Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-07-12
REWARD OF THE FAITHFUL,
4 Dusky Tale of Love and Victory.
BY s. b. HACKLEY.

BY S. b. HACKLEY.
The dusty black face over the post
hole into which the iron digger dropped
with power was as wooden as the oaken
handle of the tool itself, but the impas-
sive exterior was but as the ashes that
choke the mouth of the voicano-there
were fires of emotion within.
Bens blue check sleeves were wet from
shoulder to wrist in the vehemence of his
exertions, but his hands could not keep
pace with the rush of his thoughts.
Herein lay his trouble: Lurinda, laun-
dress at Locust Hill, going home from
'meetin' " the evening before, had scorn-
fully refused for the third time) to name
the day she would take him as her sec
ond husband-and he had loved Lurinda
with the faithful love of a dull man long
before she married Shay Beazley-yel-
low-faced Shay-with whom She had led
anything but an easy life until Il fatal
combination of whisky and pneumonia
made her a widow.
"Lurindy," Ben had pleaded, 'whuf
fuh yuh keep putin me off dat way?
Is wait en- wait all de seben yeah VA
mah'ed tub Shay Now Shay been dead
en- gone tub glory desc two yeah, whuf
fuh yuh g'wine mex me wait any
longuh?'
And Lurinda tall. stern, and gaunt as
bear in spring, but to faithful Ben
all that was lovely and desirable, had
DNASlcaI
and mental heights to answer:
LURINDA's REASONING.
rs ain g'wine fuhgit my duty tub de
dead tub crafty de hub o no Ibin'-naw
suh-l ain nigh got de slab Obeh Shay.
nuh yit de coffin roun' him paid fun
an 'twell dey paid fun, tuh de las cent,
ain. g'wine let mahin; come i'll my
hadev'
Ben looked at the set jaw of his be-
roth y n Vt oil ho
knew it would be many Il day before
Lurinda could spare enough from her
hard earnings to complete the payment
on the casket and the oaken slab over
Shay; she had the rent to pay and the
FIVE children to feed. Yet he dared not
offer to help, her, for had she not said,
time and again, that she would never
marry another man who could not give
her home, and was he not depriving
himself of everything but the bare neces-
sites, to make slow payments on the
house with the crooked chimney at the
outskirts of Little Mason?
He said no more, but in humility and
detection bade Lurinda goodnight at her
door.
ST waited longah fur Lurindy dan
Jacob fur Rachel he unused, as the
iron cut into the yellow clay, ZEN LaWd
knows how much lOngah Is got tub wait
wild de poss' bilty o a fine oman lax
huh uh gettin' uh bettuh chanst den
me.
The fence the heavy-hearted lover was
building lay between the hghwav and
Sloping pastureield, in the upper corner
Of which next the road was the negro
cemetery, protected by q tum ble-doWn
worn" fence from the entertainments
of the yellow Jerseys in the grass-6cld
The railroad lay, hot and shining, III the
Indian summer sun across the southern
end of the field. a long freight train,
weighted with gray building-stone. tore
by, leaving a stream of sparks and smoke
in its wake.
Ben wiped away the sweat drops as
the sitting air grew hotter, but it was
not until the two jersey cows. with bel
lows of fright. ran by him in frantic
rush for the great ponds which lay be-
side the fence at the foot Of the upward
Slops, that he observed that the long. dry
grass, infammable as tissue paper, was
a wall of flame.
THE RESCUE OF THE SLAB.
His heart leapt in his throat. Shays
grave with its unpaid-fOr wooden marker
was in the rude cemetery On the hill,
close by the tumble-dOWn fence with its
corners heaped with dry leaves and dead
growth of gOldenrod and "everlaSting."
If that slab was burued-goOdby to his
hopes OF Lurinda. He threw two quick
glance Mt the coming tireclOud, then
looked toward the graveyard on the hill
top. Could he make it!
Before three seconds We're gone he had
dipped himself in the pond, and with his
ragged cap running rivers Of waters and
his dripping coat in his hand, was run
ming like Il mad thing up the road. The
hot air burned his cheeks and took his
breath when he reached Lurinda' ;
mound, bnt with the energy Of dcSpera-
ton he wrenched the oak slab loose from
its foundation block and wrapped his wet
coat about it just as the fire leapt
hastings and the short grass on Shay, s
grave.
The singing smoke choked and blinded
hlnl-the sCorching flames licked Mt his
hands, but he clasped his precious bur
den hard and stumbled into the
road. Happily 4 dozen hurried steps
brought him to the great pond with its
waters of safety.
After a time Ben crept painfully up
the road to his cabin y gaping crowd
of neighbors came t. eXclaim over him
and minister 10 his needs. Old Aunt
jimmy, Bens best friend, was loud in
condemnation Of his foolhardy feat.
"Lawd. Ben, you is Sho' crazyn she
exclaimed. as she bound up his blistered
hands and bathed his scorched face
Dat rigguh Lurindy ain with no sich
StrlviT ez dis, no way en- 40 how.
Now some you nigguhs stay heah en-
teck keer o Ben while | go fine Lurindy
ez fas' eZ my ole feet kin tote me ober
de groun' | gw'ine fahly put dat wench
tub shame
In the gathering dusk Lurirda. with
Withered water-sOaked hands and sudS-
Spflnkled dress, made her way hUmbiy
TO Ben's home.
Ben's eyes frightened rs the angular
form of his beloved appeared in the door
way.
.'Lurindy." he said thicklv. pointing
with one cotton-swathed hand 10 the tail
sab leaning against his bed-itS splendor
Lurindy, l save it fun
yuh!'
THE CONQUEST OF LURINDA.
The tears streamed down Lurinda's
dark face-Aunt jimmy had done her
work we'll. and the sight of Bens ban
daged hands was an added prick to her
conscience.