New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-07-04
MANDY.

: & { r. 3 }gE
8: 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
y looking and burn yellow in the sun
almost a. 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 q
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 a two room log house,
scantily protected from the suns rays
by few scrubby black oaks.
At a 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 it's
shoestring band, did not conceal the
deep wrinkles on his face His hickory
shirt was torn and faded, and the skin
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 in a
cracked voice the chances for 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 10,
though she looked much older, came to
the door. Her calico dress was soiled
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 a 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 horses hoofs on the
hard and gravel washed road was heard.
Her eyes were turned in the direction OF
the rapidly approaching rider. A hall
dozen children, the eldest boy of 10,
came from gully near by, where they
had been playing, also attracted by the
sounds. All moved around to the front
of the house. To the surprise of all, the
stranger pulled up at the fence:
''Eph Parks live here?'' +
''Yep, that's him over there in the
field," answered the woman. "
The stranger dismounted, tied the
bride rein to the rail fence and started
across the field toward Eph. The chill
dren instinctively clustered around theil
mother and tugged unconsciously at he1
dress. She smacked them right and left
impulsively. She was watching the
stranger. The man finally reached Eph,
and the two had parley for several
! minutes. When they started toward thu
house, the stranger had hold of Eph't
| arm. Eph's parents and his wife anG
children were all standing close together
when the pair reached the house.
Mandy, this 'ere's a COVE ment ossi
| fer, and he's cum ter take me way tt
| Jail fur maxim them dollars 'Twan't M
harm nohow, le'stwise I'm er church
member yeti
Hurry up, hurry up, - said the de
tective. IT want to get to the station IL
time to catch the night train . e
'sHow long will yer be gone, Eph?'
said his wife His aged parents stoot
with their mouths open. They did no
understand it at all.
'sDoan' know answered Eph as tn,
handouts were adjusted to his wrists.
| Then the men climbed over the fence
The stranger got on his horse and tolt
Eph to walk along in front Of him. 81,
also said that any attempt on Eph' s par
to run would cost him his life. Their,
was no handshaking, no tears. TIL,
men moved off down the scorching no
road, leaving the group standing as j
had stood at first, together. The OLE
man and old woman looked at Mandy
appealingly, but Mandy watched he
husband and the stranger disappear
in the woods. She stood there in tn,
sun with her head uncovered long aftel
they had moved out of her sight. TIL,
old man and woman went back to Thu
rear Of the house, and the children final
! " resumed their playing Still shs
stood there, looking. The sun continued
his travelling, and finally dropped be-
hind the woods in which her husband
had disappeared.
Yes, = she murmured. :. that there,
i Jim DObeon q work He tnle On Enh Z