Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-05-12
An [DYL "sIHKlT M0UIflH.'
p LARRY sTILLwELL EDWARDS.
lCopfright, lsao, by The Century Company.
Al rights reserved.


once kept the pigs and chickens from his
mothers humble flower garden and
ganH fixedly at the mountain before
him His was not striking figure, be-
iny lank and somewhat round shoulder
ed. il was not even picturesque. A pair
Of WORN jean trousers covered his lower
liml|s and were held in place by knit
"galluses, p" which crossed the back Of
his bottom shirt exactly in the middle
and disappeared over his shoulders in
we'll defined grooves, A stained and
ba,t|red wool hat hung like bell over
his head. which rested by his chin upon
a reE. rough hand. The face was half
covered by reddish brown beard, the
first If his budding manhood.
The sun had just sunk beyond The
mOuhtain. and in the great shadow that
crept across the single field Of starving
corn and the tobacco patch deepened in
to twilight. and still the young man
rest, [d ON the picket fence Occasionally
he Iould eject into the half defined
road. which came around one side II the
mou n'ain and disappeared around the
Other. stream of tobacco juice and PEN
sively watch il rs il lined the gravel
and vanished into the soil with some
thinE like a human gasp. Once he lift
ed d bare foot and with prolonged ef-
furtIScratChcd with its horny tees the
calfIof the supporting leg. But by no
motion did he disSipate the air II list
lessik ikcss and dcspondency that hung
abo,lt him.
FIrtune had not smiled upon M
Syk Is family for many moons. There
wert no pigs to DISTURB the flower gar
den ovcrTun with princes feathers,
bachelors buttons. four o'clocks, old
malls and sunfiowcrs. and the dismouri
ed d ate leaned rcstfully against the post
on which il had once hing. Somehow
everything in the neighborhOod Of the
SykI = cottage seemed inclined 10 lean
tow krd something else. The COW was
lonJ gone. and the tiny little boarded
shed. which straddled the sparkling
sprihg branch near at hand and served
ono, as dairy, was lurching toward
the hillside.
Near the staggering fence was bench
that had settled back against II, thrust
ing hts legs well 90 the front. and there
onc,l nestled score of bcchives bu,
nom remained, and only the great ycl-
low and maroon butterflies that fioatcd
DOWN the valley and the bumblebees rev
eled in the honey flowers. Perhaps the
infitencc of these facts weighed upon
the Eoung man mind and cast "A shadow
darker than the mountains. Certainly
H. NJ leaned silently over the picket he
wal in harmony with the surroundings.
n girl came out into the twilight Of
the little porch. where vines were clam
bcrIg pcllmcll up rough trellis Of
pee led rudS, and carefully poured water
fruin guurTi into IA dozen tiny pots
alulIg the edge The pots consisted Of
guulJls and II tin cans that had been
brul leht home 10y Ezekiel from the refuse
of the great hotels at The Falls, 10 miles
or n gore away But they answered her
purb poses y.cll. only they presented a
SOMEWHAT ilcopguOus appearance, Tor
on levcral frtm which bloomed lovely
gel lniumr-Cuttincs secured 10y EZcklel
fruih character studying ladies at the
sauIe hctcls-fiamcd great red tomatoes,
andl where little sprigs Of coleus beamed
in dc shadow shonc also phenomenal
asplragus and the violent hued lobster
ThJ dress If the girl was well worn
neal checked homespun, and at the
III LIT was "A bit Of faded ribbon.
|D'rindy, yuh seen Ezekiel" An cid
erl, woman in homespun of the same
desl lgn as the girl stood in the doorway
thai led fr,m the kitchen upon the
porIh. holding a coffecpot in hand
"lNo. ma am Zeke! Oh-h-h-h, Zeke'
ThJ girl liftod her head and sung out
,heIsame until the mountain ami the
valley gave il back again and again.
What yuh warnt, D'rindy;" The
yoile came from so close at hand III the
gathering shadows rs 10 startle her.
well. d'clar' ter goodness 'sakes,
Eztkiel, what yuh doin out thar?'
INuth The reply was low and
Car less
Come in an git yuh vuttuls"
Don't warnt nuth'n, ma fuh all
eat
The woman looked out at the lone fig
ureI for moment, then went i'll, and
pre- tently the girl thoughtfully followed.
At the table, upon which was pone OF
cor hbrcad, pot of weak coffee and =
harldless pitcher Of molasses, the elder
said:
I'm 'fecred Ezekiel ar ailin. Las
night he wouldn't tech vittuls, an hit
ainft no better ternight. "
Suthin's pestcrin i'm, Dorinda said
sin ply; "er-pcsterin es mind. " An old
ma sat next 10 her and shook his head.
All liers, all liersH he muttered
He was evidently very deaf, and there
wa not q hair on his head, which was
sunlken between his shoulders. Thar
wa mt nair' stillr' The women paid no
ATTENTION To his mutterings, and pres
emily finishing his sop he wiped his fin
ger upon his hips and shufiled into the
cor her If the fireplace, where he mum
| bleh To himself awhile and then fell
asl tep
'Yes, suthin' pesterin i'm, said the
| oldlwoman after pause. Ezekiel ain
lik J essef.'' The girl rested her elbows
ON the table and watched her companion
alb. emily. Presently she said abruptly:
tAun' Betsey, you rek'n Zeke hain't
stilh er-frettin bout Sal Boiler gittln
j'nIed ter 'er feller?"
'tMaybe SO. But reck'n hard times
got more ter do 18th ii. Ezekiel dom
see no chance ahead now" She sighed,
bull added, Us if to counteract its effect
M lot that I'm distrustin. TIL Lord II
per rkide. He allus pervides fur them as
| leahs ON i'm Dorinda looked wist-
fully up into the face Of her aging COM
paIIion and was silent. Presently she
ros and washed the few dishes, placing
them upon their shelf. A few deft
Duches restored the room to its usual
rrhpulously neat condition.
Returning the coffeepot to the hearth
again and the remaining bread to the
spiller for "Zeke," as she had always
called him, in defiance of his mother
ex;lmple, she went quietly to her little
sh,droom at the end of the porch ain
sat down to think. She was Dorinda
| Maddox, not Sykes, the daughter OF
pobr woman down the valley who dice
| in the arms of Mrs. Sykes five years be
fol L, leaving nothing she might call hel
i ol..ld Hor fa