Evening star., 1898-12-03
POOR JANEY.
A True Story o. San Pedro's Bay.
Written for The Evening Star by J.. +. W.

Written for The Evening Star by J. T. W
With friend. in search of health am
sport. I hgd left the railroad far behind
and for some weeks past we had estab.
Esh"d our headquarters with a suuatter's
family. Rob"y by name. living on the Dor.
der of that wonderfully interesting hui
seldom explored forest swamp known
through iower middle Florida as san Pc.
dro's Bay IL Is almost serpeutine in thai
the swamp winds in and out sometimes
many miles wide, then narrowing to q
little "r1n that holds barely a Relationship
I" san fedro's. SO cumpasSed about is i,
by thritty-looking fields of cotton and corn
and the @ver-present worm fence.
ie- follow that OuJstretched arm 70!
some distance and again will San Pedrn's
'.re the sportsman to trail fleet fleeing
game to cover, often far into its wonderful
depths.
Karr sport and an obliging guide in .Bo-
lE fobey amply compensated Us for the
IAde accommodations. which wcra also ,le
LIST that our host could afford And i.,
'IpFe'latlon OF the hearty Kindness extend
." ny Robey, his wife son and two daugb-
t-rS We manifested an interested atten.
1'H in all such events In tbe;r
every day life as they brought tn oar
h|tce So it came to our hearing, the C,use
9i Jdney's querrness-" Janey the Widow
Farker. was ROlin Robey's sis er. and .fve.J
nut half a mile away. Occasionally while
we were lounging about she came with one
OF har grown daughters. to visit her
brothers family. Seeing us there she
would furtively and wIstfully scan our
races then shake her head in a homeless.
Kind OF way. which. while it touched our
PITY also aroused our curiosity
NtHLurlng 10 ask about her, Mrs Robey
iephed that Janey's all rite. on'y queer
IKE. when she see er moo face She bav
an - .
'i settled will tell 20 bout it" We had
Iot long TO wait. for the next night BoIip
Robey was called away by neirhbor In
set up with ther dead" Mrs R0ney he
ing porely, an er bit fearsum. too" asked
II W. would "keer now ter hear 'bout
Janey. who pears ter he gittin' uueereJ
Schce yO hav bin here?' Plainly The GOOD
"phian would sleep but little that night
Tor M ne horror of death. excited by the
tnouS II Of her husbands vigil was fuIJ
upon her. and she Crayed a braver com
pahlonshlp than the daughters and her
lung son could give her. We were no1
'Ited' having hunted none that day SO
Ne readily followed her in to where n
-Ieery pine knot fire shed comfort and
HEnt through the living room.
II Wuz Jest twenty-five year ergo las
Htptemoa, spoke Mrs Robey. after seeing
US seated in the only arnchairs which The
cd5in boasted. AN Janey WIZ ,Ioin' thor
WASH She had but ther one chick then a
putty httIe Teller. bout two year ole Ther
"'''S ~ Ut Cuin dFIeT She a los fore if WIZ
tT week ole so she set ther more Store nv
ther little boy; an he bright ez er button
1 o min ther shackly smoke house over
yer Janeys. whar yO' take ther parth under
s.it s--otii I!'t o5lksE Wen, twuz er turribe hot
eNehln an Janey'd toted the water I'D in.
ter ther smOkehouse SOS ter be in thor
eEaue- tZeb Parker wuz er w1IthIess man
IL9 ne ar dead. Well. Zeb wuz erway
ilSlII iISI,lh an Janey washin' in ther smoke
mouse. She Civ ther little felIer or blskit
an some sweeten' water an put er ouiIf
GOWN under er Olyandy bush fur him fer
Jay on when he got tired Then she went
thTo' fore Zeb come
think she must er bin singin' NOT ter
khoWed when ther chile stop his pIayin'
But Janey had er fashun then. alIus singin.
~ Het WORK Pore heart, she amt never
sung none sencei
Nell, maybe she wuz two hours. mavbe
She wuz more. gittin' ther washln' o1Ir
Ihen she hurried inter ther housa an, kin
uiti ,.l',. UP tnsr nre' reddy ter cook ther fish
Wut Z"h'd bring. Then she tidied IN er
Ut an went ter bring in her boy. she
Went Ter ther olyandy bush, but he WANT
mar, she called him. but he didn' ausur.
er CaIlin'. p
IAer pore thing sed sne hunted IN ,ba,.
cabin. under ther bed an under f.yeryibinsl
% S%he even looked up ther chimley An cali
"a ~ al 'ller lirne. thinkin' lie mout er gone
ter Sir"p an shed wake him Then sh,.
mink maybe she could track him ef Ls.
Iduh gone over ther wire grass So she
Neht "dck 10 the Olyandy bush agfn. Ther
Suir nun. WIZ theT press OF his little hod,
an thar ther little fut tracks doun thsr
dus,N parth leadin' ter ther swami I'm,
.IrN "uZ on er little ways, cause he'd
Oh over ther wire grass. She tried
erslI; an calm all ther time. Robbie. hon
eE, Robbie. honey an never epr,- y 80
An :" Zen foun' her when he come back
with ther fish. nigh bout dark. 'PeareH
los tracks i"i lheI
Wen. Zeb he lighted er pine knot an.
Went down ther Darth an on Ter tber
swamp An he hollered an holIered bu-
-. oM,t Il tr Dlt er use Tre'r little baby amt
pore Janey called an called: Sometimes er
idyln down with her ear ter ther rronn'
an sometimes runnin bout ther swanD
IKE mad An Zab too he ken arIoro ~,
Janey all Their time. Nex' rnawn;T: 2tf, =. ~
got nEter ther hos an went fur helm thn'
tHSt wa n but two families within Ave
Inue- mat wuz twenty-five years ergo an.
Bonn an me WIZ jest married an It,,ir.
mp IN Georgy. Well, Their neirbburs car,n
iiue e true. an brung dogs, too Zeb wuz
tiedL CIV out an one Wv Their highest nv
lher Wimmin folks come with ther men ter
st I'ni some breakfas' 'cause he y.-ouId,,,
stay ter thar house long ernuf ter cat d.,
1"I"S She never eat fur er week an then
Zv" had ter feed her. An she run u,;th
lhrF "'SS ut ther neighbours brung. like
SOM VII thing they scd. But never s,fr
seen Oiii'e olh
She ceased speaking, and. gIanclng sbarn-
y az Inc two young women who. although
Idthiildr With the recital of their hltle cons
IN HISappearanCe 50 long ago. were wide
,ale. '''e'' 'io''ler >
d.rHm. an yo,. 100. Carhern. go out an
=" "f ther chicken house dore ar sbet
Mex thing foNes'N be erbout"
A soon As they We're out Of hearing shs
''-k-a rs II We had heard anything about a
VIII man. whom the Heiehbors were renort
lus I~ living in the swamp. She hoped thar
neither Mirum nor Cathern'' heard nf A.
-. Do u reached Janey's ears she felt sure
hsH she would believe il was her lost hoy
SOM murd'rer FUN Up In ther states er
MS -aitH NV folks, Bolin sez; but IL would
tr awful fur Janey ter git erholt nv /,
W never she see er moo face she thinks in
rr j"Zrd way. that it rnout be her babV
Si""-i up All Of which she had whIsner-
-, ;' rs none too soon. as the girls lust
men came running in one OF them com
planning or maws bein' 50 pertickIer ter
night
iUtifed TO smoke. after a generous "tr.at''
t' sweet potato pone and corr. beer We
"'-j'yed tine comfort of Mother Robey's fire
Hl,l quite late and UuyiI the good womau.ss
Her-e~ seemed 10 be in q less ..fearsuu',
condition than when she invited US in to
.--'.E tJ the recital Of Janey's sorrow-a