The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-12-23

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p ECEMB:ER i! %. 1869
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I HfMyJ' win = ny Id 2, .shl.,I is,.id, :. :,
she pressed it TO- her lips, then, ,bovs
4 her, face il benedict;on over it. sAEigh'
! cen years dead, and yet this Dc tho
vast when I covered thy f4Ice for eve,
hy win, ~ LA, n; ny oily child ! Tsl
"a from US in thy prime, and vh:n H.
eyel, and hand could do work like Il,
and prosperity; was straight sforen the>
Eht! NO *ha' suffer'd mony =" bite
thing since the day thou died ;Fbut thi
bo Tho bitterest thing Of al. - ,Th
dish must go-thy dear handivork
and q t, IT, lsst thing We hold o. thine :.
But these silent tears brought: a,
suagement to her long.restrained grief
and when she had pinned the lock d
hair close 70 her breast, she covered . th.
dish a'' again ail in its wrappers and, fetching
hay and wide sack from an. adjacen,
byre, packed and sevsd. the dish 81
eurely 1nithe lattar.19 She then equip;
pod herself for'"s journey, ana athi.
with degree Of care which showed
Der er:raind' to beeoa special la,e? one Tor,
though. she put % her husbands old
GOAT in which to weather the, storm, she
tied, a decent. checkered, shavl;oyer he.
Fusty black bonnet, and made her Sun.
days cloak inso'a bundle. Then she
led forth ali old grey ass she had prevvii; eevvi;
pasfy fed from the byree, 5!ta' strapped On it
p.nniers, laid . pad Of bay On H. these, h
md then tied tho dish securely; % tho
eqrface with oord.l The ass. seemed Il
favorite and pleased toogoa ejouraey; !;
for, treated With one Of: some ruddy
apples she stored in tho pannierisb,H II Il
rubbed t its nose caresslngly up aud idov;n'
her arm as she moved to and fro be side
it. -. ..~, .,.'f =, :,
She Was ready now aud, when she
had looked around sgsin with tender
eye to see nothing: J: w.a ! wanting to the
old mans comfort, she erept softly to
the bed, and took silent farewell. / 2,i
! Then, ready to depart, she called
"Trounce, Trounce," when dog, much
like tiokers cur, came readily from .
chimney nook, where it had lain curled'
up asleep. "Take care Q tho ,mester,
tTrounce," she said "mind the house,
and show thy teeth it tramps come.
Nov go to th' old mester and keep lib
feet twarm." With. extraordinary a.
gacity the dog understood every word
she said. 1t wagged its tail when: old
lib spoke Of the house, it showed til
teeth at the word "tramp," and, now
bidden to do loving ministry, it jumped
up on the bed aad nestled by its mas
ter's feet. =. s**'-
Leading the pannicred ass quietly
forth and closing tho door carefully be-
hind her, old lib took hera:w.y into
the wild, vide waste Of snow: :: Here,
following Ter dumb companion, :which
picked it's steps with great sagaoity, the
old woman soon lost sight Of the: little
moorland potwork. Descending ridge
Of length and steepness, she eventually
gained more beaten track. Hero, at
about an hours journey from her homo
she reached solitary wayside cottage.
But: to her CONSERVATION, she found
only some children at home, their
mother having just set out to see : sick
relative in a neighboring village: But
as the children said she would bo home
BY noon, the poor old woman. without
either turning back, or going at least
four miles out ,ot her way, could DO no
other than trust an earnest message to
their delivery, and bribe them: to : le- .
membrance by the gift Of divers .pples
che took from her panniers. * ~ f,s, \. 8
The renewed jouuirnss!y was il the d.
rectior: Of the hills Here het proge1reas
was necessarily very SLOW, " for .tte. drifts
were deep, and in some places the road
itself effaced. = But. With unerriug;; sa-
gacity the ass ploddeda & on. . - Sometimes
it sunk n the dritts;:" but recovered
Itself then i slipped forward down an
acolivity, and was only stayed By: an
intervening bush or bolder stone. In
such: cases the poor old mistress would
hang on on behind, as ithough to save til.
burden fastened to the. .panniiersi. IN: Bal
it escaped all accidents, and. when tho