The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-04

git up endurin' tn night an open tn
do speCtin' ter find her outside.
at last, one evenin' I were settin' out
thar on tn bench smOkin when I heerd
somebody calm me. Thinkin 'tweTe
Marthy, I looked inside an seen her
nOddin' in her cheer afOre the fire. Then
1 turned round an seen a woman
standin' thar by tn gate. She we're all
misted up with tn shadders, be- her
face were so white no darkness could
hide It.
" 'Enank God" SEE I, runnin' ter let
her in, hits Mary FrancesP But when
I reached out my arms ter her she
drawed back an cried in 'er high, thin
voice:
Don't tech me, Pappy, I'm er lost
womanP an sho' 'nOugh acrOst her innO-
cent eyes thar were a damned look, ez
plain ez tn mark of Cain.
" No 20 hain't, honey seq I, pleadin',
20 air jest er pore young lamb thet
were stolen Outen tn fold
" I'm tn scarlet woman she cried,
staTtin' back down tn road. an lner
feet takes hold on hell With tibet she
/ looked back over her shoulder an give
me er turrible mad laugh. Then she
stopped an begun ter tar off her clo'es,
whisperin:
'Pappy an Marthy'H know sin hev
made mer dress so red
Hit hain't red, Mary Frances SEE
/ I, tryin' ter calm her.
Yes, hit air, an we all come te-
! getheT, SEE she, beckOnin' back in tn
/ dark.
Who" I asst her. not KNOWN bet
/ thar mOut be some one with her.
/ All tn scarlet women in the world.
/ Pappy, I tried ter drive 'em back, ret
/ they lowed we had ter go together now.
An' I hev bTung 'em like tn locust inter
/ our valley. An we'll rot hit, dry hit up
| like tn desert Thar1l be no shade, no
/ kiverin' fer nakedness, nOthin' bet
| thurst an famine an sinful sickness"
Her face set like she'd saw er vision,
| then she dropped on tn ground ez eff
! she were dead. an gathered her in mer
| arms an brung her inter tn house.
/ I'VE took off them garments she
| thought were so red. Marthy cOmbed
/ her ha'r down smooth an plated hit an
we laid her in tn little bed thar in tn
/ shed room whar she used ter sleep. An
| hits tn truth, mister, I prayed meT God
I she mOut never come ter her senses, nor
understand what had happened ter her.
| From tibet on MaTthy set by her day
an night pattin' an pettin' her same
ez eff she'd been er sick baby. From her
happy, wandeTin' talk, we knOwed she'd
| been ev'ywhar with tibet man ez his
wife. Then her vOic'd change an she'd
be comm home from some fur off place;
an all tn time she thinked them scarlet
women were followin' her. nor she
couldn't dodge 'em, no matter which
road she took.
But her mind cleared at last. One
mOrnin' she opened her eyes, looked CT
bout her an whispered.
d" I'm dead. fur I smells tn thyme on
| tn mountains at home An thar were
a terrible sweet look on her face, ez eff
she were talkin' out of heaven ter me.
70 hain't dead, Mary Frances, bet
20 hev been sick SEE I, tryin' ter keep
back from cryin'.
" 'Pappy, am I ter home? she asst.
" Yes, honey, yO' air ter home
" Don't tell nobody she whispered
" I won't SEE 1, kissin' her little thin
hands, bet she drawed EN- erway an
shet her eyes; an tn tears come
through. So I knowed by tibet she re-
membered.
I hain't never been so clost ter
heaven, mister, ez some claims ter bel
hev alters been too much er martial man
in mer speech an cOnduct-bet when
seen Mary. Frances layin' thar like thet,
an knowed I couldn't keep the black
flood of shame from Tunnin' over her
mind, 1 felt so helpless I jest drapped
on meT knees. kivered mer face with
mer two hands an let out mer heart
to God. / asst fer strength an cour-
age fer Mary Frances. I lowed ter him
I'd knOwed her all her life an I'd stand
in Judgment fer her bein' ez good ez airy
angel in heaven. In paTtickler I asst
fer wisdom ter guide her till she were
strong enough ter go her own gait.
dunno how long I prayed, bet I've
been er better man ever since. When I
come ter merself Marthy were kneelin' /
thar beside me holdin' Mary Frances's /
hands in hern an 1 felt eZ strong 81 /
Gideon. I reckon mebbe I had tn wit /
ness of tn sDeret, whatever thet air. .
Anyhow, from tibet time for'ard 1 never /
worried.
Bet with Mary Frances 'twere diff /
ferent Er good woman cast down like I
thet mister, air tn pitifullest thing in /
this Onpitiful world They jest sinks 4
right down like er bird with tn breath /
knocked outen hit They hain't nothin
ter say: their very speret air kivered I
with tn dust of humiliation Thar 1
hain't nOthin betwixed them an hell, /
not er hope nor er prayer. So his were /
with Mary Frances. Arfter a time she /
began ter creep erbOut tn house an /
help MaTthy with tn work, same 50 she /
used ter do; bet we couldn't tempt her /
aCrost tn do sill. she were so afeerd ter
be seen"
Pappys long silence WIS prolonged /
so far beyond the usual rhetorical pause 4
that the stranger. glanCins up at the /
Respondent face Of the woman above
them. said:
But that was not the md"
EFF hit had been I couldn't bleVe /
thar were er God in heaven,
While Mary Frances were so low, we
never called on tn neighb0rs fer help. /
becase we didn't want EN- ter hear what /
tn pore gal telled Outen her head. At /
last We took notice thet none Of EN- !