The Holly chieftain., 1919-03-27
BY
IRVING BAcHELLER
Copyright. by Irving Bschelierl
CHAPTER xvl-centinued.


-16t
"One day the OF squire got me to dig
this grave an put up the headstone an
then he tol' me the story. He turned
the poor gal out O. doors. God O.
Israel! 1t was in the night-yis, sir
1t was In the night that he sent her
away. Goldarn him! He didn't have
no more heart than grasshopper-no,
sir--not bit. l could "a Drained him
with my shovel. but didn't.
Il found out where the gal had gone
an follered her-yis did-found
her In the poorhouse way over on
Pussley Hill-uh huhl She jes' put
her arms round my neck an cried an
cried. l guess twas cause / looked
Find O. friendly-uh huhl tol' her
she should come right over to our
house an stay Jest as long as she
wanted to MS soon as she got we'll
yis. sir, I did.
"She was sick all summer long
kind o. out o. her head, ye know, an
used to go over hossback an take
things fer her to eat. An one day
wben l was over there they was won
derin' what they was goln' to do with
her little baby. took 1t In my arms
an I'll be gol dummed IL 1t didn't grab
hold o. my nose an hang on like a
puppy to root. When they tried to
take 1t away 1t grabbed its fingers into
my whiskers an hollered like pam
ther-yis. sir. Wal, ye know I jes'
fetched that little baby boy home in
my arms, ay uh! My wife scolded me
like Sam Hill-yis, sir-she had five
Of her own. I tor her I was goin' to
take 1t back in a day er two but after
It had been In the house three days ye
couldn't "a pulled 1t away from her
with windlass.
eve brought him up an he was al.
wuss good boy. We called him
Enoch-Enoch Rone-did ye ever hear
the name2'
"sN0.'
Il didn't think twas likely but I'm
alwuss hopin'.
"Early that fall Kate got better an
left the poorhouse afoot. Went away
somewheres-nobody knew where,
Some said she'd crossed the lake an,
gone away over into York state, some
said she'd drowned herself. By'm by
we heard that she'd gone way over
into st. Lawrence county where Sllas
Wright lives an where young Grim.
shaw had settled down after he got
married.
"Wal, bout five year ago the squire
buried his second wife-there it's over
in there back o. Kate's with the little
speckled angel on 1t. Nobody had seen
the squire outside o. his house for
years until the funeral-he was Grip
pied SO with rheumatic. After that he
lived all lone in the big house with oil
Tom Linney an his wife, who've
worked there for bout forty year. I
guess.
''Wal, sir, fust we knew Kate was
there in the house livin' with her IA
ther. We wouldn't "a knowed 1t, then,
If 1t hadn't been that Tom Linney
come over one day an said he guessed
the OIL squire wanted to see memo,
sir, we wouldn't-fer the squire amt
sociable an the neighbors never dark
en- his door. She must "a come In the
night, Jest as she went-nobody see
her go an nobody see her come, an
that's fact. Wal, one day las fall
after the leaves was Off an they could
see corner o. my house through the
bushes, Tom was walkin' the OIL man
round the room. All to once he
stopped an p'inted at my house
through the winder an KEEP p'intin'.
Tom come over an said he callated
the squire wanted to see me. So !
went there. Kate met me at the door.
Gosh How old an kind o. broke down
she lookedl But knew her the min.
ute set my eyes on her-uh huh-an'
she knew me-yis, sir-she smiled an
tears come to her eyes an she patted
my hand like she wanted to tell me
that she hadn't forgot, but she never
said word-not q word. The oil
squire had the palsy, SO t he couldn't
use his hands an his throat was para.
lyzed-couldn't speak nor nothin'
Where do We suppose he was when ]
found him?"
"In bed2" asked.
''No, sir-no, street He was in hell
that's where he was-reg'lar OIL fash
ioned, down-east hell, burnin' with fire
an brimstun, that he'd had the agency
for an had recommended to every sin
ner In the neighborhood. He was set
tin In his room. God O Isr'el! You
prto a. seen the motions he made witt