The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-04-30

Il
rose to go to bed, and babe his
hosts good night with vague feel
ing of foreboding.
He slept little that night in the
great room assigned to him. Among
the old pictures ON the willis, which
he casually looked over as he un-
dressed, he was struck by tar
nished portrait Of girl who closely
resembled Martha. Though clothed
in long-since-forgotten garb, he
found the same tender brown eyes
and dark hair, the same sensitive
mouth. No name was written ON the
worn gilt frame, but ON the dust
covered back he found scrawlcd,
Martha Rankin, $780," Even when
Carroll put out the light. that face
stood between him and sleep. Those
eyes haunted his brain. So, too, did
the flying horseman and the troubled
face of his host. and the remark of
the young Martha. He remembered
to have heard his mother tell of ro-
mantle love story with tragic end
ing which had happened in this from
OACI lVuSSs OuAAe ny HIS 1OTUcdIS
when they came from Virginia after
the revolution. What was it about?
The first gray Of dawn found him
still asking himself this question,
and the cock had told Of the ap-
proach OF a new day before he
dropped into perturbed slumber.
The brilliant, fitful sunlight OF.
spring day .strayed into winter was
streaming into his room ere Carroll
awakened. The refreshing bath and
the wholesome smell of the country
cleared his head and he smiled at
the foolish fancies of the night.
Carelessly he ran down the broad
stairs of the stately mansion in q
manner calculated to startle into.
life the sweet-faced danes and the
starched-collared soldiers of the rev.
olution whose portraits smiled from
their gilded frames studding the
hallway. His host was genial; Mrs.
Rankin the soul of matronly solic-
itude. Had he slept we'll? Did he
find everything he needed in his
room? Martha gave him demure
good-morning and the reassembled
family went out to breakfast. No
mention was made of the events of
the previous night.
Martha's remark about Aunt
|, Dinah's ghost remained in Carroll's
head, however, and having nothing
to do, he strolled out to her cabin to
hear her story. It was Aunt Dinah's
fayorite yarn, and she unbent with
right good will, proud of having the
stranger cousin for listener.
''Good Lawd, honey, an you
ACCESSIBILITY amt heahed dat tale?
Wal, you see, it wuz long time ago,
most fore wuz bawn, I reckon.
Miss Martha WIZ her name, an she
loved Mars Rob Gregory, what had q
heap O. fine horses. He KEEP comm
heah ter see Miss Martha twell
everybody said dey sho' would
marry. Den dey had fallin' out an
he didn't come no noah. Miss
Martha didn't let on, but she sar-
tainly did love Mars Rob, an KEEP
pinin' on pinin' away twell she wuz
nigh died.. One Sunday dey all went
to church at de Cross Roads, 'cepten'
her. When dey come back her nav,
Miss Ellen, found her on de foah
in de -parler-ded. She had shot her
self in de corner by de window, whar
she an Mars Rob ulster set.
"Wall, doan't jes' rekelleck, but
folks do say Mars Rob died jes' aft
er. Anyway, he took her death
mighty hard, cause it WIZ lhis fault,
an he ought to have made up with
her. An so he got mighty wild an
reckless like. Some say he wuz kind
o. teched in de haid. He ulster ride
bout de country on his big geldin'
jes' like mad. One night I seed him
go by heah like all de devils wuz fol-
lowins De mex mawnin' dey found
him by de crick, his big geldin' stand
in over him. He had shot hisself in
de heart.
II dunno, chile, but cher since den
dey say dat Mars Rob ride by heah
when sweethearts oh de county fall
out. I seed once when Mars Walker
an Miss Mary Rogers had dere trub-
ble-but dat's anuther tale, honey.
Anyway, folks doan't come dis away
nights no NOAH. Mars Rankin, he
make b'lieve. hit amt so; but he
keeps de blud spots on de parlor
floah covered up, an he doan't ride
home in de night
And go Aunt Dinah rambled on.
eager to tell other stories of the
past. Carroll kept the incident in.
his mind for while, and then let it
drop as a darby superstition. He de-
voted himself to the task of build
ing up his health, going hunting, rid
ing to neighborhood fox meets, driv-#
ing Martha to dances and parties,
and in other ways filing ont the rou-
tine of life in the country. In fol-
lowing this social round he found
that the chase after health can
sometimes be made a cheerful occu-
patton, especially with girl like
Martha to help one. They rapidly
became good friends, and Carroll was
astonished to discover how neces-
sary her company was to his COM
fort and pleasure. 1t seemed that he
was always seeking q pretext to he