Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-01-13

thetieal!y, but her mind was with
Nancy. when Nanny was not
month old she laughed out. L held it
war fer luck, and she ain't had no
call TO quit her laughin' yet. Get
down, Nanny, an drive them beast
Isles out. Seems like little more an
they'll be taken everything"
This referred to the long-earcd
bounds crowding the open doorway,
through which stretched, in far per-
spective, the blue ridges of the Allie
gheny mountains.
Nancy. born to luck, trudged that
warm, cloudless June afternoon along
the railroad at the base of Lilly's
mountain, and as she trudged she
sang the old song that she had
learned from her grandmother:
my dear little children, II you were mine
All alone and aloney 0,
I'd dress you up In silk so fine
Down by the green woody sidey o."
She was on her way to explore
certain hidden dell, which she had
marked weeks before as a likely spot
! for wild Strawberries.
When she reached the long, high
! trestle spanning Churchill's creek, she
stood listening, her head ON one side,
bright-eyed, alert, like a knowing wild
creature of the mountains.
Then, hearing the sound she had
expected, she nodded her yellow head
sagcly. and scrambled few feet up
the mountainside above the track to
wait for the approaching train TO go
by.
Soon she saw the engine coming
round the mountain and apparently
making straight for her like one of
the head-lowered "heastisies" OF
granny's tales. Then the train curved
with the curve of the mountain; ito
long line Of coaches and sleeping cars
came into view, like the gliding SER
pent body of the monster. Slowly it
came, then slackened to creeping, AZ
the trains all did at the trestle. it
Keen-eyed and absorbed, Nancy
watched the coaches roll slowly by,
pnd waved brown hand Mt the faces
looking at her from the windows. In
wan face in mass OF cleaning, red
gold hair-the face of a girl proppcd
against white pillows. Her eyes were
turned toward the window, her hand
was little -upraiscd to throw
Something stung Nancy sharply on
the cheek, and the last coach rolled
out upon the bridge. The little girl
| m nd I III he "a tS
her cheek; and out OF the coach win
dow was thrust red-gold head, while
its owner gazed down into the yellow
waters of Churchill's creek, still tur
bid from spring freshets.
When the train was across and hat
gone winding on to the tunnel, Nancy
taking down her hand, found i
stained with blood.
Nancy had seen half-eaten apple
; cores enough to recognize the objec
that the sick girl had been abou
, to throw out of the coach window
but apple cores do not wound wher
they hit.
, Wondering what had cut her cheek
, Nancy stopped to pick up her berry
basket, which she had dropped whei
she was struck, and beside 1t she saw
, a small crclet of shining yellow, whicl
, held myriad Of seemingly live, fer.
stars circling about a. clenr, greer
drop of sparkling, tiickering dew.
| She took il up and gazed with awe
at the wonder flashing on her littl
: brown finger.
: Then she laughed for very Joy
l '"T'm horn fer luck! Granny says SO
. an nanny says So oh-.dearlc-
me
"'Down by the green woody sidey o.
And the little voice rang out jub
ilantly ms Nancy. steady headed, light
l footed, sped over the dangerous tres
tie with an unconcern that must hav,
I made an onlooker tremble.
The sun had dropped behind tn
= purple, misty top of the mountai,
Z, when, finally emerging from tn
: denseness of the blooming laure
thickcts that clothed the slopes, Nan
: cy reached her fathers clearing. wit
l. its sickly growth Of corn and buck
wheat.
iup hiin ii'iVV Wtft nOiilt H'N
o Pap, tall, broad. with straw-colore
Z hair and beard, was cleaning his riff
Z on the bench outside Of the door
= Hence was bringing a bucket of waite
l' up from the spring.
But they had all dropped everythin
u except the baby, which nanny wa
holding. to listen 10 Nancy's story.
: "An' she thinks" explained Name,
n at Pap's knee, while the lucls-ston,
as granny called II, lay sparkling /
: pap's great hand, "the sun-haired IL
l. dy she thinks II fell in the creek Ion
with the apple core. An she air sick
'' that's what allied it's comm often he
o finger, She air sick like so many c
/ 'em as goes by set UP agin pliers"
y "It's the spring and licks wha
q they're goin'," said pap, same MS m
= grandpap telled about the dee
an beasties hantin' the licks, spring
time an sech, when poly"
San they mostly get well." sal
Nancy, looking up, into pap's fac
because there amt never any go'
back set up agin pliers. I'd kno
her cause Of her sun-hair the lad
The cyars they war goin' SO slow
he'd a good look at her; an got
he at the junction when she Ro'
back, cause the cyars stop there