Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-04-17
MILLY'S RETURN.

Uncle Ben Simms stood by his barn
door, intent on fixing broken harness.
He did not hear my footstep or see me
until l was close upon him. GOOD
morning, uncle" said. I knew how
friendly he was to every stranger and
did not fear his not answering me or
asking annoying questions about me.
''Mornin, stranger. Fine mornin this
From York;"
Eyes, sir; just this morning. At
what time does the train-I mean the
next ore-lcave the station going back?"
"'Bout this afternoon. I wuz list
tryin to fix up this ole harness, SOS to
meet the o'clock train. It's jist about
played out. Lowed 'twould last as long
as me an the ole lady did, but seems
like it's jist fallin all to pieces all at
once You see, stranger" and glad
smile lit up his bearded, wrinkled face,
''you see, Milly's comm home today.
Milly-that's my darter-been gone
nigh on nine years. She wuz our only
child, all we ever had, 'cept Andy. He's
been with us since he wuz 8 years old.
Andy's a good boy, sir; good boy as
you ever seed, and most anybody'll tell
you the same.
eyes, she wrote me a card. got it
here i'll my blouse pocket. Mas just
wild fer joy. An, stranger, yer ought ter
see the good things she's got cooked.
Mas wonderful good cook. There
amt woman in the country round
that can beat her. She's been trapesing
round fixing up good things ever since
Andy bro't this card. Yes, it'll lift
mighty heavy load from this ole heart
if Milly comes today, and it II make me
ten years younger. These has been nine
of the most miserable long years ole
Uncle Ben Simms ever put through
with.
"You see, stranger, it wuz this
way" And Uncle Ben wiped his eyes
Oh his checked blouse sleeve and let the
old harness down carefully. "Dick
Plummer, he us't often to come out here
i'll the summer fer a visit, ever since he
war the same age as when we took
Andy to raise. He an Andy us't to have
sich times a-fshin an swimmin an hunt
in. He warn't a bad chap, an 1 didn't
mind his visits to our place-sorter liked
to see him an Andy together. But when
he growed up an begin to larn to be
doctor, l sorter somehow turned ag' in
him. He us't to tell bout cuttin people
to pieces an all. 1t gave me the creeps.
He us't to say 'twan't nothin to see
scholars where he studied play ball with
mans arm. Ugh, sich men! In our
day it was very different, very different.
"Waal, one day I wuz out in the
smokehouse sharp'nin my sickle-an I
want in a very good humor either, I
mind-when Dick came out thar an
told me he wanted to marry my Milly.
l mind, sir, got so riled l wuz fairly
beside myself, for I'd sot my heart on
her marryin Andy, fer Andy wuz good
huff fer any girl-wouldn It hurt flea,
Andy wouldn't. Why, sir, I've seed
him pet an coax an work with our ole
black hoss (he's balky most all time),
an if 'twould been me I'd come blame
near KILN him. Waal, I amt so much
that way now since Milly's gone. I've
sorter mastered my fiery temper, tween
thinkin of her an watchin Andy.
"But that mornin when Dick came
out thar an told me he wanted to marry
Milly-I told you I wuz on high
hos, as old Parson Shockley used ter
say-an l wouldn't give in an inch, he
kept a-tellin me that he loved Milly an
she loved him, but it never made any
difference; wanted her to marry Andy,
but they went over to Roseville an wuz
married that afternoon.
"When they came back-I can see her
now come i'll a-laffin-an she came up
to me an said, Pa, you amt mad, air
you?' mother she bust out a-cryin, fer
she knew l would act a dern fool, fer
wuz i'll terrible fit Of temper, fer that
mornin old Dodson's boys had nigh
stripped my fine Bartlett pear trees at
the back of the lott jist p'inted to the
door an told her'-his voice again
wavered and up went the checkered
shirt sleeve-."she needn't ever come
here ag' iii even if she lived to be 100
years old. An mind, too, said, Some
day mebby you'll want ter come back,
mebby to beg food fer yer children, but
mind, l am not grandfather to any Of
your children
"An so they left, but Milly says: Pa,
dear, let me kiss mother goodby. Please,
please do!' An she looked SO pitifully to
her MAJ can see it now; I couldn't
then-but shut the door and left the
house. l went over thar meath that
sassafras hedge an threw myself on the
ground an tho't of what I'd done, but
couldn't help it. The very devil of a
temper wuz in me, an he would crop
out at times.
Fool that wuz! Why can't man
see when he's actin a dern fool? An
Milly wuz sich a good girl-sich good
girl! Now, thinks I, who'll comb yer
ole ha'r before ye 60 to bed nights9
Who'll get you cool drink when yer so
tagged out that you can't do it yerself?
Milly was a good girl, sir-she wuz
that. One thing for sure, tho't, I wuz
ashamed to go into that house ag'in an
face mother, fer thar's not many men
as is got as good a wife as I hev, an
that's shore She yyuz Durtv an a peach -