Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-07-05


-Air. Graville wanted me to cone on
and be married az his home ! drew
what money had saved ont Of the saw
ing bank. sold my watch aud came on
Ny etepmother wassglad 10 get nd sf
me. ] got here yesterday. He had said
be would meet me &c this landing-it
would be a pleasant ride out TO his cot
tage. fad wutien a ierter JUST peroro
/ left. saying when ] would arrive. !
found nobody TO meet me. ] asked the
way to Mr.. Alexander Gravilles. No
body could tel until an old darky sung
ouh
sVDat wfaee, bihah mus mean ole
Sandy Gravel He live back here in the
swamp, but he amt got no ca'age to send
for nobody. Got nuthin but er oyart.
Hits here now. His son Ben driy' in
TO git some pervisions'
q Has he a SOM l asked
"4Got swarm Of EN- was fiD an
swer. 'All done married bat Ben
SMy mind misgave me, but had no
place to 60 to-no money, so ] hunted up
Ben and told him was going to his fa-
Tiers house. He was freekled, patched.
stupid looking young man. He looked
at me with eyes and mouth open In
! amazement and was so bashful that re-
Trained from asking questions. Ineyer
hinted to Ben that had come on TO be
his stepmother.
~On we drove, over stumps and roob
and gulliss- through mud and swamp5.
Il seemed TO be 20miles At last we drew
up before dingy, two roomed house
with shed OF the back. A few seruggy
! peach trees and q neglected grapevine
were the only green things in the yard
| beside the weeds. A woman was milk
| ing a serawny COW in front Of the gate.
She had her back to US and a sunbonnet
on. Two shock headed, barelegged chill
| dren sat on the fence. They gave the
alarm when they saw stranger in the
cart, and man. who had been squatted
In fence corner holding off the calf got
up and came toward us.
"'Thaes pap said Ben.
"Ho looked nearer 60. than 30. He was
| grlEEle and snaggle toothed; his neck
was red and wrinkled. He came up to
the cart. He was agitated and ehewed
his tobacco wonderfully fas6 got up
from the -four sack.
i am Amelia Jones'
"He turned very red and told his son
to carry the sack Of -four into the house.
81 wasn't expectin YOU he said It's
so long since you wrote.'
@'You have deceived me- burst out.
you said you had nice home, en-
bowered in vines and fruit trees. You
said you were 80. You said you had
only two little girlS You said you were
rish'----
emo, l d5dnf,' he interrupted. 4 said
had 1000 ssreH OF land--so have
though big part OF 1t Is swamp. Acres
don't make folks rieh in these parts.
This ain1t New York / said was 35.
didn't say I was few years over, for
I'm spry and young enough for any wo-
man. said / had two little girls livin
with ue-sHld nuthin about the boya.
They're al big fsilews and married and
gone, ASept Ben. AS tos The house, ain't
that good housss-double pen and
shed to bootl Don't leak unless 1t rains
and Est nraa rate chimney. And amt
thcre @ vine! And what's the matter
With hen peseh tzaeS-eips thTe
truitr s...ssea.,s - -
! "'And DO You imagine any young wo-
man in. her senses would marry you and
live hereY l cried
@'Do y Well, there's no imagination
about IT, There's three women have
married me and lived hore. Two of ems
dead and buried, and yonder stands
Fother. Isouldn't hear from you. Icon
eluded you was playin me Yankee
trick; ,souldn't wait nohow. So 1 mar
ried Miss Susan Barnes, and II you say
she ain't young woman In her senses,
why, sh9-
Why. TIL show her--that's what Ell
| DO, said Mrs. Grayille No, 8, dropping
her milk pail and rolling up her sleeves
as she came TO the side Of the cart.
Il begged Ben to drive me back to the
river, and here l am-waiting to take the
first boat. Eve played the fool, and I'm
punished. It's crushed all the silly ro
nance out Of me. How I'm to pay my
passage, / don't know. III offer to dc
shambermaid's work.
~But this Miss Amelia Jones was not
forced to do ole Sandy Graville' came
to the front He proved to be not sucl
bad lot after all. He rode up presently
on bony mustang and promptly gave
the little 'Yankeeasehoolmarm enough
money to pay her passage back, with al
additional sum to cover the expense o.
her coming. He had drawn on his cot
ton crop. He looked cast down ant
sheepish. He explained to his friends il
this wise;
i I was fool-a doggone fool, but
meant 1t all honest. Iput kind Of rost
color over things in that advertisement
It's the way you do in ths papers, SO tha
young postmaster said. He put me VI
to it. He wrote the ad and the letters
| really speetsd to marry her, but X
give my promise to Susan in q kinder
joky way. and she held me to it. / didn'
hear from tother one. Bayou was VI
and critters all in the plow, and I ain
been TO the postofice In fall six weeks
I'm awful sorry to disappint the girl
but, Lor' sakesl shenever would a suited
Nice loohn-a fair daisy--but Susar
could 5es 60 all around her doin house
work, let lone takin hand In the crop
in the press Of chopin out or cotton
pickin.'"
Miss Jones dld not return to New Yorl
at once. She remained in the neighbor
hood several weeks. Hospitality entertain
cd By old Captain Stewart, q war vet
eran, and hiI wife, She very nearly dc
eidsd to become the goyerness Of th
captains little granddaughter and sas
her lot with the r'big hearted southern
srs," as she called US. in spite Of her ez
~.