Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-01-17
The Luck of LiIIy's
Mountain.
By George Madden Martin.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

y0uOW-HdlIcu, cdulc ScIdulOllIlS
backward down the ladder from the
roof-room, to landewith a plump slap
/. of bare, sunburned feet upon the
puncheon floor of theecabin. %
Nanny, tall, spare, her blue and
white check dress Tapping about her
bare ankles, her hair slipping from
its twist, was ct that moment turn
ing the sizzling contents of skillet
with quisk-wristed dizziness into a
pan on the table, where the coffee
was already steaming.
Four-year-old Alfred, and Griffith,
aged six, standing by the table, fol-
lowed with keen anticipation each
movement that NANNY made.
''Don't we sets to the table, Grit,
nor Alf, neither, don't ye do it. Amt I
tole yer it air bad luck 'thout we uns
all set down together?'
And nanny stopped over the
ehearthstone, and shielding her face
with one hand, drew forth by certain
well-directed dabs into the hot wood
ashes a generous baking of corn
pones. At the same time she adj
dressed herself to the shriveled, keen
eyed old woman who shared one side
OF the chimney corner with spin
ming wheel.
"Come on, granny, while the vic
tuals is tasty an hot. Here's Nanny,
come down ethout the baby. Amt
she woke up yet?"
Nanny laughed one of those clear,
ready little laughs that need no OBJ
ject; and rubbing brown ankle with
a browner foot she shook her head.
Then she glanced at rude gun-rack.
It was empty.
"Pap gone ?" shesasked.
''Since daylight said nanny.
mighty tedious trip to tavern and
back for little chap like Hence, but
once his pap said he might go, want
any holdin' him back. The butter an
eggs was sp'ilnin' to be TUX, anyway,
an the eoffeesis mighty near to
gone" O
Nancy buried her teeth in the hard
pone nanny dealt her from the
store that sheewas keeping warm in
the folds of her homespun skirt. Aft
er the sizzling slices of salt pork had
been handed around and the coffee
poured into the tin cups, Nancy
spoke: 9
st done put my dress on wrong side,
i did, nanny, am never sensed it till
itewar on"
There was an. exclamation of in
credulity from nanny and open
mouth contemplation from Alfred and
Grifnth. Granny lowered her knife
with it's portion of greasy pork and
peered forward, to hear further.
EFF you amt the beatenes' chill fer
luck!" said nanny.
But granny, with eyes puckered
shrewdly, shook her head. "'You low
fer sure you never sensed it till it
war clean on?"
Nancy was positive. 81 never
thought nothin' about it, / didn't,
granny, till there war the buttons in
side.'
"'Cause if you did," cautioned gran
ny, "the luc31's sure soured. agin you,
an you must go back to bed am dress
over to undo it."
'Nannys JUS .natchelly born to
luck, granny." said NANNY, raising
her soft, drawing voice. ts'She amt
never put her hand to nothing in her
life that it didn't come right
Don't We know how baby got your
knittin' al9a-snarl yesterday, an you
an me all tuci1ered out over it, an
Nanny she come in a-teeterin' horse
shoe she done found, and first touch
she unsna9led it?'
Granny stirred the sorghum long
sweetening into her coffee mournful
~, and observed:
q "YesseNanny, she air born to luck.
Now I done always been the kind no
luck come to. 81 war born on Fri
day, in the dark of the moon, and my
NANNY was that poly nobody sensed
to Easten nary piece of witches elm
about me, an natchelly I amt never
he'd no luck 1aor looked fer none"
y Nanny nodded her head sympa-
thetically, but her mind was with
Nancy. "When Nanny was not q
month old she laughed out. held ii
war fer luck, and she amt had nc
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-eared
hounds crowding the open doorway
through which stretched, in far per
spective, the blue ridges of the ALE
gheny mountains:
Nancy, porn to luck. trudged thai
warm, cloudless June afternoon along
the railroad at the base of Lilly.
mountain, and as she trudged she
sang the old song that she had
learned from her grandmother:
..My dear little children. if you were min,
All alone and aloney o,
I'd dress you up in silk fine
Down by the green woody sidey o.
She was on her way to explore
certain hidden dell which she haf