Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-04-10

| W NY, tUpTe way never youth DfIbTt,
And love like ours, oh. never-never!
New York Tribune.
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION
Some ten years since I occupied a
house that had a small garden entirely
surrounding it. The architect who
! planned 1t evidently believed In high
rooms as necessary for our climate as
each story was fully twenty feet from
door to ceiling; consequently could
took down from the second story Of my
, house into the yards and rooms of my
neighbors on other side without any
difficulty and, in fact, could not well
avoid 1t. The house on the right hand,
q queer 0ld-fashioned affair after
standing vacant long time was at
length taken by an odd-looklng old
man, whom I saw going over 1t one
day, and the next day 1t was occupied.
Not being of Paul Pry disposition,
paid little attention to my new neigh
bors; only found them quiet. The old
house had scarce more noise about it
than when vacant, and congratulated
myself that some man, with half
dozen bolsterous, romping children,
had not taken it.
But one day an old family servant
remarked: Miss jeanette, dare's
somethin' odd bout dem folks what's
done moved next door, shore, dere is,
honey; days ony got scrumpled up
ole niger for servant, and she's all
hump behind, and looks like ole Satan
fer shore; you never see de ole man
and de ole woman at de same time; de
day you see de ole man you don't see
de ole woman, and de day you see de
old woman de ole man amt round, and
dey don't 90 out any no whar, only dat
old scarccrow goes de errents"
Now. nanny" said | to her, "yOu
just let our ncighhors alone; they are
decent enough people, no doubt, and
you need not spend your time looking
after their oddities; you have enough
TO do to look at your own"
Old nanny shook her head, and,
mumblng her words after petted and
spoiled servant fashion, went on with
her busting, and let the subject rest
My attention being thus drawn to
them, ! found myself looking out occa-
slonally from the windows on that
side, noticing the house and its in
mates, and sure enough | never did see
the two old people at the same time.
Regularly as clockwork, every alter
nate day would see the old man, then
the next day the old woman, but never
the two together, just as If they took
turns in keeping guard over every
thing. They were an odd-looking cou-
pie, shaky, pale, and yet puffy and
bloated and as for the old negress, she
was truly a daughter Of Eblis, II looks
count for anything in reading charac-
ter.
One night just about II, the old ne
gress came rapping at the back gate
and asked for me- Old nanny, who
had often said: dat old niger next
dOoh Is ho0doo, sartln," was really
afraid Of her, and said: "My mistress
Is JUS bout giving to bed; you can't
see her, nohow, tonight" but the old
negress told her to come and ask me
III wouldn't please come in for a few
minutes; that master was on his day
and mistress was took nifty bad" As
she wouldn't take no, nanny, much
against her will, did come and deliver
the message, and bidding her tell the
old woman to 60 home and have the
gate open for me to get in, fastened
to change my dress for loose wrapper
and followed her as quickly as posi-
bic,
| found the old lady lying on a low,
narrow lounge In one Of the lower
rooms. Her husband was not present.
She did not seem to notice my en-
trance, but, lying back with eyes wide
open, staring straight before her into
open space, a look Of unutterable hor-
ror stamped upon her face. Approach.
Ing her side, laid my hand upon her
forehead. 1t was clammy and had a
sticky, cold feeling that was unpleas.
ant. She did not answer when asked
her where she suffered pain, but moan
ed In a ptful manner that made my
neHrt acne 10 near.
Where Is your mastcry asked tho
old negress.
I'm his room, mstiss; dis is his day,
and mistlss' day to watch him."
"What on earth do you mean,
aunty?"
"Dls is his day to get drunk and mis-
tlss' day to keep sober but her last
two days she's bin takin' brandy and
all at once she laid down thar and dom
Just like you see her, till | got scared
and went for you, man,"
do you mean to say that your mas
ter and mistress take turns In getting
drunk?"
YES, man, l due. He gets drunk
one day and she gets drunk the mex
Aav hut hap Last twa dsvs "a tn.c ~.