Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-06-15

comfort 10 me TO stand by his grave
and to have it prove to me that the lies
folks have told about him desertin' me
are lies. Dave Kinney is dead and Pm
going to search the whole west over un-
til I've found his grave and there I'll
make my home and have my worn out
body laid beside him when Pm gone,
too"
She had gone through every cemetery
and had stopped at every grave or little
cluster Of graves by the roadside along
her route. She had asked graveyard
sections so many questions that they
had spoken of her afterward as "some
poor crazy thing wandering over the
country.
Although she declared to her friends
that she knew very we'll that David
Kinney was dead, there was never a
moment when she did not, in the secret
recesses of her poor, troubled heart,
feel that he might still be alive and if
he were! Her heart almost ceased beat.
ing at the thought To find him alive
would be to find him unfaithful to her,
for what could he do or what could he
say to prove that he had not deserted
her?
But maybe he thinks that Pm
dead" she would say, eager to find
some excuse for the man she still loved.
'Ihere was q woman named Martha
kinney died over in Peabody, the next
town to ours, few years ago, and
David may have heard of her death and
thought that she was me-"
And then she would remember that
she had not heard from David for a
year before this other Martha Kinney's
death, and her fears and doubts, her
perplexity and despair, would increase
She had been away from her YER
mont home year on the day that she
came down the Shoshone pass in the
old wagon that could not hold together
for many more miles, while the feeble
footsteps and the labored breathing of
the old horse indicated that his hours
were Numbered.
David had written to his wife once
from the town of Shoshone, and she
felt that it would seem a little like be-
ing near him if she could but tread the
ground his feet had once trod.
Shoshone was almost deserted now.
Three-fourths of its cabins were
empty, but Martha hoped that there
might still be some one left who had
known David Kinney. She clasped her
hands to her wildly beating heart when
she thought that David Kinney him
self might be there.
She was driving slowly down the
mountain side, when the feeble old
horse stumbled and fell heavily to the
ground within fifty yards of the great
Shoshone mine, the only mine of any
value in all that gulch.
Two or three miners came hurrying
forward to Martha's assistance.
One of them lifted the horses head
and let it fall again, saying
why, the poor beast is dead" Mar
tina climbed down from the wagon and
looked at the poor, faithful old horse
with tear-dimmed eyes.
81 don't know how in the world | am
to go on" she said.
You can't go any farther tonight,
ma'am," said another man in tone so
kindly that it belied his rough, almost
savage appearance. 81 guess we can
II lie care of you at the mine for to-
Night, and We'll see what can be done
about your wagon tomorrow Come,
Judkins, let's push it back out of the
road, and, Simpson, you take the lady
up to the captains house, and they
will make her comfortabl there. Mrs.
Dennie amt the person to turn anv
woman away, You'll be made welcome,
ma am"
1.-The captain was the sole owner of
the great Shoshone mine. He happened
to be at the mine now with his wife and
their beautiful little boy They came
to the mine often in the summer time,
and for that reason the captain had
built strikingly beautiful little CO.
tage at the nine, and had furnished it
with degree of elegance that amazed
those who saw it amid its wild and bar
rem surroundings fifty miles from a
railroad.
But nothing that his great wealth