The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-08-01

| was sent to aroise the neighborG BY
l o'clock We had 4 dozen people in
the house. Uncle Josh wiped his
weeping eyes on the roller towel In
the kitchen and admitted the misun-
derstanding At the breakfast table.
Her body couldn't be found in or
about the house, but as no one had
seen her pass on the highway up or
down there was reason to believe
that she had drowned herself in The
tamarsck swamp on the east end OF
the farm. 1t was resolved to make .
search. By the time We started We
had . crowd of ten men and as many
boys. school having been dismissed
for the day. There were forty acres
in that swamp. and on every acre
was a pool deep enough for a woman
to drown herself in. Every pool was
probed with poles. and before we got
through it was shutdown. 1t was q
sorrowful procession which returned
to the house. Uncle Josh had tried
to brave it ont. but 1t was no use.
When he got inside he sat down on
the lounge and cried like a child.
One of the neighbor women cooked
supper for us, but he could not eat
All the men returned after chores
to resume the search, and they had
decided to investigate the sugar-bush
over on the ridge when happened to
think of the well in what we called
the .'calf-lot." This was quarter
of mile from the house. Uncle Josh
had hired a man to dig a well there.
but after going down twenty
five feet he had struck auicksand and
been obliged to give it up. The hole
had been curbed but was threatening
to cave in. 1t struck me that Aunt
Sally had flung herself into this we'll
in her anxiety to shuttle off the NOR
tai coil. and as soon as l stated my
suspicious everybody agreed with me.
We hurried Away in body and
caved in.
ats as plain as the nose on my
face. Uncle Josh" said David Piper.
who had the largest nose ever seen
in the county. Your woman has
cum here and dove head fust into the
well. In goin' down her feet hev hit
the curbin' and caved in the hull
bizness. Her dead corpse is now
a-lyin' at the bottom and it's goin' to
be an ALFRED job to git at it."
But he nacherally wants to git it
up. though to leave her thar would
save lots of trouble" added q county
constable in the crowd.
, ..Oh. Lord! Oh! My poor. dear
Sally" sosbed Uncle Josh. elf I'd
a-knowed you meant to do this I'd
a-gone down On my knees to God. l
hev druv you to your death and the
Lord won't never forgive me fur it,"
A working party was formed and
though not man left the place until
daybreak, but very little progress
was made. About sunrise we re-
celved a reinforcement of fifty men
from the village, and enough women
and children put in an appearance
to make up a crowd of 20 people.
Uncle Josh was too badly broken up
to even offer suggestion. but there
were men competent to direct and
just at shutdown. after the hardest
days work any Of them ever had put
in, the bottom Of the well was
reached. The dead body of Aunt
Sally was not there. Most of tho
crowd scattered for hone at the news,
all more or less indignant perhaps.
but there were a dozen Old friends
and neighbors who remarked to COM
fort Uncle Josh ami ill their stomachs
at the same time. About o'clock,
after the supper table had been
cleared away and all had gathered in
the parlor, suggestions were offered
as to what should be done en- the
morrow. Aunt Sally might have
gone to the shanty in the sugar-bush
to hang herself. or she might have
drowned herself in the creek to the
south. Some one feelingly observed
that even then her corpse might DO
dangling from limb in the hickory
grove. and Uncle Josh groaned and
wept afresh as he moaned.
"Oh. Sally! Why did We do it.
Why didn't We give me a chance to
fall on IN knees and beg your pardon!
If it was only to do over agin. l
never would give We cross word.
You might sass as much as you liked,
but would't mind it,"
Joshua Beebe. / shall hold you to
that afore all these people"
1t was the voice of Aunt Sally. and
she herself stood in the door between
the parlor and dining-rOom.
..And You hain't deadr' shouted
Uncle Josh, as he sprang up in
amaZement.
..No, / hain't,"
where you bin all the time"'
up in the garrett, was goin' to
sit out. jest as you told me to. but l
prayed over it, and sumthin' told me
TO give Won one more chance 10