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

cover was coming down the ShoShone
trail, drawn by beny and feeble old
horse A woman in limp calico sun
bonnet and dust-covered dark calico
gown sat up on the front seat holding
the reins. She had never been a pref
ty woman, and she was long past her
youth. Her straight black hair was
plentifully streaked with gray; her
heavy gray eyes and her sallow cheeks
were sunken; the corners of her mouth
had downward curve; she was hol-
low-chested, and when she coughed,
which was frequently, one of her long
fingered, toil-worn hands was clasped
to her breast.
She was alone in the wagon. She
had come alone in it from little I'M
heard-of town away back in Vermont.
The newspapers ia the towns along
the route had had a great deal to say
about this lone woman going from Yer
mont to the Rocky mountains alone in
a little old wagon, moving at a snails
pace in this day of flyer" and "thun-
derbolt" express trains, speeding along
over the same route.
But Martha Kinney had not seen the
papers, and she did not know nor care
how often she had been referred to as
"a lone and lorn female" nor how
many feeble witticisms had been per-
petrated at her expense. And she
knew why she had chosen to come all
those weary miles in the old wagon in
stead of by rail. She was a silent
woman, and she had not given the
curious minded much information
when they had asked her where she
was from and where she was going,
and why she travelled as she did.
She would say briefly that she was
from Vermont" and that she was go
ing 'out west" and none of her ques-
TONERS ever knew how wildly her heart
was beating, mol what it cost her to
maintain calm demeanor when she
sometimes asked with affected careless,
ness if they happened to know any
one by the name of Dave Kinney 'rounu
here?"
She contin ued to ask this question in
every town through which she passed.
and when asked who and what Dave
Kinney was she would say carelessly:
"Oh, he's man used to know hack
in Vermont, a carpenter, though he
could turn his hand to most ANYTHING.
We was born in the same town and he
came out west good many years ago
and amt never been back to Vermont
since. don't know just where he set
tied and | thought it might be barely
possible that he'd settled round here
some place"
She would have been glad to have
been told that David Kinney was dead
Better this than to know that he was
alive and unfaithful to the wife he had
left in the little Vermont town when
he went ''out west years ago,
lie had written often at first, and his
letters had been kindly and affection
ate He had said that he would send
for her when he had struck it rich" in
the mountains or when things became
"a little more civilized" and "a fit
place for woman to live in" Until
then it would be better for her to stay
in her comfortable, if humble, Vermont
home.
His letters had been mailed at various
post offices and he had written about
being very unsettled" and that was
another reason why he could not send
for her. lie was prospecting" he
wrote, and he might make his pile
any day"
Then his letters had become more
and more irregular and finally they had
failed her entirely Her own letters
were returned FROM the dead letter
office and, after ten years of weary
waiting for news of David Kinney, his
wife had sold her poor possessions and
had bought a horse and wagon and
had started ''out west" to find the hus-
baud who had deserted her.
Not that I've any idea of finding
him alive, " she had said to her Vermont