The progress., 1904-07-23
Old King
BY
PAULINE PHELPS
lpopyrisht IN, b DAiiy ssosy Pah. oo.s

hITE LIVED up there in that little
II house, top the mountain, Just
'tOther side Of the brook. without a
Wife nor chick nor child, an not neigh
Dor settin' foot inside the door once .
blue moon. Kind Of lonesome existence,
'twould be for most folks-drive me
crazy in less'n a week--but King liked
It; an II he hadn't. there wouldn't none
Of us ever heard him say word. He
want no hand to make fuss over
things, old King want
"Stayed there after his mother died,
keepin' bachelors hall; never goin'
anywhere, except over to the center for
his paper once week, or maybe to town
meetin'; never talkin any, an never
lookin' at girl-kept on that way for
q spell of Is year, an then fell in love
with Lucy Pettibone to the end ont.
Her mother made the match; 'twa'n't
none of Lucy's choosin'. He'd ought to
known It! He'd ought to know there
want anything in an old crank like him
to take young girls fancy. an one that
was writin' steady to another beau be-
sides. But he didn't, s'pose. He
spruced UP an tried to be social; an
when the engagement was out he bought
a new broadcloth suit, an come to
church with her a-wearin' 1t. Lord,
can shut my eyes an see 'em now,
marchin' up the aisle-he proud an high
headed, an she lookin' as If she wanted
to drop through the floor. She's 'shamed
Of him, an she shows It,, folks said.
but he cant see 1t. Thinks she's in love
with him, like as not. There's no fool
like an old fool says they.
"That was Sunday. An the next
1uornin' Lucy run off an met Phil Slo-
cum an married him, just week before
the time set for the other weddin'.
"They hated to tell King when he
drove up to the house that day, but they
needn't have. You'd thought twas
stray critter for all the concern he
showed. Set there like craven image,
with his hands on his reins and his lips
close together, an heard the whole
thing from beginnin' to end An when
they got through
"Ts that all?' says he, kind Of quiet.
"'That's all, says Pettibone.
"'Then git up Prince says he. 4
guess I'll go home an do the chores
"An' that's just what he did, an kept
a. doin' 'em for 20 years; an If her actin
so made dif'rence, there couldn't none
of us see 1t. He want no hand to make
q fuss over things, old King want.
"Phil an Lucy come back after a
year or two an settled at Phil's fathers
Marthy-that was the one my Sam mar
ried-was born there, an Lucy died in the
upstairs west room; caught cold hang
in out clothes one day in January, an
died the next March. There come up |
sort of blizzard the day of her funeral, |
with wind BLOWN an snow piling up in |
drifts; want but ten folks went to the |
grave, an old King was one of 'em.
Come wearin' them broadcloth clothes
he'd bought for his weddin', an stood
there in them an see her buried; an you
couldn't tell no more from his face how |
he felt about 1t than as if he'd been
carved out of wood. Some said twas
because he hadn't forgiven her, an
some said twas because he had; but
what they said didn't make no difference
to him.
Meet him sometimes in the winter
snow BLOWN an wind whistlin', an he
a footin' it over to get his paper-always
went just such day. whether twas
warm or cold. Pretty bad weather
King. Don't you want to rider I can
git along all right, says he. Pass by
there in the mornin', when rheumatic
had hold of him, an he'd be just crawlin'
out to milk the cows. Must be hard for
you to travel on them feet of your'n.
Don't you want some help?' If he did,
he wouldn't own it. Never spoke a
pleasant word; couldn't make him!
Just shut his teeth an answer, surly
as he always did: I'm gittin along all
right says he-an' that's ALL
But when Sam got ready to marry
Phil Slocum sent him an invite
to the weddin', an. he come. Come in
that same broadcloth suit he'd wore to
her mothers funeral---pretty we'll moth
IR4 -. |