Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-11-22

Harker'
Yes. Pruliettes smart-a real Yer
monter (our folks is Yankees, spite the
name). George told me how she found
him; it was evenin' an he was in one
of them dance halls-queer places they
must be, too, from Georges tellin'; she
Jest came right in 'mongst them
painted women an swearin' men, an
goin' up to him, her eyes a-blazin', she
puts her hand on his shoulder 'Ar'n't
We 'shamed? says she; you runaway
husband, you! Come with me back to
your wife, an no words bout it,
AN George says he wilted right
down. The women they cried out:
'Hurraw fur the woman dep'ty sheriff.
An the men they hoilered too. an
was goin' to pass round hat fur her;
but she said she didn't want their
money. | alters thought she he'd some
idee of runnin 'crost her old sweet
heart and little Mandy out there. But
she was better at findin men fur
other women.
Gas Pruliette gets older an more
silent her tongue keeps just as sharp;
it's like razor, gettin' sharper, less
you use it. We hardly speaks, an
hevn't eat together fur years.
s'pose she'll alters live with me-" and
Hiram sighed unconsciously; fur by
fathers will she has right to home
an a livin' on the old place, an kin
pasture six head of cattle on it, an
keep hens It's bad fur woman, not
hevin' real home of her own. She's
got dreadfully solitary. She won't
even hev' no cat nor dog-nothin' but
thet old blue hen thet she's got used
to, an likes to hev round. It's a
GURUS hen, follers her bout an never
seems to want to set She takes COM
fort with it. s'pose women folks hes
got to hev' somethin' to fuss over"
1t was growing late; so we got up
and bade Hiram good night. He, too,
rose and moved slowly off toward the
house, as if in no great hurry to reach
1t.
Poor Hiraml" said Miss Larned;
''his sister must be trial to him. I
suppose he'd like to marry and live as
other men do. OF course, no woman
viii marry him, knowing that
Pruliette has got to live with them,
and he's fast getting to be an old man.
But did you notice her eyes?-almost
an amber color. I'm sure she must
have been very pretty girl"
A few days later Mrs. Loriug and her
little daughter, six years old, Olive
Loring, came to the camp. One evening
Olive walked with me to the Kelly
farmhouse She was gentle little
thing. somewhat shy with new ac-
quaintauces
Miss Kelly was busy in the wood
shed and back kitchen. ''Takes all
my time cookin' fur the hayin' help"
she grumbled, with unusual garrulity.
"Men folks want to be eatin', eatin',
eatin'p'
She stared hard at Olive, ald finally
went into the pantry and brought out
little cake that looked very dry and
old. Here's somethin' fur ye, little
gal" she said, thrusting it into the
child's hand.
Olive drew back, receiving the gift
with a hardly audible murmur of
thanks. On the way home she was silent,
and l saw she had been frightened
by the grim-look ing old woman.
The Larneds got their eggs and but
ter and milk from the Kelly farm. and
had been in the habit of sending for
them. Several times in the course of
the next week Miss Kelly brought
these supplies to the camp herself
She spoke little on these occasions,
but her manner was less surly than
it had been. Each time she brought
some trifie for Olive Loring, but Olive
continued to be afraid of her.
Co. Ill
started off to spend the day fishing
near some islands to the west of us.
Rufe, the man-of-all-work, was left In
charge of the camp AS the morning
was hot and sultry, none of the ladies
went with us. preferring to stay on
the cool, breezy point.
Early In the afternoon Mrs Larned
wished to send Rufe on an errand to a
farmhouse standing on the end of u
point that stretched out into the lake
parallel with ours; deep bay about
half mile wide separated the two
points. Olive asked to go with Rufe,
and no objection was made, she being
accustomed to go about with him.
Two boats had been left at the camp;
one was a large, heavy skiff, the other
q little canoe which was used for pad
ding about in on quiet evenings.
Rufe took the big skiff. and rowed
away with Olive sitting in the stern.
A hot, thick haze hung over the water,
and from the camp they could hardly
make out the boat as il neared the
point opposite.
Suddenly all the vapor that had filed
the air seemed to gather into black
II IL
with streaks OF flame, ana emitted
hoarse growls
at will be n thunderstorm" ex,
claimed Mrs. Loring ~ wish Olive
was here with me; she's SO afraid OF
thunder"
IL happened that Pruliette Kelly had
come to the camp with a pail of but
ter They invited her 10 stay till the
shower was over.
Now blast OF hot wind swept over
the lake and caught the haze up with
it, carrying it off to the angry black
cloud, which had swollen till It filed
nearly the whole sky As the haze
vanished objects near the opposite point
could be more clearly distinguished.
"See," cried Mrs Loring, isn't that
the boat pulling out from shore? Oh,
why dosn't Rufe stay at the farm
housel How can he be so foolishl"
Pruliette drew Mrs. Larned back.
THE little gal is alone in thet there
boat" she said, in n solemn whisper.
"Rufe must a-left her in IL when he
went up To the house; an that sudden
wind druv IL off the shore. The Ran
dali boat must be away from homeI
fur ] kin see Rufc runnin' up an down
the bank an if't was there he'd foller
her. The wind is drivin' the boat right
toward u.s."
The rain began to fall in torrents,
churning the already vexed water till
it seemed 20 boil. IL was one of those
violent thundcrstorms to which Lake
Ontario Is subject during the hot sea.
son. 1t grew dark, and the boat was
hidden. When the rain stopped n cold
hurricane rushed by, ana the panic
stricken water fed before IL In swift,
hcadlong waves. Now the boat was
visible again, tossing about, seeming
to share the agony OF the water.
The woman could sec Olive clinginR
to seat, in constant danger Of being
thrown out; the blast carried her shrill
screams 10 their ears. See, the boat
may be driven against the pointv
n -