The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-07
QUEER OLD MRS. kAvANAueH.

la3ieu settlers who watched Ter old gray
horse and Gathering buggy meandel
aeross their fields smiled half pityinsi5
az the tardy boomer.
When at last she set up her little tent
and sIaked out her horse on q bare ans
| rocky quarter section where even the
/ short grass looked stunJed. the women
ptied her and some of the neighborine
men came over TO ask her II there was
anything they could lend her But she
only thanked them. as she gfleEsed she
1 would get along all right. so that the
women who passed by her tent every day
hegan 10 say that she was stuck up and
the farmers who knew that she was on an
almost barren claim. only gFinned and
rauttered: She won't last nor one sea
sen.
But she fooled them. \ tiny shack was
built by half breed who hauled the lum-
Der from the railway station in her buggy.
He built fraiI little fence around the few
acres of her ground and left her at home
on the desolate hill she had chosen. linen
every morning when the sun swung Up
| from the yellow floor Of the dry prairi
that stretched from her door TO the hor-
lion, she was out in her little garden dig
gang, planting, cultivating the small space
from which she hoped at least to wiring a
living. In the afternoon she would hitch
up her aged nag, apd. dressed in her best
| widows weeds. set of for the postoffice
few chickens. and in the frightening even
ing hours sat knitting at her low back
door, watching the sun drop down into
the trackless, treeless west.
When spring had come and gone AM
| airs. Kavanaugh's little garden showed
all the sqralor of its pinchsd cabbages and
sickly wires the passing neighbOrs pitied
her. If they had known her simple story
perhaps they might have helped her de-
| velop her poor land. hut she confided in
none, and came at last TO be known as l
headStrong, cranky old woman, VIII
would be better off back east" with her
people. Rain or shine, spring, summer,
autumn and winter, she drove to town.
! ted her horse at the postOffice and asked
/ for a letter. The overworked clerk came
t. know her at last, and with an effort
! a. kindly deception, for there had never
come a letter for her, would shuttle over
/ the package Of ks and says softly:
| Nothing today, Mrs. kavanaugh." Then
/ she would drop the old crepe veil that
was growing rusty, draw a letter from her
J rocket and drop it into the box and L
| vas always addressed, Mr.. Tom Kava-
naush, Twenty Infantry, Manila,
Philippine Islands" Every day she sent
! hun u letter, and every day she looked
Ior an answer. But none came, and the
nervous old woman went fravely back in
her rickety buggy TO the lonely shanty
I UAOA INC QtSoidte I'LL 10 WATCH the sun
set and to hope and pray.
Her boy Tom had run away from home
fetore his drunken father had died. He
! Lad written her Just one line: Gone 10
/ the Philippines with Twenty seventh In
fGntry." He had been gone year when
his father died. She had written to him
often, but, knowing what a thoughtless
boy he was. first attributed his silence to
! forgetfulness and neglect. When she had
told him of his fathers death she felt sure
o. some answer and though none came
| she continued to write gentle, loving.
warning letters to the absent scrape-
grace. He had been a youth OF some
spirit and she knew that his fathers dis
honor in their home town had driven him
into the army. but with all her mothers
coudoning love she could not understand
Why he did not AT least send her d word
She hated the town which had been the
scene of her own and her boys disgrace
and separation and zrhen the new coUn-
try was opened and the stories OF its
glowing future reached her she sold out
all her belongings and set forth TO find
home that should be her boys home. TOO.
After two years of this eventless life
Mrs. Kayanaugh came to be recognized as
one OF the characters of the town. Most
people thought her hsrmlessly insane. The
sandstorms and the careening winds. the
burning suns and winter SHOWS, had turn
ell her withered cheeks to parchment. Her
cid crepe veil was brown now: her IL
made black alpaca dress. threadbare and
discolored, hung loosely about her shrun-
ken body When the third winter came
she sold her horse and buggy for 80, but
bought only shoes that she might tTudge
TO town and stamps and paper that she
might send her daily letter to the boy.
Silent, bowed, fearless, but with quench-
less light of hope in her mother eyes.
rrsgh pV cf1t- c+nOd in line q Z the KrfrtnnVv
and asked soft for the letter that never
came. The postmaster, who had half
guessed her story. tried TO win her con-
fdence. He wanted to help her some way
but she evaded all his questions.
And then at last there came day when
she did not call at the postofYice. II was
quite an event, for the postmaster and
his clerk had come to regard her visit as
the one inevitable and poignant occurrence
o. each days business. So that night
suspecting the worst. he drove his buggy
70 her lonely home. She was in bed. quite
III it seemed, but gently, grateful for his
visit.
my money is all gone. I killed my last
chicken last Sunday and now. God help
ne, must sell my home, his home, and
she looked around the wretChed. candle
lighted room with dim. wet eyes.
1t will he best for you, Mrs. Kavan-
at Oh. - quoth the postmaster. kindly; you
are too-that is. you are no longer young
o. strong enough TO live ike this. Have
you no relatives? no Children
"Oh. yes. sir" she answered. proudly,
looking up II have a son, SIR; fine boy. I.
but he's away Il. the army. and it's on MS
account ! don't want to give up
But he persuaded her 70 ride 70 town
with him and assured her that there .
would be no trouble about selling her
place.
ITS not worth much. know" she
said as they drove toward town. but.
much as I want 10 keep II, I'd rather sell
+ than take charity.
He assured her that she might board"
az his home till he had sold the place.
and she went there only 10 lapse into a
fever that taxed the best ingenuity of the
two doctors Of the town. She was a worn
ghostIy old woman when g last she sat up
and the postmaster told her that he had
sold her place for $50.
''Tf you feel able you can iust En the
deed; the money Is ready down AZ the
bank and 8fr. Rogers. the young fellow
9 no wants &c buy K. has gone OFT q T
the place 90 look it over
So she slgned the document. few weak
tears dropping upon It, and handed s.
back 70 the postmaster. lie took * ana
left hor alone. but IN the evening when
be came home 70 supper. he came quickly
.rso her room ard sad.
Mrs. kGvaraugh- the man who bcuEhE
your place. Mr. Rogers. wants % see yo1
a moment ShsH ] show him II
And when De came "a she felt fer her
glasses. but could not and them. 50 sae
-ede him SIT down. and told hin that
fere were @ fen things 81 the oia sAae,
.sf BIBLE and su old album, filar sh1
wished 10 take away. And the stronger. /