The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1894-06-09

saya 'Mebby you wuz his wife in
slavery, says she, but lie his wife
in freedom, en- Jabe's GAVIN ter town
wild Mawse Alexis team
II Jis fellfat. De BRET WIS knocked
outer me.
outlaw, eff dis amt Ant Roxier
say she den. En- l say, L nuver
b1ieved Jabe wud do dat: YOU cudn't
a-beat it inter my head all day long.
ct l wuzn't hyur ter see fer myself.
Whut med you, Tump?'
"She begin ter cry en- said dey
didn't reckin I'd ever be bac'. en- lax
ez not I'd married agin too. l luked
at her street. Dem amt my idees of
marriage says l. 'Whey's my baby,
denT She sorter gasped en- showed
de whites of her eyes.
"'It's dade,' she say, en- de news
sprawled me fiat.
"'Whey is itF I axed.
"'Dade,' she say again.
"'Whey's its little bones, TIE axin?'
"Den she p'inted out de place, en- 1
lef' en- went ter dat leetle grave, whut
wuzn't no bigger'n de crib I'd e it
In las, en- fell down side it Ell hid
my burnin shamefacein it's cool green
grass, en- TO I got up l heard a snap
en- knowed my heart he'd popped in
two at las. 1t was terrible still out in
dem woods. De wind jis' move dc
broom saidge, en- de pine trees roared
'nough ter mex you feel skeery
when yuse way off in a grave.
yard by yo'se'f. Now'n then a
partridge wud whir up en- mex
me jump. All ter wunst I heard
sumpin lax sumpin sayin, Hurry off ?
en- ] nuver stopped ter think it out,
but hurried at wunst.
$50 l KEN down ter dishyer state
en- nuver let on who l wuz tell now.
Dat ole niger out derei is Jabe Scales.
OATS Jumps ole man, not mine, en-
l amt gwan hev speech wild him.
Use too puppindicklar ter resk multi
plyin words wild him.
She broke into sobs again, and we
went to the window.
He looks poor and old and for
saken," we said. "Hear him cough
Look at the old hands shake, and his
toes are out of his boots. His trou-
sers must have been cut when the
water was high, and look at that
coat! Poor, dilapidated old man."
RoXie came and peeped over our
shoulders.
"Dasso," she said. Dat lump
orter patch his buds. He luks lax a
skeercrow, tubbe sho! When Beck
kems, she'll be skeered outer her
senses by him. I'ze gwan put my
scruples in my pocket, en- feed him,
en- clean him up, en- sen him bac' tel
dat lump ter show her how ter treat
a man. She did put ON monstus airs
when she say she wuz his wife in
freedom, lax freedom wuz de pra'1
book. l amt nuver called it SIGH a
fine thing ter be a wife in freedom"
She bathed her face, then went out
into the yard, singing as mournfully
as ever:
"Dey's a Ian dat is fa'rer den day,
En- by faith we kin see 1t far OIL"
She pretended to see nothing but
the clothes on the lines, which she
took off, piece by piece, and put into
baskets. The old man left the steps
and tottered toward her.
"Roxie!" he called in a tremulous
old voice.
"Whut ole man is youl" she asked
turning and looking at him uncon.
cernedly.
"Doan' you know me, Roxie?" he
said, casting a sheepish, ~deprecatina
glance at his rags.
Il guess you ter be some ole mar
slipped off fun de po'house," was the
cool reply.
"RoXie!'
"Or some ole runaway niger beer
hidin yer n befo' de wah."
Nov, Roxie!"
Cor some ole ha'nt of a niger
whut de Ku-Klux hung"
"Why, Roxie!"
COR some ole skeercrow whut go1
bowed erway en- lodged down hyur.'
mo, l amt, Roxie, none O dem
TIE a po', no count ole niger named
Jabe Scales, what ulster live up il
: Tenn'see, dat you wuz married tel
way wunst."
de laws a massy!" exclaimed
RoXie. "Ain't you outer yo' min
| Huhkom you got strayed off SO flu
} fun home then?'
: 81 KEN ter fin you" he said. "
: med s'arch tell I foun you, Roxie."
Roxie's hand clutched at thu
Q clothesline for support, and she look
ed away toward the mountains.
! II got dem papers, dem Light
houses, you sent, Roxie, en- Maws'
Alexis leetle boy ulster read 'em tel
+, me, en- I'd go off by myself er
! think over 'em en- cry, en- at las
cudn't keep fun kemin no longer
Tumpy she done dade en- GAVIN. She
l nuver toll me tell de las dat you wuz
, back dat time, Ell l didn't blame her
l kase it wudn't a-he'ped matters none
!, En- she say, Go hunt Ant RoXie ell
mex it right But l amt akin yor
ter marry me over, RoXie. l know
yuse lukin up higher trees fer better
, berries, but I jis' wanter stay roul
! in hearin of you. Kin l, RoXies'
| RoXie brought her eyes back from