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

The stranger heard the story Of Mary
Frances one day when they sat together
before a snOldeTing fire in Pappy'
house. Above the mantel hung the por-
trait of a large, fair woman, already
ia her middle years, the splendor of the
face filling the hOmely room with a sort
of radiance The artist, or life itself
had Impaired TO the really commonplace
features a resemblance of power. peace
and tenderness that produced the eff
feet of spiritual effulgence. The express
sion was not that of mere holy long
ing, which often renders the cOunte-
nance of good women patheticaIy sug-
gestive of Importance, but the solemn
majesty of the head nObly bent, the be
neficent light in the quiet eyes, the lips
sWeetly set as If TO pronounce blessings
rather than prayers, each betokened the
repOse of a spirit that had outlasted the
tragedy which made it great.
Hit wouldn't s'prise me now, mister
eff er halo shined out round tibet head, %
murmured Pappy. observing the strang-
er's interest she puts me in mind of
tibet marchin', high .ssoundin' Scripter
which ends in er chorus erbOut glory an
honor, an'speace."
A crisp wind swept in through the
open doorway. All that remained of the
bright October day was a yellow veil Of
sunlight drawn across the valley. The
air was filled with the drOning, sleepy
sounds Of humming birds, tiukling
sheep bells and of women singing era
die songs in the village below. A hun
dred purpling peaks pierced the horizon,
and between them rolled an opal mist
like the very shroud of sleep.
"Th' day she come back home were
Ike this, only colder-frost come tn
-. IL % -
how I set her here by tn fire an
drawed OF her shoes ter warm her feet,
an how she wringed her hands ter hev
Ine do sech er thing. Her face were
pinched an faded like er. rose tibet hev
withered in tn bud, her dress were
ragged, an she were actually hungry.
God damn him.
A rhetorical pause followed, during
which Pappy hitched his chair forward
violently, kicked the logs upon the
hearth into a flame and brushed a tear
from his cheek.
bet tibet haiut whar mer story be-
gins" he resumed.
Mary Frances want mo- AN seven
when her ma died, an Bud Jest let Ter
run wild-mister. hits easy ter tel
when er child hev lost hits mother TIL
button'n be often er little boys breeches,
er gals harll be tangled, or her dress II
cape open behint. Jest so, Mary Fran
ces used ter come over here loOkin' like
er little pink locust with her cloies on
fastened an her pantlets dangling. She
had er round saser face them days. gan
der blue eyes an har like corn tassels
Thar want no shame in her. no place
fer trouble; an She were ez fun of joy
ez er robins breast is of song. She
never, ter say actually played. lest
rrrnnnH aVhgerF efncir7f 4nT
herself. She never hankered afther chill
dren's company. She lowed they spilled
her thoughts. Tibet were tn only quare
thing / noticed I'm Mary Frances ontiI
her pa married agin. an Partheny let in
ter train her up like t'other gals here
I'm tn valley.
Be yo' can't train er butterfly no
way 20 fix hit. mister. They hain't
made outen nothin' bet wings, an all
they air fifteen fer is ter fly. So. when
God made Mary Frances. he turned her
loose, so ter speak. She were free
horned in er sense common folk know
nothin' erbout. An Partheny'd ez well
tied err June bus ter tn spinnin' wheel
ez Mary Frances, fer all tn thread she
spun. Time she turned her hack. III
little gal were out an gone with eT flash
of her ap'On tails over tn top Of tn hill
tO'ards our house. Fer. not hevin' chill
den Of our own, me an Marthy were
terrible fond of her.
'Accordin' ter Partheny though, her
worst fault want bein' no count ter
work, bet hit were tellin' lies. One night
at church she went so fur ez 10 asst tn
prayers OF all Christian people that she
mout hev the strength an perseverance
ter break her little stopdarter of this on
gOdly habit.
An. continued Pappy with remin~