The Mena weekly star., 1897-11-24

the Widow Towson; the girl was her daughter. The husband and father, known as Cling Towson, was away of ] somewhere In a government prison. serving out life sentence for killing a deputy marsha, who had come to de- stroy his moonlight dstillery. The neighbors voted that as no one was ever known to survive life sentence in Yankee prison. Mrs. Towson might as well enter al once her season of widowhood: and so. whenever anyone would ask: Does the Widow Towson live here?" she would answer: "Yes :" The loo house of the Towsons was set at the head of rock-ribbed, an oak studded and vine-laced ravine. The county road that led over the mountain was not far away, and many time in the dark nights before the final down. fall came the girl had often listened in her bed to hear the enemy's horse beat Ing upon the hard pike" and had looked up to see her father sitting near the door with his gun lying across his knees.
 Let me weave now, mother," said the girl. "You are worn out"
 You attend to the fire" the woman replied. looking round with sigh. That's hard enough. And, besides, you can't weave"
 But can try
 Yes. and while you are trying the work will be going to waste. If you would only do as beg of you"
 An appealing look from the girl checked her. "You know what mean" she said.
 "Yes." the girl replied, T know"
 Then you know what want you to do.''
 Yes
 Then why don't you do it?"
 Because I can't"
 The woman drowned. But you can sec iIie kill myself q :. work.
 Il am compelled to see it, but it grieves me nearly to death.'
 If it did. you would seek a remedy, and one is at hand. What have I done for you? have stolen the time to give you all the education I had--we have hidden our books in the woods, because your father thought they were fool ish-"
 Il know all that. mother"
 But you don't think of it."
 ''Yes, I do, when you are asleep. But to save my life can't marry that man."
 The woman turned from her loom. "I suppose you are going to be foolish enough to say that you don't love him."
 1T don't love him.
 'Ah, thought so. But you could re- spect him."
 T might, but couldn't respect my self"
 "Your father must have been right. Our books were silly, to put such no- tions in your head. I married fDr love, Ella, and what did it mean? A life of drudgery. And that is what love mar riage generally amounts to for a wom- an You will at least promise me to think over it."
 "Yes, will promise that"
 The girl went 10 bed and she kept her promise to think over it. The mother was soon asleep, and the girl could hear her sigh in her troubled dreams. But the more she thought the more she dis liked old Lige Coster. He was the loud est man that had ever ridden through the neighborhood. It was his business to ride about, buying steers. He looked like red steer. His red hair Che was bald except on the sides of his head) stuck up like the horns of steer. He had laugh that sounded like the low of steer. Once he had fight with a man and did not use his hands at all He kicked like a steer. But he made money, he had house painted green, with sunfowers in the yard, but with steers lowing in the back lot. He had said that his wife would not have to work and this statement found ere dence even among women who knew that his first wife had almost killed herself with hard labor. As the neighbors ex- pressed it. he had made dead set at Ella. He had laughed. or lowed, when she had kindly told him to go his way He said that he would but that he would come back again; and he did, not only once, but many times He had thought that Sam Mayfield, the wag-
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