
laugh and help everything But she
didn't smile.
She passed the chicken salad plates to
the help, and the help gave 'em to the
folks, and we all tasted it, but it didn't
relish. Still we tried to eat it fur her
sake Most of us done it, too, and the
coffee wus good, and we cheered up
some. Mrs. Virgins didn't eat no salad
herself, 80 sine didn't know now it tasted.
After supper we all went into the parlor
and sot around, and 81 Barker wus tryin
to git up daucin, and ! did hope things
would end happy, when all of a suddin
folks began to look pale and say they
wus p'isoned. So they seemed to be
One arter the other wus took sick, and
they all said the same thing-it wus the
salad. felt very poorly myself, aud
so did my Obidiah. The minister had
gone home sick, and there wus a regular
panic. There wus one doctor there and
he sent fur another; and old Miss Pee.
bles said it wus like old cholera times
1t wus awful, anyway; but jest as we
wus at the wust, we ladies' lyin about in
the up stairs rooms expectin to die and
feelin sure it wus arsenic. Mrs. Virgins
appeared amongst us.
Friends and feller sinners" she said,
I'VE air all on the pint of death, and
here, before you all, make confession.
| am thief and robber. and shall
never be pardoned. II wus me that
robbed my husband, and, more than
that, stole the chickens to make the
sallad-one of EN- from each of my good
friends and neighbors Judgments has
fallenr'
"You wus driv to 1t, Mrs. Virgins, I"
sez !, "by your pardner's meanness We
all knowed it, and none Of us blame you.
"You don't know all, said Mrs. Wig.
gins "More'n that; went to the store
and TUX my chances and stole bottle Of
ile-the recipe said to make the salad
dressin with lie I'd never made none.
stole the bottle. Obi sha'n't never be
forgiven-l sha'n't never be forgivenl
I've trk a bottle Of pison of some sort,
iur 1t wus IN the drug department where
les is kept, and rm a murderer!"
"Oh-ho!" says the doctor Bring me
the bottle, Mrs Virgins, ana guess ri
find out how to cure EN-"
Mrs. Virgins fetched It; doctor he
tasted It.
This amt pison, ladies'" seE he.
There ain no gret harm done; only.
don't suppose the recipe mentioned cas-.
tor oil for salad dressing, 'Tisn't usual,
anyhow. Nobody is goin' to die this
time, Mrs. Wiggins, unless II is you
yourself You lie down and quiet your.
self"
Poor Mrs Virgins, she dropped on
her knees and prayed right there fur
thankfulness, and we all jined in; and
as soon as folks knowed they hadn't
TUX arsenic they all got better. Mrs
Virgins solemn and distracted looks,
and her not eatin any, had made them
that worn't in the secret think that she'd
gone crazy and done 1t a purpose. which
scared EN- more
And they do say Mr.. Virgins ain'i
quite 30 near as he used to be since be
saw what might come Of drivin a
woman into corner for want Of O
penny.
Still, we shan't forget Melindy Wig,
gins wedding In a hurry-those OF ul
that went to it.-Mary Kyle Dallas In
Fireside Companion.