Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-09-06
MANDY.

Eph Parks and his family lived In
that part OF Livingston county where
the farms are red and gully washed,
where the cornstalks are thin and sick
ly looking and burn yellow in the sun
almost as soon as they are green. He
was strong and rugged, this sturdy
farmer, with his big, bony hands and
nut brown, lean cheeks, and as he |
stood out in the burning August sun, |
striking vigorously at hidden sassafras
roots with his homemade hoe, he was a
striking illustration of those people who
toll throughout their lives with little
Thought of the rest of the world or its
pleasures. Between the rolling, poor
land on which Eph was working and
the road stood two room log house,
scantily protected from the suns rays
by few scrubby black oaks.
At grindstone at the rear of the
house stood an old man grinding away
at an ak. His hair was snowy white.
His wide brimmed straw hat, with its
shoestring band, did not conceal the
deep wrinkles on his face. His hickory
|
looked blistered through the rents. He
rested once in awhile and tested the
edge of his ak with his thumb. This
was Eph's father. A woman almost as
old and long past the age of work sat
on stone in a shady spot watching the
grinding of the ak and remarking III
cracked voice the chances for a crop.
They had failed in this the last season,
and it was of great Importance to them.
The corn bread and bacon had been very
scant of late Eph's parents were very
old and feeble, but they helped as best
they could.
A tall, angular woman of perhaps 49,,
though she looked much older, came to
the door. Her calico dress was solled
and torn. A pair of Eph's boots with
great patches of rawhide and with the
heels run over peeped out from under
her tucked up Dress Her face was hard
and pinched. The sallow color contrast
ed strongly with the dark, almost black
blue of her gown, and when the sleeves
were rolled to the elbows her arms were
brown. One bony hand clutched dish
rag, which she held against the side OF
the door as she shaded her eyes with the
, other She was looking at her husband
as he worked across the red clay field.
The clatter of q horses hoofs on the
hard and gravel washed road was heard.
D Her eyes were turned in the direction o.
. the rapidly approaching rider. A hal:
> dozen children, the eldest a boy of 10
. came from gully near by, where the!
9 had been playing also attracted by tn
? sounds All moved around to the from
3 of the house. To the surprise OF all, tn
stranger pulled up at the fence:
+ "Eph Parks live here?'
2 "Yep, that's him over there in tn
feld," answered the woman.
: The stranger dismounted, tied tn
bride rein to the rail fence and starte,
D across the field toward Eph. The chill
: dren instinctively clustered around thei
!. mother and tugged unconsciously at he
|, dress. She smacked them right and lei
n impulsively. She was watching th
stranger. The man finally reached Epf
% and the two had parley for severe
!" minutes. When they started toward tn
II house, the stranger had hold of Eph
II arm. Eph's parents and his wife an
children were all standing close togethe
st when the pair reached the house.
ID MANDY, this 'ere's government oss
Il fer, and he's cum ter take me way
n- Jail fur maxim them dollars. 'Twan't L
lie harm nohow, le'stwise I'm er churc
s. member yet. "
1e "Hurry up, hurry up said the d
tective. IT want to get to the station
De time to catch the night train.
a GLOW long will yer be gone, Eph!
said his wife. His aged parents stot
s, with their mouths open. They did n
Id understand it at all.
III ''Doan' know" answered Eph as Il
u handouts were adjusted to his wrists.
ne Then the men climbed over the fenc
u The stranger got on his horse and to
Eph to walk along in front Of him. I
rs ". also said that any attempt on Eph's pa
IL to run would cost him his life. The
lV- was no handshaking, no tears. I.
VI men moved off down the scorching b
We We road, leaving the group standing as
as had stood at first, together. The Q
To- ', man and old woman looked at Man
~ = appealingly, but Mandy watched b
> husband and the stranger disappe
l.. in the woods. She stood there in t
IVY sun with her head uncovered long aft
7s- they had moved out of her sight. 7
:. old man and woman went back to t
70 rear Of the house, and the children fin
" W ly resumed their playing. Still S
~ :" stood there, looking. The sun continu
-. his travelling, and finally dropped
l hind the woods in which her husba
had disappeared.
ia eyes, size murmured, "that ther
e,s Jim Dobson's work. He tole on Eph
be She shook her head several tim
;os looked down the road once again a
ito then passed into the house. She p
me pared the scsuty meal without wol
tod There was strange silence in
N house, as if corpse were near. I
not children were put to bed, and soon
an old man and old woman followed. TI
Mandy pulled her stool over to the OF
Of window and looked out into the mig
,ad She placed her elbows on the sill a
an rested her chin in her hands. The me
;ng came creeping up from behind a dist
ot. hill and shed its soft Light over
90 farm. Still Mandy gazed out into
she ---------------