The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-11-13
POOR OLD DIADAMIE.
, BY ANGELA Woods.
!, copyright. 1871

Copyright. 1871

THE early settlers in the narrow Kill
buck valley in central Ohio wers
welIacquainted with the hardships COM
mon topioneer life. 1t required not a lit
tie courage and perseverance to conquer
ahe forests and to eXterminate the rep
tiles and wolves; but a still more for
midable foe to these lonely people was
the miasma that arose from the slow,
muddy creek hat wound its way
through the beautiful valley. If you
were to walk to-day through the bury
ing ground on the East Hill, you would
read the story upon the little white
slabs so thickly set in the green grass.
1t was a hard climate for little chill
1ren.
In those days, when travelling to 4
new country was done by wagons, it
was customary for wagons to join a
train, whether strangers or not; and
when one or two or three dropped out.
no one thought it strange, or indeed
thought of it at all. For this reason
no one knew when Diadamie came or
where she lived.
The people of the village knew her
only as a peddler of the berries that
grew amongst the hills. These berries
were rich and sweet, and were keenly
relished where fruit was almost I'M
known. The housewives had earned
to expect Diadamie some time early in
July, and thereafter once, twice or
perhaps three times a week.
Diadamie's approach to the village
was across the creek through a covered
bridge, which brought her suddenly to
the foot of the main and only street.
She carried a large basket upon her
head, and as she emerged from the
bridge her clear mellow voice rang out
upon the summer air: "Old Diadamie,
huk-kell-berries." This call was re-
peated from door to door, until the last
of the little shining berries were dis
posed of. Then Diadamie would make
some small purchases at the village
store, always including a stick or two
of bright red and white striped candy,
after which she walked out across the
stretch of level road and disappeared
in the shadow of the mountain.
Why she called herself "Old dada
mic" was a mystery. Her figure was
straight and slim, and she walked with
a quick, firm step which does not be-
long to age. Her eyes were blue, but
of so dark a shade as to be easily mis-
taken for black. Her hair was deep
black, with a strong tendency to curl
had it not beer dashed back with bands
and pins in her effort to subdue it. Her
mouth was large and strong, and when
she laughed she showed that every
tooth was of amazing whiteness and
perfection. Diadamie wore a dress of
indigo blue calico, with a ~sunbonnet
of the same material. She was always
scrupulously clean and neat.
Diadamie's house was little more
than a hut. 1t was built of logs and
had but one room; it was situated upon
the top of the mountain, hemmed in
and sheltered by the dense forest. But
Diadamie did not live quite alone. No,
she had Tietro-Tietro, who knew her
only as Nanan. Walled in by huge
drifts of snow, the winters were drear
enough to this strange pair. b
summer came, and Diadamie was
obliged to spade and plant her garden,
and later to go on long walks gather
ing berries, and afterwards to tramp to
the village to dispose of them, the days
were long and lonely for Tietro. 1t was
then in the silence of the mountain
that little Tietro's brain was full OF
imaginings that caused him to ask
many bewildering questions of Dada
ME upon her return.
Tietro sat all day long just as Dia-
damie had placed him in the rudely-
constructed chair, which was high
enough to enable him to look out of the
window. There was a rest for the long,
thin, useless limbs, and a cushion for
the misshapen back. For hours Tietro
would sit listening to the wind in the
trees, and watching the patches OF sun
light upon the soft green moss. Now
and then a gray squirrel would run up
and down the trees; but no sound from
tae outside would ever reach Tietro's
ears. He had never SEEN d living being
but Diadamie. Tietro's arms were long
and thin like his lower limbs, but they
we're o so limp. He could use his
hands and arms, but he had never
walked a step. Diadamie always
dressed him in a long loose gown, gath