Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1894-05-30


that Dave Kinney Is dead But it'll be
n comfort TO me To stand by hts grave
and To have IL prove to me that the lies
folks have told about him desertin' me
are lies Dave Kinney is dead and I'm
going To search the whole west over un-
til I've found his grave and there I'll
mako my homo and have my worn out
| body laid beside him when I'm gone.
| too"
She had gone through every cemetery
ana had stopped at every grave or little
| cluster OF graves by the roadside along
her route. She had asked graveyard
sections so many questions that they
mad spoken of her afterward as ''some
poor crazy thing wandering over the
country"
Although she declared to her friends
that she knew very we'll that David
Kinney was dead. there was never a
moment when she did not, in the secret
recesses of her poor, troubled heart,
feel that he might still be- alive, and IL
he were! Her heart almost ceased beat
ing at the thought To find him alive
would be TO find him unfaithful TO her,
| for what could he do or what could he
say To prove that he had not deserted
| her?
But maybe he thinks that I'm
dead, she would say, eager 10 find
some excuse for the man she still loved
There was woman named Martha
Kinney died over in Peabody, the next
town TO ours. few years ago, and
David may have heard of her death and
thought that she was me-"
And then she would remember that
she had not heard from David for a
year before this other Martha Kinney's
death, and her fears and doubts, her
perplexity and despair, would increase.
She had been away from her Yer
mont home year on the day that she
came down the Shoshone pass in the
old wagon that could not hold together
Tor many more miles, while the feeble
footsteps and the labored breathing of
the old horse indicated that his hours
were numbered
David had written TO his wife once
from the town of Shoshone, and she
felt that 1T would seem a little like be-
ing near him il she could but tread the
ground his feet had once trod
Shoshone was almost deserted now
ree-fourths of its cabins were
empty, but Martha hoped that there
might still be some one left who had
known David Kinney. She clasped her
hands to her wildly beating heart when
she thought that David Kinney him
self might be there.
She was driving slowly down the
mountain side, when the feeble old
horse stumbled and fell heavily TO the
ground within fifty yards of the great
Shoshone mine, the only mine of any
value in all that gulch
Two or three miners came hurryinp
forward to Martha's assistance
One of them lifted the horses head
aud let it fall again, saying:
why, the poor beast is dead" Mar
tina climbed down from the wagon and
looked at the poor faithful old horse
with tear-dimmed eyes
II don't know how in the world am
to go on" she said.
You can't 90 any farther tonight |
ma'am," said another man in tone so |
kindly that IL belied his rough, almost |
savage appearance. 'I guess we can |
take care of you at the mine for to- |
night, and we'll see what can be done |
about your wagon tomorrow. Come. |
Judkins, let's push it back out of the |
road, and, Simpson, you take the lady |
up 70 the captains house, and they |
Will make her comfortable there. Mrs. |
Dennie amt the person TO turn any
woman away. You'll be made welcome, |
ma'am."
The captain" was the sole owner of |
the great Shoshone mine. He happened |
to be at the mine now with his wife and |
their beautiful little boy They came
to the mine often in the summer time,
and for that reason the captain had
built strilIingly beautiful little CO..
tage at the mine, and had furnished il
with degree of elegance that amazed
those who saw it amid its wild and bar
rem surroundings fifty miles from a
railroad.
But nothing that his great wealth