The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1901-08-16
FROM
P0oRHousE P@MW@ 70 PALACE @
BY MHRY j HOLMES

| w hllt idluti. hNtT ftuuN 10 blallit
her slightest wish, George consented and
toward the close Of mild autumna day
they stopped at small public house on
the border of vast prairie. The arrival
OF 80 MISUNDERSTANDING people caus-
ed quite a commotion, and after duly in
specting Mary's handsome travelling
dress and calculating its probable cost,
the hostess departed to prepare the even
ing meal which was soon forthcoming
When supper was over and the family
had gathered into the pleasant sitting
room, George asked il there was ever a
man in those parts by the name Of Fur
bush.
What Bill FurbushT' asked the land
lord.
George did not know, but thought like
ly that might have been his name, as his
son was called William.
'Lud, yes!" returned the landlord 81
knowed Bill Furbush well-he came here
from Massachusetts, and | from Var
mont; but, poor feller he was too weakly
to bear much and the first fever he took
finished him up. His old woman was as
clever creature as ever was, but she
had some high notions"
did she die, tooy" asked George.
''No, but it's pity she didn't, for when
Bill and the boy died she went rayin'
mad, and | never felt so like cryin as
did when | see her a tearin' her hair and
goin' on so. We kept her a spell, and
then her old mans brothers girl came for
her and took her off; and the last heard
the girl was dead, and she was in the
poorhouse somewhere East. She was
born there. | blieve."
"Nc, she worn't, either, said the land
lady, who for some minutes had been
aching TO speak. NO. she warn't, either
know all about it. She was born in
England, and got to be quite a girl be-
fore she came over. Her name was
Sarah Fletcher, and Peter Fletcher who
died with the cholera, was her own un-
Gle, and all the connection she had in
this country; but goodness. SUI. what ails
you" she added, as Mary turned white,
while George passed his arm around her
to keep her from falling. Here, So
phrony, fetch the campfire; she's goin'
to faint"
But Mary did not faint, and after
smelling the camphor, she said, "Go on,
madam, and tell me more Of Sarah
Fletcher"
she can do it, whispered the land
lord, with sly wink. "She knows ev-
erybody's history from Dan to Beer
shelby"
This intimation was wholly lost on the
good -humored hostess who continued,
"Mr. Fletcher died when Sarah was
small, and her mother married a Mr.,
| don't justly remember his name"
"Templef" suggested Mary.
Eyes, Temple, that's it, He was rich
and cross. and broke her heart by the
time she had her second baby. Sarah
was adopted by her Grandmother Fletch-
er, who died, and she came with her
uncle to America"
did she ever speak of her sistersY
asked Mary, and the woman replied:
Before she got crazy she did. One
Of 'em. she said, was in this country
somewhere, and t'other, the one she re-
membered the best, and talked the most
about, lived in England. She said she
wanted to write to EN- but her uncle, he
ndLeu l0e leHlpltS, 50 ue NOuluu let 0er,
and as time went on she kinder forgot
'em, and didn't know where to direct
and after she took crazy she never would
speak of her sisters, or own that she had
any"
lis Mr.. Furbush buried near here?"
asked George, and the landlord answered:
Little better than a stones throw. |
can see the very tree from here, and may
be your younger eyes can make out the
graves. He ought to have a grayestun,
for he was a good feller."
The new moon was shining, and Mary,
who came to her husbands side, could
plainly discern the buckeye tree, and the
two graves where willie and Willie's
father" had long been sleeping. The
next morning before the sun was up Mary
stood by the mounds where often In
years gone by Sally Furbush had seen the
moon go down, and the stars grow pale
in the coming day, as she kept her tire
less watch over her loved and lost.
willie was my cousin-your cousin"
said Mary, resting her hand upon the bit
Of board which stooG at the head of the
little graves. George understood her
wishes and when they left the place
handsome marble slab marked the spot
where the father and his infant son were
buried.