The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-05-29
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER xxx

Day after day Amos Siddal lay
on his bed, unable to lift a hand
OF move the body that had known
such strength and agility and en-
dured such hardships.
Donna, sitting beside him, won
dered what thoughts could be
passing through his mind. There
were hours that she was to re-
call in after life. when she read
aloud his favorite passages in the
Bible and listened as his feeble
lips repeated the words after her
Often before lamplight banished
the shadows of the little room
she would hold one of his hands
in her while he talked of the
struggles had known as a youth
Sometimes the girl could al
most feel the presence of the
young wife he had never ceased
to love. Sometimes he spoke Oh
his son and of Madeline as 6
child.
"A little touseled red-head," he
chuckled. with freckles. Might!
sweet, but hot-headed. I'm glat
she learned to conquer her tenn
per-"
When first he spoke of Made
line in the third person Donna
heart missed a beat. Then sh'
realized that to him the woman
and the child were not the same
''But you growed up beautiful
Maddie," he would go on. I'm
sorry I wasn't able to see you.
can feel-or l could-the straight
ness of your nose. All the Sid
dals had straight noses. And you
little round chin. But l can't SEE
the color of your eyes, nor your
hair. Bill says it isn't so red an!
more" :,
1''.No. lists brownish'"' sh'
= "BiIl says it's like gold will
the sunset on, it. Womar's crown
ing glory he chuckled. "My
how, disappointed your Grandma
was when she saw a red-headet
grandbaby! She cried. Yes, sir
she cried. In those days red hail
wasn't so popular that womer
put store stuff on honest brown
hair to color it. Times change
Yes, times change"
Once he asked, "You don't
recollect the time you fell down
the rain barrel, do you?"
mo"
"That was funny. There you
were with your feet sticking. up
in the air and your body caught
in the middle and yelling at the
tor of your lungs. And when !
came in from helping old Nell
with her calf you no. that
wasn't you. NY memory is get,
ting as poorly as my body. That
was your Pa. Yes, it must have
been your Pa. because Nellie died
when he was a little boy and I'm
sure it was Nellie" .......
Donna felt a morbid fascina
ton in listening to him talk OF
Madeline's childhood. The chubby
little girl he described. who made
mud pies in the hog pen, who
fell from apple trees and almost
broke her neck when she tumblet
through the hay NOW, who was
| red-haired and freckled and otter
dirty. had nothing in common
with the Madeline whom Bonni
lad known. :,
Sometimes as she read the ole
man fell asleep. Always when hi!
eyelids were lowered the waxer
whiteness of his cheeks, tn
sunken eyeballs and his fragilitl
hurt her with a physical pain
He could not live with this con
tinued wasting away. He wa
little more than wrath now
though his spirit was as strong
as ever.
when you're young and every
thing is ahead of you. Maddie,
he said, "death has a kind o.
terror. which it shouldn't have
But after you've lived your life
lived it as best you knew how
making mistakes. of course, ant
sometimes SHINING, why a Ions
sleep is kind of pleasant. It'll! bt
a wrench to leave you and Bill
but there's Ma and my boy ant
heap of my friends and l cal
culate the reunion will sort o.
soften the sorrow Of parting from
living loved ones"
s. Il =
"You mostn't think you're go
ling to die yet" she sobbed. tears