The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-08-04
A SILENT TRAGEDY.
HERolSM OF A MOTHER IN THE
CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS.


A Longing For the Outside World Crushed
Back I'm Her Heart Because She Did Not
want Her Daughters to Learn OF Bright
an Things Beyond Their Reach.
There are tragedies in nearly all peo-
Piles lives, though some may never know
them by that name. We find them, too,
in most unexpected places. which re-
minds me that one day stopped for
dinner Mt house In the Cumberland
mountains 90 deep in thsSastnesses that
had to employ guide to show me the
way to the first road that would take me
ont 10 the county road. The family con-
sisted of man and wife, with sir daugh-
ters, and more ignorant lot Of people
think never saw. After the dinner
OF bacon, beans and corn bread, the man
and girls went back to the field, and I
talked awhile to the woman before re-
surning my journey. She was typical
mountaineeress, tall, angular and sallow,
bat there was gleam of intelligence In
her face, quite unlike the lack lusterness
of>the usual woman of the mountains.
Don't you get very lonely, away off
here to- YOURSELF" asked her az abe
busted about the table.
81 reckon I mought, eff had time"
she replied, "but I don't give myself
no time to think about things like that"
"And what about your girls? Don't
they want to get out among peopleT
"Not ez ever heerd 'em say"
.:Po .:RO they go to school in'winterr'
"Have they never beenr'
'sNot yit," this half apologetically.
"Do they have anything to readp"
''They can't read"
Cant readr repeated In surprise,
for even though the older mountaineers
cannot read and write, as o rule, the
younger ones, under more modern civ
ilization, can.
mo. they can't" she said a. IL irri-
tated by my tone.
care You 90 far from the scheolhouse
that You can't send themy was my next
venture.
"It's two miles. and they could go, but
I won't LET 'em."
This was new phase, and the matter
became more interesting.
'Why notr' asked, with persist
enCe that was risky.
She stopped her work and turned her
face to me.
Them gala, 2 she said, 'sdon't know
mCehin but these here mountains and
that thar river down thar; they don't
know what La goin ON In the world out
side; they never seem no steam cars ner
boats ner telegrafts ner telephones ner
fine houses ner beautiful clos ner gen.
tlemen ner ladies; they don't hardly
know thar's such, but ! do, fer I've saw
people on hez seen 'em, and they've told
me. Many's the night I've gone to bed
and cried myself to sleep In the loft that
wuz my bedroom, thinkin about what
thar wuz in the world that / couldn't
even hope to git look at. got 90 7
could read, and then / read about 'em
all, and that made 1t wuss. Thar wuz
nothin but mountains and loneliness and
silence fer me, and I couldn't help my
self nohow.
"Then / married Jim, and we come
here. Jim can't read ner write, and the
pore feller is satisfied, fer he don't know
| no more than the gals does and they're
company fer each other. The gals
might git like wuz ef they larnt readin
and writin, and how could they ever git
away frum this place and go among sich
different things? They couldn't. jist the
same ez couldn't, and eff kin keep 'em
frum KNOWN whut's away off whar the
mountains amt, ner the lonesomeness,
ner the silence I'm goin ter do it and let
'em live and die right here whar they
air q heap better satisfied than ther
mother has ever been, though they never
heered her say nothin about it, one way
ner t'other, and they never will"
The hard lines of determination had
come into her face when she began
speaking, and could see they were
pressing back the tears of disappoint-
ment as she talked TO me, and when she
turned to her work again she brushed
her eyes hastily, while sat there think
ing OF the silent heroism and uncomplain-
ing sacrifice of this woman, longing in
the solitude of the mountains for the
breadth and the beauty of the world be-
yond them, yet never voicing her wish;
walking straight through the darkness
OF ignorance, knowing of the light above
it, standing fast with her family about
her, az the millions rushed ON toward
the higher attainments of life, crushing
her soul down into its narrow confines
and keeping 1t there, because she realized
that for her and for hers this was the
earth and the fullness thereof. Detroit
Free Press.
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