Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-01-18
BY THE WAYSIDiE i: !
BY MARGARET A. SWEENEY
SeSeSeSeSeSgSeS SesgsgseseS
" 1SlI, by Mcclure NeMspaper BY, Tic At,

SeSeSeSeSeSeSeSS SSe9eSesese
was spending few days In the
valley Of the Naugatuck, jaunting
about the highways and the byways In
f'vver, with only dog and 4 cam.
era for company. One morning, OH q
lonely bit Of road that rims tha river,
chme upon an old garden-a garden
run to weed, where few roses Of un
earlier day stu struggled for their
share OF the sun. At the entrance to
grnss-grown path that led to IN old
house. there stood two ancient ash
trees.
sat down upon the wide stone door
way, and 1t, too, was covered with
Wild, green things-creeping tendrils
from fallen vine that lay twisted Oh
the ground like a huge brown snake.
In the tall, waving grass saw the
tip OF my dogs white tail moving stiff
ly. He was stalking some wild crea-
ture. sat very silent.
"Who built this house and who made
this garden, and WHY are they allowed
to run to ruin7" These and other
questions drifted into my mind us I
sat there under the intiehnable spell Of
this old place.
Suddenly my meditutfons were Inter-
rupted by the yelping of my dog. lie
was tiercely disputing the right of u
tall, white-hared man to enter the
garden. AS quickly as could made
my way through the weeds and bram-
bles again. The dog, his sense of duty
satisfied wngged welcome The old
gentleman Che looked like country
doctol) cupped his hand behind his
ear and shouted: "Are you one of the
Randuls-the New York Randnls?"
mo, I'm not" shouted back. "Is
this their plnceT
"Yes, this is the old Randall house.
was driving past and 1 saw YOU sit
ting In the doorway and thought that
that you might be one OF Miss Abby
Randars relatives from New York"
And then, with the loquacity of the
aged, he told me this:
ABBY Randall, Il very beautiful wom-
an, the last mistress Of the old place,
was born there about 40 years ago.
When she was n girl Of nineteen or
twenty she was engaged to a young
man named Nelson-Peter Nelson Of
Naugatuck. Nelson was fond of horses
and he rode fine saddle horse. 1t
was his custom to ride out from Nau-
gatuck to the old Randall place every
evening.
zone evening, the eve Of his wed.
ding day, his horse came dashing into
the Randall yard riderless and covered
With foam. Abby. sensing that some
thing had happened to her lover, hastf.
ly snddled her own horse and started
, out toward NauRntuck nhOut hnlf way
she found Nelson lying IN the road.
cut and bleeding, but conscious.
}iclp was summoned un, the "a.
jurcd man WnS carried - M!Ss, Ram
dars home.
"Throughout the night Abby Randall
never left his side, and the next morn
| Ing, mt the request Of the dying man.
She became his Wife At nlghtfall she
was a widow.
1.-THE Girl-widow, dry-eyed and silent,
shut herself in her room-she wanted
to be alone.
"In the morning the girl lay crum-
pied upon the floor sleeping as peace
fully as a little child Kindly hands
helped her into bed, and all day the
girl lay In profound sleep. And when,
toward evening, she awoke, she seemed
to have lost all memory of what Ind
befallen her. She complained OF
headache, and Of having Ind a fright
ful dream-that was all.
"In few days she was busy about
, her accustomed tasks. not exactly the
same as Of old, but doing things In
dreamy, automatic way. She never
spoke Of Nelson, and her family and
friends avoided mention Of his name.
She seemed happiest when working
alone among the flowers In the garden.
"Five years went by, her mother
died and Abby Randall lived on in the
old place with only an aged servant
for company.
"Nelson had been dead about ten
years when one morning Abby Ran.
| dals memory came back-part of It
came back.
"She had come down to breakfast,
and when old Mary brought in the
coffee Miss Randall said: I'm going
away today, Mary. My husband, Mr..
Nelson, came back. He was here this
morning, and he is coming again this
evening. But you may live here, Mary,
rs long as you like
I'm her old heart Mary rejoIaed for
the doctors had said that eventually,
Miss RandaPs memory would come