The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-15
THE EVENING STORY
Humble Folk.
[By c. B. Lewis.l


breen. In way, say, because the
humble people living in the coves or
scattered cabins on the sides and crests
OF the southern mountains do not speak
of "engagements."
1t is taken for granted that when a
cabin of a mountaineer possessing a
marriageable daughter he has matri-
mony In view, and when the nearest
nelghbors are called in to see the cou-
pie jump the broomstick or stand up
before travelling preacher to be made
one, there is no surprise and little
comment.
The father Of Linda Breen had no
questions to ask OF Tom Salters. He
had known his father for years. Tom
has as yet no questions to ask Of Lin
das sire. Neither Linda nor her moth
er had referred to the subject Some
day when Joe Breen and the young
man were out hunting squirrels or
walking to the village together Tom
would suddenly say without preface:
Reckon men Linda better git
hitched."
And the father of Linda would throw
and after chewing away for a couple
OF minutes would reply:
Yes. reckon"
That evening the father would have
Few words to say to the mother in
private, and at a later hour she would
casually remark to the daughter:
Tom Salters wants you, and I reck-
on you'll be goin' in few days"
Nineteen times out Of twenty the
marriage would follow-there would be
a new squat of land taken up-a new
pole cabin built, and another family
would go on making mountain history.
But IN this case no marriage followed.
It was all on account of the arrival OF
Tom Salter's uncle from village in
the lowlands. He was in business down
there and wanted help, so he had come
for Tom.
Tom had no education. but he had
native wit. He was known to be a
right smart" young man. The uncle
talked Of broader field. chance for
education and a rise in the world.
Linda must wait. At the end OF
year or two, Tom could come back and
marry her and take her away.
And in the twilight OF summers
evening Tom and Linda sat on a log
in front Of her fathers cabin. a space
of a foot between them. Both looked
into vacancy, and he told her of the
plan.
He talked in a jerky, disjointed way,
but she understood as well as II he had
been a silver-tongued orator. He had
asked for her hand. He meant to marry
The road seemed straight and plain to
him, and he did not dream that there
was a knife at her heart as she lis
tened.
Men will never understand how far.
reaching woman's intuition Is. The girl
followed Toms words. and yet she saw
months and months and months ahead
of them.
reached out her hand as II to detain
him. but drew it back without his hav-
ing observed the action. Two or three
times there were tears in her eyes. but
she took care that he should not see
them.
asked as he had finished and the
silence had lasted for long minute.
Better go, reckon was the reply.
What other answer could she have
made? A tousled, barefooted, ignorant
girl of the mountains. and yet would
her woman's pride seek to detain
him when he had proposed the
separation?
They sat together for five minutes
longer. and then they separated. she
to enter the cabin and seek its dark
est corner to let her tears flow. and
he to shake hands with her father
and mother and bid them good-by.
1t may be said of the lovers that
both could write scrawl or two, and
both could read a scrawl or two" so
scrawls passed between them. They
were weekly at first, and then there
were longer intervals. If Tom did
not write, Linda could not answer.
Then one day there came a nefghbor
who had seen Tom in person in his
new field.
The speaker did not mean to
wound or bruise. but he had seen
new Tom SalterS@one who was no
longer Of those on the mountains He
had forgotten the crags and peaks
for the streets OF the town.
When the man mad departed,
Linda's mother wanted to look her in
the eyes; Linda wanted to do the
same by her mother. Instead Of 30
doing, both turned their heads away.
They said nothing of Tom.
What happened was all simple and
natural. Tom Salters had entered
upon a new life. 1t offered number
less attractions to the young man who
had never travelled ten miles from the
cabin in which he had been born,
and it was but natural that he
should soon begin to forget the old
life and all that he had left behind.
His scrawls were indited at longer
intervals. and finally ceased al
together. He came to almost ignore
in other days. They looked at his
new clothes, noted his speech and
walk, and went away shaking their
heads. In their opinion this was
rank disloyalty to the mountains.
BY and by there came another mes
senger to the cabin in the cove where
Linda waited. Again there was no
desire to wound and. bruise, but
simply to impart news. Tom Salters
was shining up" to a handsome
Young girl down there in the town.
He had become almost gentle
man. No matter how smart he had
been before leaving home, he had
surely become right smarter after his
life among townsfolk. He would
never return. He would marry and
settle down where he was.
All this and much more Linda lis
tened to with her elbows on her
knees and her head in her hands.
She sat thus after the caller had de-
parted, and her mother dared not
break the silence. 1t was Linda her
self who broke It at last by lifting