Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-07-29
The Visiting of
Mother Danbury
- PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR
Copyright. by J. q. Lppincott CO

Copyright. by J. b. LppincOtt Co..
In the small village everybody is
interested in everybody's else doings
not always with a malicious con-
Germ. as some would have US believe.
ror among primitive folk there may
Dc kindly prying, and gossip is some
times gentle.
There vas no lack of this village
meddling, II meddling it might be
called, when Felix Danbury. he who
was son of the Widow Danbury and
ohorister at Cory church. led Martha
Dickson to the altar.
mere was some sorrow, too, in all
this interest, for the marriage of Fee
Tx meant his loss to the community.
Martha lived at Baldwin's Ford. and
th1ther her bethrothed 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 a widow. had protested so
loud and long against separation from
her only child that the lover was
compelled to assure her that she
would gain son rather than lose a
daughter. 1t was very noble indeed.
and there had been a beautiful scene
In which old Mrs. Dickson had wept
on Felix's shoulder and blessed him.
You're a good boy" she told him.
81 know that the folks air a-goin' to
say that you're desertin' yore mother.
but faint so; she'll come over here
a-visitin', an we1l 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.
No, no." she would say, rocking
complacently. "a man ought to have
a wife, an. sf he can't git her to come
to him. he's got to go to her. 1 don't
blame Wilder Dickson now a bit
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
1t amt as eff Felix was gone fur good.
You see Baldwin's Ford amt fur
away. an kin run over an drop in
on EN- 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 a 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 a day with her two dear
children.
The day was a joyous one for her
for them all. Felix was radiant. his
wife shyly 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 a Sunday returned
by all the family from Baldwin's
Ford. At such times Cory's church
heard Felix's voice again, and it re-
1oiced, 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
1t 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
Ford; others that the Baldwin's Ford
lists would never return the visit. One
side held that Felix would forget his
mother in a month, and the others
with equal assurance, gave Martha n
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