Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-04-15


screamed "Murder!' so loud that II
lamp lighter passing along the stree;
heard it and he yelled out the word Il.
the top of his voice. Two policemen.
who had been helping hired girl in a
reighboring house to dispose of some
leftover dinner, rushed to the scene,
but upon learning the cause of the
trouble hurried back to their beats.
Christmas, like all other days, has an
end, and after supper the company as
sembled in the little parlor, where the
events of The day were recounted.
Tom, poor fellow, had gone home with
sore nose, troubled mind and his
handsome satin necktie stained with
blood. Murtha had gone to the club.
leaving Bertha, Mrs. Murtha, her sister
and half dozen other relatives to
spend the evenings as best they could.
One after the other of the happenings
were gone over, when Mrs. Murtha
happened to think of the opal ring,
and gave full vent to her belief, to the
editication of the others.
Among those present was Miss Sallie
Archer, of Parkersburg. She had come
to spend the holidays in the city. She
was old enough to remember the
time when William Henry Harrison
was elected to the Presidency. When
she had heard of the opal ring she said:
Mercy save us! No wonder you've had
such time. Why, do you know, L at.
tribute all the bad luck of my life to o
beautiful opal breastpin that William
Woltinger, a near and dear friend OF
mine, had given me on my twentieth
birthday. l was then teaching dis
trict school, and the very first day I
wore the breastpin to school, one of
the larger boys, John Butler, who was
regular scapegrace, coaxed an old
crazy man into the school, and the first
thing [ knew, the mau had taken
charge of the scholars. He even COM
PEELED me to take a seat among the
girls and made me answer every ques-
tion in the days lessons He took
down the large maps and number of
charts from the walls and smeared
them all over with red and black ink.
Then lie took it into his head that [
would look better if 1 had black
face. He got several of the boys to
hold mo while he took sponge and
rubbed the horrid ink all over my face
and neck, leaving my nose and ears,
which he afterwards painted with the
carmine ink.
How [ got home that day 1 never
knew, but after rushed from the room,
the children following me, the crazy
man kicked over the stove and set fire
to the building, which was completely
destroyed. | was so frightened that I
took sick and was kept indoors all win
ter. Mr.. Wolinger visited me regu-
larl y, and one night, as he was going
home, he fell into hole while crossing
a field and broke his left leg and right
arm, dlslocated his right hip and
sprained his left wrist.
He was taken home and doctored
for nearly year before he got we'll
enough to go outdoors. The very first
day he began attending to his farm
work he was seized by ferocious hog
while clearing out the pig pen, and sc
badly injured that he never recovered
till he took the small ,pox and died from
it the next Autumn. Poor mani Hs
was patient sufferer, q devoted love:
and as true man as ever walked.
"On the day we buried him J. was 10
overcome with grief that 1 stepped
right into his grave in the old cemetery
just as the sexton began filling in the
'clods of the valley and I fracture,.
my thigh. Misfortunes came thick and
fast. Brother Wills four year-old col.
broke out of the pasture field one day
and kicked over six bee-hives. Tho
bees stung the colt so bad that it died,
and when Aunt Ann and went out to
see what was the matter they attac ked
us, and We were both stuug blind in
less than no time.
1.-Two years later, after had rccov-
cred from my grief over poor William
departure. a gentleman from Ohio,
widower with ten charming children,
came to live in our neishborhool. l
called at their home and became SO
interested with the eldest dau ghter that
| could not stay away from the house.
Aaron Thorp was his ma me. Well, We
became in terested in each other, and
one night shall never forget it-hs
asked me to marry him. l was 50
taken by surprise that asked for II
week to consider the proposition
had my mind made up to consent.
but before the week was up the poor
man was in his grave, having died sud
denly from apoplexy.
The next year l fell into the we'll
and would have drowned had not my
old friend, Jessie Thompson heard my
cries and rescued me. Strange as it
may seem, Jesse became interested in
me, and we were engaged to be mar.
ried. | still wore the opal brooch. One
bright Summer day, as he was driving
mo to picnic in his buggy, the horse
ran away, upset the buggy, broke my
right arm, and there laid poor Jessie in
the road with his neck broken I was
two years in recovering from my broken
arm and lacerated heart.
Time, however, is great healer,
and before the third year had expired
Scotchman. Archibald MacGregor.
came to our house selling patent
churn. He boarded three doors from
us, and he aud were thrown into each
others company, we both being MEM
bers of the church choir. He came
frequently to the house and played the
melodeon while we sang together. Our
attachment ripened into love, and th4
day was fixed for our wedding. Two
days before it arrived "A strange woman
"ith three children came to the neigh