Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20

ole farmers cabin fur Arizony, ez wuz ter
| married me, bit run'd erway long o. Nose
Adkins; md now they's both a comm back
like ernuff with a remshun o. money
| don see eff thur so rich. wat they wants
| ter patch up this ole shack fur. Perhaps
| hits ter do ern twell they kin put up bet
| ter one"
The Parson slowly slid down the roof,
dropped to the ground and went inside.
| The aspect of the dingy room reminded
| him strongly of its past association with
| the early love dream of his lifelong stern
| y burieo-yet, of late. stirring in its sepul-
cher despite his resolve and his self-repre-
| hension. A bed and some chairs had been
| brought over by kindly neighbors. The
| Parson, with a womanly care he felt half
ashamed of. had taken from his own house
| bedding. dishes, and his only looking glass,
| with one of his two tables.
| They won't think much on 'em, / reck-
| in," he thought, but they'll do 'em twell
| they hev time ter buy better ones. Lemme
| see! Wuz hit on that side Of the firepla &c
er on thish yur, ez fus' tole Arizony how
| l-wal-yes-how keered fur her? b'lieve
she Wuz a-settin' thar-'nd / wuz erbout
nyur. The Parson placed himself on the
he still saw some lingering sign Of Arizony's
| long vanished presence. Hit wuz way
| over yonder, by the bed, ez she finally tole
i me yes; nd thar's whur 1 Rugged nd kissed
er when old Farmer com'd in md caught
me. 1 wuz plum skeerd, bit the old man.
he unly larfed. Old Farmer TUX ter me. he
did, no he atrally hated Nose. Nd then
| nd then" the Parsons tones after all
| these years. shook a little, 1.-THE very mex
night bit two after that she run'd on long
O. Nose Adkins. md hain't seen err heerd
OF ,er tweli that thar letter. Hit air strange
| ez Nose didn' write it."
He now stood silent-pondering-up the
| very spot where, quarter of a century
| before. he had told his love. For the time
the usually self-controlled preacher had van
ished-there was only a sad-faced. elderly
man. gently grieving over what might have
| been.
A noise of falling draw bars" outside In.
| terrupted his reverie. Then steps, that
sounded timid and hesitating came across
| the yard. the door slowly opened, and q
faded. worn-lookng woman stood peering
within. The Parson was behind a corner OF
| the fireplace; she did not at first see him.
| She looked fearfully around, as though
| dreading some unwonted appearance and
| closed the door behind her without turning
This rendered the Parson visible as he
dropped from her hands as she again grasp
ed the door latch in alarm. He at once
| came forward.
Il reckin yore a stranger erbout hyurr'
| ne said. Wat kin 1 do fur yer
me woman after another rapid glance
| around. replied:
Il tho't this-isn't this the old Farmer
house?'
ITO be shore-w'at thur air lef' of It.
We'uns hev ben a-patchin it up a leetle fer
Nose Adkins md his wife. bit mus low hit
| mar fy Wuth the truble.
Hit air all hev ler now with comm
| to-" she said with weary sigh. and-as her
face turned sideways. while the window
| light sharpened a profile fair indeed vet
sorely accentuated by time and suffering
the Parsons heart gave a great throb;
lump after lump rose in his throat. blockins
, his utterance for a moment. Then he hall
whispered: "Arizony!"
The woman regarded him intently. and a
wan smile parted her lips as she said: .Is
that you-Lem Kimbro?'
| "Whar's Mose?" inquired the Parson feel.
Ing Incapable of adequately expressing HIS
| looks.
n, Nose Sc, died three yur er more back
How could we when you 'uns never wrt,
nuthin'?''
II tole 'em ter write: bit ez I never got
no answer. Just tho't ye'd all never furxuy
the way me md Nose ler hyur md
wu'dn' write no more 'twell-'tweil had
| ter"
"We'uns didn' git no letter ez riccorlick
on he replied, "'twell We writ tother iay "
SO this was Arizony-worn. faded. horne
less. and alone-driven. doubtless by neces-
sity rather than inclination back to the
home of her childhood. Had Parson Kimbro
felt that the past still owed him satisfac g
ton. he might have smiled at the slow re-
venge Of time. As It was. a deep sense OF
pity was sheathing his heart from selfish
| retrospection: and in contrasting what she
had been with what she was now, his kindly
|
SO much loverlike as those Of a parent for q
prodigal child.
He had thought to behold her ride IN
sun blooming and buxom-with Nose. who
| would Doubtless be well preserved and pros
perous-both of them OVERLOOKING with good
spirits and the lucre of the great west
he mad dwelt upon their return as being
h more bright and dramatic than their flight
had been dark and semi-tragic
Snoogaioo would applaud, and all ears be
nlied with cheering gossip of their strange
careerIending gloriously where it had
gloomily begun-at old Farmers. who had
"cussed' Nose often enough in his own
lifetime
II see." she said after a somewhat Cd
pressive silence that you'uns did fix up a
ieetle for me. I alrays knowed We he'd 3
kind heart, Lem, nd that hoped me up ter
send that thar letter. didn't know nary
soul yelse ter trouble 'cepn' you
| wal wal, Arizony," the Parson recov.
cred his severe balance with an effort, ''tha,
wuz all right. We-that is I-weren't able
ter do much. An ole bachler like me vain
atan' ter do much in the way Of house
hxin'. But sech ez hit is" he hesita ted
yet resolved then and there that Arizony
should keep these few things, though he
had to secretly buy those not his own
"Ahem! such ez hit is"
md We never married. then" she said
sadly. ""''
mo. Arizony; TUX ter preachin', md
somehow 1 didn't keer ter. Marryin' md
sarvin' the Lord didn' seem ter work to.
gether fer me after you left. Not bit wa,
you did right, tho, in takin' the man 81
yor own chico. I hopes Nose wur good tel
We, Arizony."
II dunno| reckin he tried to be-for q
while-bit-rm master tired. Lem-seem,
like I'll halter to sit down."
She sank into chair while Che Parson
suddenly remembered that she might be
hungry.
''Thass right" he said. "res' yorese'f q
bit, nd member, yore in yore own house
now. I'll SEM Pack over with some dinner
nd the women folks IL be a-commin' IN
when they hyurs yore hyur. You hahn
furgot Pack, hev We. Arizony?'
| MY poor hrother! Whose ben a-keerin'
fer i'm all this yer timer"
He made out ter stay long o. me attic,
yore pap died"
"Ah me! Lem Kimbro, yo've ben a.
heapin' Goals of fire on my sinful head fur
yurs. nd never knowed"
The Parson got out OF the house hurried.
ly. to prevent an open exposure Of what lac
feared was an unwomanly show of SYM
pathy. Arizony sat motionless for a long
while her face kindling with a gentle color
then slowly whitening, until 1t remained as
though carved in marble.
When Choogaloo found out the real facts
concerning Arizony's return, the general
| verdict was that time had served her right.
| There were few sympathizers but gossip
| Is proverbially heartless, when her victims
| return upon fortunes reluctant hands beg
CARED and forlorn.
| Arizony. however, quietly settled down.
went nowhere. and by the Parsons tact