The Washington herald., 1909-07-04

here a-purpose ter tell 20 I'd risk her
chances Ter glory quicker 'sn I would airy
one or yo'r'nH Er dangerous stiffness lfOl-
Tered them remarks: bet I had tn bit in
mer teeth thet time an I'd hev ft tn
devil ef he'd crost me.
Now sez ], steppin' out in III aisle,
word heV come ter Us thet yo' aim ter
church me an Narthy fer takln' Mary
Frances In. Std Of thet. I'm here ter try
20. An I don't aim ter mince matters
none / hev lived in this valley or long
time I hev knowed tn down-settin's an
uprizin' or nearly ey'ry man an woman
IN this house ter night since they were
borned- I recollect thet gal thet had ter
marry In sech er hurry sez ]. castin' mer
eye al Molly Jeeter, an turnin to'ard
iPartheny ] continued. I hain't fergOt III
one thet shamed herself running arfter a
common peddlarman thet wouldn't look
al her. / remember ev'ry one Of them
holy deacOns sence they were devilish
boys. ] halnt calm no names. bet
know which one took his mortgaged mule
lover ter South Caliny an sold hit. I mind
th one ] seen sparkln' one night In Blue
Ridge, an tn one / hev hauled home
drunk from thar mOre'n Oncst since he
Jlned this church An yO'u al bar me
witness I hain't never nOrated them mar
I uai doin's OF y0r'n. bet from row on III
folks in this settlement thet live IN glass
/ houses can't fling stones al Mary Frances
/ / gin the women in this congreg cation tel
next Sunday ter call on her an Marthy
'Tney won't hev no better sense an
/ ter DO glad ter see yO'. Bet ef 20 don't
come. ef ever Mary Frances Sits so much
/ eZ er down look from one Of YOU. III SOW
this valley down agin with tn tars OF
/ yo'r youth. III git oIten this church an
/ I'll bring hlt down on yo'r heads with tn
record OF yo' frailties" They were settin
mighty quiet by then. mister. fer I were
Well acquainted with their d0in's.
90 I haint peTtendin' ter no sort Of high
| experience sez I, conclu5in', but IN
Lord laid hts whip on some Pharisees
orcst an hit done er sight OF good. I'm
jest follerin' His example accordin' ter
mer Eghts.' With that I walked out
ahead OF th' benedicti0n.
Wen. sir. so many folks come next day
our house were like er fair. an I could
see th band Of shame drap from Mary
Frances brOWs eZ them women helt her
hand an asst ef she were pittiu' better an
tellin' how they wanted ter come sooner,
be. Pappy lowed she want able ter see
company, an so on.
''Thet night we're settin' outside ez
usual. with mer pipe, when Mary Frances
come an set down beside me. I Ilnowed
she had sOmethin' On her mind. an al
last she dared.
d" 'Pappy' sez she. am 7 really an
truly al right?
20 afr. Mary Frances
Z Bet I hain't telled yo' all
d" What's the resr7' I ast. KNOWN
'twa'n't nothln' bad.
] don't want ever ter see him srgin:
BET Oh. my God. Poppy, I can't ct over
faelin' lack I'm er part er him she Xiv
cred her face an laid her head agin mer
shoulder.
Mary Frances. sez 7 solemn. rhers
tn very sign OF honor in er woman Ev'ry
good one feels thet way to'ards IN man
they hev lived with. no matter how W.
worthy he air. They can't part with him
IN their minds 'thout losin' some OF tn
grace OF woman goodness. So long ez
they 1--we they must cleave outer thet
one Then she finged herself inter mer
arms an cried.
Bet who shall deliver me from IL
body Of this death"
God, honey sez 7. holdin' her tight
An so hit were. Afore long We got
word that Junigs Boyd were dead, killed
il er railroad accident out West
NOW. so hev saw a tau. white lily
beat down by tn storm. how It VIII stand
up straight when III sun comes out an
lc0k fairer an ever. So hit were with
Mary Frances she mt the same Jest
sweerer. er thousand times. an gifted
with tenderness fer ev'ryb0dy an ev'ry
creature. she staii long here in III val
ley. nussin N sick an takin' keer Of
folks generally. Bet III wonderful thing
were N wisdom she had NO-hin- were
hid from her. she kuowed III strength
OF human mater same ez ef she were tn
strongest an all hits weaknesses ez ef
she'd been III frallest pore gal she
knowed more erbouJ goodness an er.
preacher ever dassen ter know. Fer they
calls on Us ter Co right accOrdin' ter their
perriCltlsr theology. an ef yO' don't be
damned ter yO. But she found virtue 81
IN weeked an made en- hope IN ther-
selves, which air er sight better an
hCpin' In CT plan Of salvation tbet be-
longs Ter tn preacher.
An al these things she wrote our n
tales ez true ez gospels. FGst they come
out in papers an magazines. Then AZ
last she drawed one out till hit made
book Hit were Jest erbOUt Us here in
the valley She SET hlt down 50 plain
= ~
ev'ry shadder on III grass. ev'ry windin'
road an tassel.n' stalk OF corn. E0'
could mighty nigh hear tn birds sing ez
yo turned n pages. An I be blamed ef
she didn't put me an Narthy in. I never
kRowed I were anything bet er tarnal
sinner tn I read erboUt merself IN her
book Stiil. yO' could tel hit were Us she
were writin' erboUt by tn way she
smoothed Marthy's haic back, an put hit
in erbOUJ me bein' paunchy an bow
legged Bob Teasley lowed. when ne
read thet book, thet he'd hev knowed me
by them legs ef he'd saw EN- in Para F.
disc"
Pappy chUckled delightedly as he
stretch out the accusing members.
Now. theJ's the story OF Mary Frances. /
which III world theJ reads her books +
don't know. She sent me III picter yo'
see up thar two years axe. An some
times she travels all III way back here
Ter see me An she calls me Pappy stiII 90 .
tCCpUiglr1