Hutchinson gazette., 1900-08-02
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3 THE DEVOTED SLAVE (
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.,'','''','''st' .'''''''''''''
b. Every successful man Is !
; more or less u selfish man. ;
; The devoted fail. {;

more or less u selfish man,
The devoted fail,
;,,,,,,,,,.,,,, ,,,,','''''',''
This Us the inscription on grave
stone not far from Hnrrisonyille, Caas
County, Mo-
Somebody who has kept up with |
the long list of fiction will tell you
thar the words were written by Thos
Hardy in the story of "Judge the Oh
scure," No matter They are carved
on the grnyestone In the church yard
just of n country rond that lends 10
the little county seat on the western
border OF Missouri The grave IL old
or than the slab by more than quar-
r OF a century, For more than NH
ter OF century, For twenty-five
yenrs the final rest of the occupant
was marked by tree, for there was
no other tree within mile or more OF
the place, One day storm started
somewhere i'm Kansas and crossed over
into Missouri, For nearlyN year peo'
pie pointed out lis course, II was two
miles wide. II wns 100 miles long
Not living thing that stopped n0he
sweep of the tornado escaped, ID
twisted the old tree that had stood rs
sentinel and SgnboNrd for this grave
and tore lts roots from the ground,
In lsi0 Dr. Hugh McReynolds, the
faithful old physician of ahc first peo-
pie who made the community, Joined
the gold search which whitened the
\Western plnlns that year with covered
wagons, which made trail over the
mountains and around the canyons
and wound It's way to the land where
the sun went down, One devoted SER
want was with Him. n slave, His wife
remained behind TO care for the old
missus and the children, The summer
ripened the fruMs and grain Of Mis-.
souri,. the harvest followed; the leaves
turned yellow and fpll;thc snow whit
encd the earth and the housetops, and
spring returned before tldings came
back to waiting ones OF the safe ar
rival Of master and servant, Aud then
there was another long wait, and At
ter than news Of success, FRm tine
TO time this was repeated, The for
tune had been realized, The scpara-
tion wNs mellwed by anticipated re-
turn. There were no courlers or mes
sengers in thNl time, so that the long
silence was construed p mean that
the homewNul journey was under way,
Nearly four months OF this silence,
Nearly -four months OF watching and
waiting maybe praying. for even then
there was that simple faith which was
more than Norman blood,
Across the prNiric of COss county
there came one night q man double
weighted About his waist, in his
pockets, in his hands fortune, Gold
coin and gold dust and quartz, In hIs
heart n message Of sorrow II was
might when the lights Of the village
greeted his coming. lie made hls
journeying slower, until all the lights
went out, one by one, and then the
messenger came no the house, crcpt in
: to the barn and rested until the sur
was up.
( Hnrrisonvile was still a village, The
single cry Of anguish which brolt
|
/ ger Of fortune and sorrow had GO NJ
/ was heard in every house. All day
, people went from their own places
: with consolation, and returned to con
sole one another, They met i'm thC
street and wept, Later In the day
r they met in one sanctuary of the tow
, and appealed for that help which il
!. the last resort when human aid give
! up Then the tldings travelled int
Y the country, and people from THE farm
! houses came in to weep with thos
who wept. For days the topic Of tn,
y village was the fact thnt the fNlthfu
| old physician who had healed so man.
. i'm his time was beyond recaA,
/. Some time after when grief hot
i spent itself, the people heard the sItor,
G of the journey of the black man wh
G had returned I'm obedience to his mas
v ter's request, and his sense of duty a
well.
L In Caaveras county master and ser
Z want worked together, sometimes dig
o ging, sometimes dn the gulch, in pa
Il tiemt search for the treasure of tn
;, earth. Their labor was rewarded be
G yond expectation. Then came an epI
i demic in the camp. The master stoF
!, ped his search for gold and mnistere
II to the sick. His servant was his nurse
They were not always successful.
J. Is appointed to all men to die, eve
81 when they are away from home, toi
& ing for those who are at home. Th
e Epidemic was merclless The old ply
q sician sometimes acted in the copacit
IL of minister after he had failed I'm hi
9 other mission. lie received the me'
e sages of the dying. closed their eye
and consoled the bereayed. In som
= cases he assisted in the sepulcher {
y the dead
" The epidemic did not release Its FEY
% 70 cred grasp until there We're more dea
. in the valley than living. Then, blk
!, an insatiate hend, II turned upon th
- - devoted physician, and he died in tn
= arms Of his faithful slave, In the las
~ hour of his Hfe he committed to h
=, servant all he had accumulated, allO
:, ing to him his portion and his fire.
n dom, on condition that the servant r.
turn to his mistress i'm Missouri wit
Is her portion. 'F
NJ There were human harpies then
id there are now, and as there ever wi
a n ....1