Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-11-13
ONE WoMAN's DEVOTION.
A Texas Wife's Loyalty to Her Dead
Husbands Memory.

-
Husbands Memory.
An Indianapolis young woman whose
winters are spent in Texas, where her
father has thousands of cattle and
acres of grass to feed them on, always
brings north with her fund Of inter-
esting stories from the Lone Star
State.
1.-The greatest case of woman's devo-
ton to the memory of a dead husband
l know Of, said she, "is to be found on
a big ranch in the foothills of the
Sierra Madre mountains. She IS
sweet faced English woman who is liv-
ing a life of sacrifice away from her
friends because her husband lies bur-
led in that country. Capt. Follett and
wife came to Texas from England and
settled OH a big ranch. The captain
was successful and made money. His
wife, a refined and cultured woman,
endured the early privations because
she was with her husband and because
he was doing we'll. After years of hard
work, when they had gathered about
them great droves of cattle and had
built themselves a luxurious home, the
husband was taken suddenly Ill and
died. His wife, instead Of having him
buried in cemetery, had him laid In
the ground in the yard in front of their
home. The little mound that marks his
resting place is still there. Friends
came to the assistance Of the wife and
save her advice and all the assistance
that generous Texans can give.
AT length she settled down to liv-
ing again absolutely alone and unpro-
tected. She keeps no help on the
ranch, as none is needed except when
it is necessary to brand her cattle or
when they are taken to market. On
these occasions she calls in the neigh
bors. But she has no one living In the
house with her and prefers to be alone
with her dead-lying there in the yard
Her home is furnished luxur1ously
She has a piano and her library and
magazines. People visiting her home
could scarcely believe from the interior
that they were in the very heart Of the
cattle country, far from civilization
She plays the piano exquisitely and all
the best class of music finds its way
into the ranch house. People passing
that way late at night are often aston
iShed to hear the sound of piano
played by expert hands coming from
the house. She is intensely loyal to
her husbands memory. On the piano
at the moment of his death was a
white duck helmet which he wore on
the plains. 1t lay where he cast 1t the
last day he wore it. 1t has never been
moved from the piano, and the devoted
wife will not let it be moved.
In the rear of the house is a little
gate that hangs about half way open.
Capt. Follett, the last trip he made
through this gate before his illness,
left it open, and his wife has never
allowed it to be closed 1t hangs there
today just as it did when he passed
through 1t the last time. Mrs. Follett is
always glad to have people come and
see her for short call, but she will
not hear of any one staying With her
for the sake of keeping her company.
She prefers to be alone out there in
the great solitude, living out her life
within few feet Of his grave and walt
ing to join him in the great beyond.
That's what ] call devotion and faith
fulness to the memory of loved one"
indianapolis Journal.