Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-04-11
GENERAL VIEW OF JACKSON.

looked at me inquiringly. In her manner,
| edy she has faced and is now facing,
there was all of the traditional hospitality
of the Southerner, whether of the noun
tains or the lowlands. In all rural sim
plicity she asked me first thing if I
wouldn't "lay off my things
"A body sort of gets used to things, and
I've been through so much. And it wasn't
as sudden as it might have been, either,
for I've always expected TO see him brought
home dead any hour or any minute, but it
never came into my head that it would be
Beech that would do it."
When I asked permission to see her
son in Jail troubled look crept into the
deep set black eyes of the mother 1t was
the struggle, in a simple, straightforward
nature, between courtesy to the, guest
within her gates and the dictates of pol
lection myself, only | promised Judge
Redwine wouldn't let nobody in"
And now my long walk TO visit Grannie
Hargis II Pan Bowl Farm, with de-
scription of which began this story, is
almost completed At the door scot
grmed woman putting away at a clay
pipe answers my knock. and when l
inquire for Mrs. Hargis she too looks
incredulcns.
"No; Mrs. Hargis, she don't live here,
but Grannie Hargis does, If il be her yer
after" she proifered with the utmost hos
pitality in her tone, and then babe me
enter. The room We stepped into was
kitchen. parlor. dining room in one.
The woman. an ancient seryitor of the
family. led me through this room and
into another. the bedehamber Of the clan
mother, who sat with folded hands lok-
ing meditatively into the fire. Clad like
her daughter-in-law in sombre black, she
had substituted for a sun bonnet knit
ted black worsted shawl, from the folds
of which her sharply aquiline features
showed in bold relief. Her tall. gaunt
frame-tall even as she sat huddled up
in her easy chair-her high cheek bones,
her deeply socketed. close set black eyes,
and her massive, almost masculine jaw
bespoke the Spartan mother, the mother
of warriors and of clansmen.
They also bespoke an almost unutter-
able pride. a pride which in spite of her
eighty-five years. in spite Of her rural
simplicity. in spite of her very evident
k,.,,;tat;t,. ar,nunfaJ to N sort af arro
gance. Hers is the sort Of pride which
would scorn to allow either friend or enc
my TO see her grief. Sternly virtuous,
faithful wife and burden-bearing help
meet. mother capable Of the most sub
lime heroism for her children-all this one
would know to look at the figure sitting
before the FIRE. Ii was written in the
serenity Of her dark, swarthy, much
wrinkled brow: IL was written in her
eyes and on her mouth: most Of all was
il written in her fine old. though illcared
for hands-long, thin hands that one never
saw on any other but CALIFORNIAN; hands
full Of the vestiges OF once mastery en-
ergy. gnarled and knotted now from too
much work in youth and too much rheum-
atism in old age.
But soft and gentle mother? Not she
who bore James Hargis and his brothers.
One feels to look at this remarkable
woman that she must have been stern
always toward her children even when
they were babes on her hreast-stern, that
is. according to her religion, for their
own future good. as the Spartan moth.
ers were stern.
"Yes, such things are hard. she said
quietly. hut I've seen q lot Of sorrow
in my life and reckon III live to see a
little more before they shovel the cIods
Of earth over my rough box i'd
! spoke Of the fate that had overtakeu
50 many Of her men folks. and the clan
mother replied with sublimely dissembled
sersniiy;-"Yes. they was all carried Of
sudden. Ny husband. be dropped dead
IN the State House down in Frankfort; he
got 10 be = Senator before he died-ths
was always great for politics.
Thea they killed ny Oldest boy b. mr.
srSt husband He vas crossin' a feld ia
he mooaIixhf ard somebody dict hin
iron the shaddsr. Then theT killed Jsrry
soush. my daughters Mustard Thea
her Killed ny bog Jshn Hsrziss Jsrry
Taraweu did that They never knowed
,xacfIy ubo Kid The sthers. Bat Jsry
-ardEsH. i vas hin killed Joh1- Thea
hey Kidd ny boz Bea: Ten CeckeriH
- hat. Ben vas ny hahy- And thsa
here vas this trsutls between jim and
.is 50 Besrh. snd seE I've ssiT sst I've
s-s Esft-I recksu @syb- the Ceeksrils
~ The Csr5seRsI 81 thezl. tee, 4 tksT
ANT prstty Part