The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-06-29
A TRAGEDY.
The tragedy O. Lone Tree guich,

Yes, sir, can tell ye all about IT, II hap.
pened right over thar where ye see the
water am drippin from that hume. There
warn't no hume there in them times, an
the cabin stood right thar on that spot. It
was clear up the gulch then-way beyond
everbuddy else. The pines growed to mid
din size, an the snow piled up thar in win.
ter powerful deep. The chinooks blowed
acrost the vale. and took the snow off like
dew before the sun, but up here in the
gulch they didn't seem to make much diff.
ferns. Twas sort o. dark an cold in here,
bein shaded by the pines, an it seemed iii
the warm winds never got in.
Bill he wuz queer; everybuddy wondered
what he built his cabin way up here fer,
but he wouldn't please 'em nuff to give 'em
no reason whatsumever Bein his brother,
though, knowed the reason, an twas as
queer as Bill 'imself 'Twant nothin more
ner less than that he wanted to keep Mary
that wuz his wife-from seein or speakiu
TO anybuddy but 'imself
He wuz allus an ornery cuss, wuz Bill,
and when he married Mary Adams an
brought her here from Wyomin to live in
that shack everbuddy felt sorry fer her,
though there waunt none of 'em brave nuff
to say so before Bill She didn't seem to
mind his ways, though--not at first, but
when he showed ez plain ez day that he
wuz jealous of every man that looked her
way she jes' kinder give up sayin much to
any of 'em.
Twas lonesome fer her, too, fer women
wuz scarce hare them times. Bill, he seem
ed to think she wuz prettier than any flower
that blowed on the mountain side which
wuz strange, fer she waunt much to look
NJ foul 10
an brown hair an uncommon soft ways
She waunt awful bright neither, but bet
ter an a truer woman never stepped, an she
worshiped Bill before her Maker.
He built the cabin up there before she
came an had everything ready fer her to
step into it an hang up her hat. These
things may not be interestin to you, stran-
ger, but l can't help recallin the look o.
that cabin under Mary's hans. There wuz
two rooms in it, an a little sort of closet be
hind, dug into the mountain side, that
Mary used fer suller an pantry both.
There wuz door in the front o. the cabin,
but none at the back-take notice what
Pm a-tellin ye, cuz it has BARN on my
story-an the front room wuz uncommon
good size.
It's all changed here now, but can hear
Mary's footsteps yet ez light ez that runnin
water over there, an hear her hummin a.
tune ez she few round a-gittin Bills sup
per.
A bed set in one corner of the big room,
with a red quilt on it, an the light from the
fire danced over it an up onto the ceilin of
the cabin, a-makin purity picter, an one
to make a mans heart ache IL he hadn't
got no woman's hans to make things
bright for him. That wuz the case with
me, stranger. But Mary she wuz like a
sister to me, an If could find the brute
that spattered them cabin walls with her
blood I'd hang him TO that tree over thare.
With my own hans I'd string i'm up, an
shoot his carcass ez full O. holes ez a skim
mer, though he's my own brother.
Where is he? He's a wanderin up an
down the 'arth somewhere, with the mark o.
Cain on his forrerd He disappeared after
the KILN, an though the vigilants never
give over their hunt fer days and weeks
they couldn't find him.
Ye see, twas this way: Mary had cousin
Harry that wanted to marry her in Wyomin,
an when she wouldn't have nothin to do
with him, but married Bill instid an came
here to live, Harry, he most went crazy.
Bill he was jealous just from thinkin that
Harry'd wanted to git her away from him,
an when Harry turned up here after they'd
been married few months Bill wuz pretty
nigh beside 'imself. He didn't treat Harry
nohow, an finally told him that if he didn't
stay away from his cabin led knock his
teeth clean down his throat. That only
made Harry mad, so he KEEP a-comin on
the sly when Bill wasn't there, an Bill he
didn't find it out for long time, but when
he did he raved an cavorted an accused
~ Los hot fa,,iV, pba
So Mary she told Harry he'd haf to stay
away from the cabin er there'd be blood
shed, cuz Bill had an awful temper an wuz
unreasonable when he got mad.
Harry he did stay away fer a long time
after that, but one afternoon he come ag'in
an KEEP stayin till most time fer Bill to
come home. Mary she got uneasy ali KEEP
a-fidgetin round, a-lookin at the door an
at Harry zif she wuz half scarf to death
That wuz when they'd been married three
years, an the little un was a-toddlin round
the cabin askin questions an a-taken in
everything with them big blue eyes o. hern.
Ye see, was there that night. I'd come up
TO see Bill bout doing some 'sessment work
together an wuz a-playing with the baby
till he come.
Bimeby Mary walked up to Harry and
says to 'im-fer she never minded me
more'n Zif I'd been her own brother-"Har-
ry, ye mus CO. It's mos time fer Bill to
come, an he mustn't find ye here. Bill, he
amt never liked ye little bit, an l don't
want no trouble atween ye, SO it's better
ter It ye should go away an stay away
don't want ye to come here no more"
Harry, he got up sulky like an went out
without saying a word, an 'twant but a few
minutes fore Bill he come a striding up
the gulch, looking black as usyul, with his
arms folded 'crost his chest an scowl on
his face. He most always walked that
way, with his arms folded an takin long
strides as if he owned the hull Gulch.
The snow was awful deep, an it was bitin
cold, an l can hear now the crunch, crunch
o. Bills feet on hehard path that led up to
the cabin door. Somehow felt a shudder.
in go over me when heerd that crunchin.
1t seemed zif there wuz something horrible
in the air that night, though I'd been
through many a tough scene, an hadn't
never had that feelin before
Mary she was busy with her supper, an
Bill he took a chair by the fire, jes' barely
gruntin at me. The little un ran to him
an begun to tell him in her nrattlin wav