Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-07-23
The Visiting of
Mother Danbury
Copyright. by J. B. Lippincott Coz
By PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR


In the small village everybody is
interested in everybody's else doings
not always with a malicious con
cern, as some would have us believe
For among primitive folk there may
be kindly prying, and gossip is some
times gentle
There was no lack of this village
meddling, if meddling it might be
called, when Felix Danbury, he who
was son of the Widow Danbury and
chorister at Cory church, led Martha
Dickson to the altar.
There was some sorrow, too, in all
this interest, for the marriage Of Fe
lix meant his loss to the community
Martha lived at Baldwins Ford, and
thither her betErothed had promised
to go and take up his abode. Usually
the woman follows the man, but in
this instance old Mrs. Dickson, who
was also widow, had protested sc
loud and long against separation from
her only child that the lover was
compelled to assure her that she
would gain a son rather than lose a
daughter. 1t was very noble indeed
and there had been beautiful scene
in which old Mrs. Dickson had wept
on Felix's shoulder and blessed him
You're good boy" she told him.
Il know that the folks air a-goin' to
say that you're desertin' yore mother,
but 'tain't so; she'll come over here
a-visitin', an Well go over there, an
it'll be just like one family; an be-
sides, yore mother wouldn't be lonely
like me, for she's got Melissy"
"Melissy" was Felix's married sis
ter, and on his marriage it was with
her that his mother went to live.
There were those who came to con-
dole with Mother Danbury upon the
loss of her son, but she was very
brave, and they had their trouble for
their pay
mo, nc" she would say, rocking
complacently, "a man ought to have
a wife, an eff he can't git her to come
to him, he's got to go to her. l dom
oioAiO w iuuOi OlChSOu uOW d Ult
about Marthy. 'Tain't like me, that's
blessed with two children to be the
support of my declinin' years."
But why couldn't she "a come over
here?" her gossips protested.
Twouldn't "a been fair to ask
her that; for she'd "a had to tore
up root an branch, while l amt got
nothin' to do scarcely but to slip out
O. my house into Melissy's. An then
it amt as eff Felix was gone fur good.
You see Baldwin's Ford amt fur
away, an l kin run over an drop in
on 'em almost anytime"
And SO, placidly, the old lady went
on with her knitting day by day, look
ing under and over her glasses as
often as through them as she paused
for little chats with the neighbors or
to murmur gentle admonition to Me-
lissy's children.
Outwardly she was calm, but her
soul longed for sight of this son,
whose form had gladdened her eyes
every evening as he returned from
work. and the honeymoon was hardly
over before she had dropped over"
to spend day with her two dear
children.
The day was joyous one for her
for them all. Felix was radiant, his
wife shyfy happy, and the Widow
Dickson brought out and spread for
her visitor the best that her larder
afforded
This was the first of a series of
such visits made at short intervals,
and sometimes of Sunday returned
by all the family from Baldwin's
Ford. At such times Cory's church
heard Felix's voice again, and it re-
joiced, too, that he was not entirely
lost to its service.
The village looked on at the pretty
romance and smiled because there
had been so many to prophecy that
it could not be. The tongues of
gossip had been wagging pretty free
ly. Some had said that Mother Dan
bury would never go to Baldwin's s
Ford; others that the Baldwin's Ford
lists would never return the visit. One
side held that Felix would forget his
mother in month, and the others,
with equal assurance, gave Martha a
little more than that time to leave
her native town, and both gave what
to them were adequate reasons.
So the village looked on and smiled
as month after month passed and
these prophecies came to naught The
simple folk still had their ideals, and
there is nothing in life so satisfactory
as having ones ideals realized.
In the fulness of time there came
good news from Baldwin's Ford, and
there was much hustle and flutter
about Melissy's house and running in
of the neighbor women. When they
emerged it was with mods and smiles
and knowing winks, as if they were
bubbling over with some glad. mo-
mentous intelligence. The spring
wagon was hastily rolled out, and old
Star, stepping more lively than she
had done for dozen years, was has
tily put between the shafts. Jeff de-
posted a mysterious bundle in the
wagons bed and then leaped to the
seat Then Mother Danbury came
out, all smiling anxiety, and with flut.
ering ribbons and mods to the as
sembled people she was borne away
towards Baldwin's Ford.
How the women gathered and chat
ted about it and wondered. 1t became
village event. Jeff finally returned
grinning and shamefaced, to an
nounce: ITS girl, and Mis- Danbury
says it weighs nine pounds
The men on the street, after hear
ing the news, chuckled and walked
away.
Meanwhile there was rejoicing also
in the village of Baldwin's Ford.
Felix was joyfully fearful, and bust
lingly glad the grandmothers, while
Nj orzth fy~ox