The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-08-06
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side. took her by the hand, an,
; said:
Nelly, don't you remember me
Iou are tired after your long walk
won't you go home with mcT
She looked up with a strange lool
in her black eyes, and smiled in u wa,
that made my heart ache, and said
sadly:
"Go away. Go away! | will not q,
In TO the ball tonight Edward is no
here to go with me--thcy have carried
him OF to prison! They have got m,
baby, too. They killed it. This is al
! have left me--you shall not have it.
And she hid the picture in her bosom
u cauld not get her to go home will
me; but | persuaded the boys to &c
away, and then followed Nell to The
old house by the rivers side, from
which could not coax her away. Tho
next day your grandfather sent word
over and took her back, for Farmer
Simpson left enough to maintain her.
They hired woman to take care OF
| her at tho old farm house, but she
| slipped away and came again over here
They carried her back, but it was OF
no use, sho came here again, when
they concluded to lot her remain, as
shc was harmless.
L uSS ioGCu uCI up lew rooms,
whore she has ever since lived her
lonely life-and she has never crossed
threshold or entered any door-yard
but mine all these long years. always
set out her basket Of food, which she
comes and takes, as you saw her last
night. Poor Nell! Hers has been a
hard lot but she is getting old now,
and will soon go to the land whore sor-
rows never come, and the weary arc
at rcst.' Well, fathcr," looking up, as
my grandfather entered the door, lean
ing on his cane, Il have been telling
Isabel about poor Molly Simpson,"
"l}ut what became OF Nclly's husband
Edward Caroy?" asked. "What
did they do With him ?"
"Wcll, he was sentenced to States
prison for ten years" answered my
grandfather: "Dut his friends were rich
and powerful, some think they bribcd
the jailcr and other authorities, for one
day his cell was empty and the bird
had flown. suppose they got him of
to foreign Dal is, as he was never heard
from since that day. Phcw, how the
snow blows. hope cid Nell will keep
close till this storms over, or she'll be
likely to sullcr. III 20 over there in
tho morning, mother, and sec if all's
comfortable. 'Tain't right for her to
be left there alone to herself, to my
mind"
1t must have boon an hour later, and
grandma's knitting-nccdles and tho
storm without had lullcd me into a
quiet doZc, when suddenly the stamp
ing Of feet was h ard on the doorstep
and awoke to behold grandpa hasten
ing to the door with ~ candle, and MIR.
Saunders and John Armstrong, two OF
the ncighbors, lifting Il form all cover
cd with snow into the entry.
II blicvc, Ncighbor Rutledge, we've
got Crazy Nell here stark and stir.
Stumbled over her on tho turnpike,
right in the road. and the snow drift
ing all over her. My horse stopped
stock still, and John and | got out to
see what the matter was, for it's SO
dark You can't see your hand before yc
Jest bring some campfire, Miss Rut-
! lcdgc.'
Grandma and ran to the closet COR
| rcstorativcs, while they brought poor
Nell to the fire.
"liettcr go aftcr Dr.. kittrcdEc,
| ing into old Neirs white face, from
which grandma had just put away the
tang led gray hair all dripping with
melting snow.
But the message was in vain. An
our rubbing and blankets, and hot
water which grandma brought, could
not bring poor Nell back to life And
when Old DR.. kittrcdgc came, he only
shook his gray head, and said, solemn
ly:
"lt is all over. Poor Nell-shcs got
home ut lust
Then the neighbOrs came in and the
sad event Of the evening was talked
over. One had seen her walking slow
~ along the turnpike At night(all. APP
parcntly toward her home, the hut 10y
the river Bat, alas for poor Nell
perhaps blinded by the drifting snow.
she had become bcwildcrcd and sank
down whore it had woven its soft,
white mantle around hcr-that soft,
white mantle underneath which she
| calmly went to sleep, For a smile was
| ON her aged, wrinklcd face; and when
the women loO5cnGd her tattcred gown
| they found Il iadcd miniature upon her
| brcast--thc beautiful, but false, face Of
| the hctraycr Of her youth
Perhaps on the threshold Of the un
Known land they met again--thc be-
traycr and the bctraycd--and Edward
CArcy's guilty soul shrank back with
bitter scll-accusation, AS he turned
away TO his own world OF darkness,
while up TO the white courts nf heaven
the RedGcmcr led, "Clothcd and in her
right mind,' ono whom we knew on
earth as Crazy Neil.