A STRANGE STORY

 

In the northernpart of Austin there once dwelt an honest
family by the name of smothers.The family consisted of
John Smothers,his wife,himself,their little daughter,five
years of age and her parents,making six people toward
up,but only three by actual count.
  
    one night after supper the little girl was seized with
a severe colic, and John Smothers hurried downtown
to get some medicine.

   He  never came back.
   The little girl recovered and in time grew up to
womanhood.
   The mother grieved very much over her husband's
disapperance,and it was nearly three months  before
she married again, and moved to San Antonio.
    She still lived in the same house where they dwelt
when her father had left and never returned.
   One night by a remarkable coincidence her little
girl was taken with cramp cloic on the anniversary
of the disappearance of John Smothers, who would
now have been her grandfather if he had alive and
had a steady job.
     "I will go downtown and get some medicine for
her," said John Smith (for it was none other than he
whom she had married).
    "No,no,dear John," cried his wife . "You, too,might
disappear forever, and then forget to come back."
    So John Smith did not go,and together they sat
by the bedside of little pansy (for that was pansy's
name).
   After a little pansy seemed to grow worse,and John
Smith again attempted to go for medicine, but his wife
would not let him.
  Suddenly the door opeaned,and an old man,stooped
and bent, with long white hair,entered the room.
  "Hello,here is granpa," said pansy. She had recognized
him before any  of the others. The old man drew a bottle
of medicine form his pocket and gave pansy a spoonfull
   She got well immediately.
   "I was a little late," said John Somthers, "as I waited
for a street car."