Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-01-26

my OLD woman says they owes me three
meals, and three meals shall have
1t was the longest sentence with
which he had honored me- Finding he
could talk, ] prepared to make myself
agreeable, proceeding which he SEEM
ed to appreciate, for he began to suiff
and pay great attention to his horse,
which he was deliberately turning about.
why do you go that way?" / cried.
isn't it the longest way to the viii
lager
Its the way am most accustomed
to- said he. but we can go the other
way if you like, Perhaps we will get
glimpse of Deacon Spear. He's wild
over, you know"
The leer with which he said this was
intolerable. / bridled up-but no, Twill
not admit that SO much as manifested
| ny my manner that understood him.
merely expressed my wish to go the old
way.
He whipped up the horse at once, al
most laughing outright. l began to
think this man also capable of most any
wicked deed. He was forced, however,
to pull up suddenly. Directly in our
road was the stopping figure of WON
an. She did not move as we advanced,
and SO we had no alternative but to
stop, Not till the horses head touched
her shoulder did she move. Then she
rose up and looked at us somewhat in
dignantly.
Didn't you hear us?' asked, will
ing to open conversation with the old
crone, whom had no difficulty in recog-
nizing as Mother Jane.
"She's deaf-deaf as a post NUT
tered Mr.. Simsbury. ''No use shouting
at her." His tone was brusque, yet l
noticed he waited with great patience
for her to hobble out of the way.
Meanwhile was watching the old
creature with much interest She had
not common face or a common manner
She was gray, she was toothless, she
was haggard and she was bent but she
was not ordinary or just one of the
crowd of old women to be seen on coun-
| try doorsteps There was force in her
aged movements and a strong individu-
atty in the chances she shot at US as she
backed slowly out of the roadway.
"Do they say she is imbecile?" asked.
"She looks far from foolish to me- -
"Hearken bit, /" said he. "Don't
you see she is muttering? She talks to
herself all the time And in fact her
lips were moving.
81 cannot hear her." said. make
her come nearer. Somehow the old crea-
rure interests me-"
He at once beckoned to the crone. but
he might as well have beckoned to the
tree against which she had pushed her
self. She neither answered him nor gave
any indication that she understood the
gesture he had made. vt her eyes new
er moved from our faces
"Well, WE'LL" said 1, "she seems
| dull as we'll as deaf. You had better
drive on. But before he could give the
necessary jerk to the reins l caught
sight Of some pennyroyal growing about
the front of the cottage few steps be-
yond. and pointing to it with some
eagerness cried: eff there isn't some
of the very herb want to take home
with me! Do you think she would give
me handful of it if paid her?''
With an obliging grunt he again
pulled up IF you can make her I'M
derstand," said he.
I th21ch5 itworth the effort. Though
Mr.. Cryce had been at pains to tell me
there was 40 harm i'll this woman and
| that need not even consider her in my
inquiries remembered that Mr.. Gryce
| had sometimes made mistakes in just
such matters as these and that Amelia
Butterworth had felt herself called upon
to set him right. If that could happen
once, why not twice? At all events, l
was not going to lose the least chance
of making the acquaintance of the peo-
| pie living in this lane. Had he not him
self said that only in this way could we
hope to come upon the clew that had
eluded all open efforts to find it?
Knowing that the sight of money was
the strongest appeal that could be made
to one living in such abject poverty as
this woman, making the blind to see
and the deaf to hear, drew out my
purse and held up before her piece Of
silver She bounded as if she had been
shot, and when | held it toward her
she came greedily forward and stood
close beside the wheels looking up.
'For you," 1 indicated, after making
a motion toward the plant which had
attracted my attention.
She looked from me to the herb and
nodded with quick appreciation. AS in
flash she seemed to take in the fact
that was stranger, city lady with
memories of the country and this hum
BILE plant, and going to it with the same
swiftness she had displayed in advanc-
ing to the carriage, she tore off several
of the sprays and brought them back to
me, holding out her hand for the money.
| had never seen greater eagerness
and think even Mr.. Simsbury was as
tonished at this proof of her poverty or
her greed. / was inclined to think it
the latter, for her portly figure was far
from looking either i'll fed or poorly
cared for. Her dress was decent calico
and her pipe had evidently been lately
filed, for / could smell the odor of to-
bacco about her. Indeed, as afterward
heard, the good people of x. had never
allowed her to suffer. Yet her fingers
closed upon that coin as if in it she
grasped the salvation of her life and in