The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-06

how happy people look when they get
through the golden gates of Heaven. but
Heaven Amt goin' to hold any happier
folks than Bob and Jennie was that night.
Right then | said that 1t want a devil in
Jlm's mule but the Lord himself that
made him run away thatsSunday.
We'll. stranger, you're gittin' tired and
I'm goin to cut this story short
Bob and Jennie was jest as happy as
they could be- and it looked like the good
Lord was goin to make up for Bob 8
long wait But Jennie took a cold one
day and it jest wouldn't go away. Bob
tried doctorin her himself for spell and
then, taken her to town. The doctor there
said she'd Jest rim completely down and
that he was mighty 'fraid he couldn't
do nothing for her, less Bob would send
her out to Arzony. Bob asked him how
much it would take and when the doctor
told him 1t would cost more'n a thousand
dollars he'd might as well have told
Bob to go home and pul1-up Chat big pine
tree you seen in front of his house by
the roots with his bare hands. He
didn't handle moren fifty dollars clear
money in year, his farm wouldn't sell
for more'n two hundred and fifty and
that had a mortgage on II for hundred
dollars.
THAT trip to the town doctor mighty
nigh drove Bob crazy. Every. time after
that when he'd hear Jennie cough, he'd
think how he could have her if he only
had the money and then he'd start to git
tin mad and cussin' the rich men in
town. Jennie she got so she couldn't do
anything but set about In the house and
all the time gittin' weaker and thinner.
About that time Mandy, told me thu
Bob's ma told her that If Jennie could
live and get strong. there would be
little baby at Bob's house, that she was
expectin' it.
When they told Bob bout this and he
went in and talked with Jennie,
when he come out. there was the fun
NEST kind of look in his eyes that ] never
seen there before, and he went up and
told his ma that he was goin' to town for
a spell and wanted her and one of the
boys to stay with Jennie It'll he come
back. Bob got on his mule and rode
toward town long bout sunset, and we
never heard anything bout him till he
come bStll whole month afterwards.
"F'olks thought 1t was kinder funny IN
Bob to go off and leave Jennie that way,
and her sick. Twarn't like Bob at all
But his ma stayed right there and waited
for him to come back cause she knowed
he would cause he told her he'd be back.
Poor little Jennie seemed to it.<mighty
hurt cause Bob HAD left. and when she
taken to her bed, u knowed she'd never
git up again. She might have stood the
baby's bein' born, but when Bob didn't
come back in week, looked in her eyes
and I seen that the cough was bein'
helped by her heart what had been hurt
WED almost gotten used to Bob's bein'
gone and was watching Jennie fade
away 'spectin' her to be called every.
time she had a coughin' spell and prayin'
that Bob would come back to see the
child Just once. His ma told Jennie that
he d been killed or hurt so bad he couldn't
come. or else he never would have left
her She was tryin' to keep Jennie from
bein' hurt with Bob, for you know it's
terrible thing for a woman to die hurt
with man. and Jennie couldn't under
stand. 80 SIS
"One night we was all out in the hall
between the two rooms. 'cept Bob's ma
who was with Jennie, when man stepped
out from the road and come straight up
to the house. Jest as soon as seen him
| knowed it was Bob dpd | run out to
meet him. But he didn't speak to nobody
and went right IN the room where Jennie
and his mother was and called TO Jennie
in such a tone that 1t almost made me
cry: Here's the money Jennie, and I'm
goin' to take you to Arizony tomorrow
mQrnin'. Jennie, tomorrow mornin little
gall And Bob threw down on the floor
a shot sack that was full of silver dollars.
But Bob didn't take Jennie to Arizony,
for the next mornin she was dead. Bob's
pla said that she died Jest as the sun
was breakn' through the east shutter,
and It must have been jest bout that
time. for whepk Looked at -.JepHie., there
was the first smile an her face since