The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-08-24
ST. CLOUD MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 1877

oA!Neu ~ my mOtnerS Wr00Rd and
suiting the action to til, , word, I sud.
denly opened the door and bounded
out with wild vhoop. brardi,hiug my
broom with : Menad. Hike energy. II
the old mare had been there I ,uppose
she would quietly have dropped down
aud died with the fright, "and there an
end" as Macbeth comfortably expresses
it. But no, no i was no old stray
mare, but a stately black horse, and on
that horse sat stately rider-s'had
been seated,"I I should rather say. r.ss
AT the moment Of my onslaught be
Vas just moving to dismount at, ou,
door. The frantic bound which tha,
sable steed made as my horrible ap'
partition burst out upon him would have
suf'ced to unseat any ordinary horse
man. In the case Of this unfortunate
man, just about to quit bis saddle u
leisurely ease, the effect vas to svioe
him Off at a.taugent, which brough,
his head :against our stone doorstep
where he lay bleeding and seuselcss 4,
my very eject. The fearful shrek ]
ga7e,: IS my victim fell before me
brought mother to the door, with ,
look OF alar.' which changed to horro,
when abe saw tho bloody burden on he,
threshold. She compreheudsd the If
fair 10 fash, especially as the fright
ened horse went thuuderiog down, th'
road ata rate the old mare had certain
~ never been capable Of in her remotes
youth j.; aod--dearest and best of voue,
-she wasted not moment io questions
reproaohes, or lamentations. In ful
possession of her faculties, she stopped
at once to. examine the strangers IN
juries, while l stood stupidly looking
on, frozen with horror at sight Of tn,
homicide,I I bad committed. - -, .
Ills he quite dead r. l gasped out Al
last.
"Dead, goosey! no, only stunned,''
answered mother . little sharply, for
her; then looking up into my face, she
softsned her tone to motherly, com.
forting one. "Don't look so, dear. It..
not such a terrible hurt, l hope. And
not yonr fault more than mine, Frank.
Run, daughter, and bring warm water,
and the roll Of lioen il my right-hand
upper drawer. Hand me the scissors
frat. This is bad cut on this poor
head"
made what haste my trembling feet
and shaking hand could, and when
returned, mother babe mo prop bis
head while she put away the hair aud
washed the blood from gaping wound,
which it frightened me to look at, look.
ing more aud more anxious the Wills
as no signs Of animation still appeared
in her patient. -. =.
Most fortunately, before We had time
to realize our inability to take any fur.
thsr measures for his relief, a sound Of
rapidly approaching wheels announced
father aud Wills return, while Almira,
at the same time, came dawdliug home
from the next neiRhbo,'s (two miles
distauD whittier she had withdrawn
herself to indulge in gossip with
M.lvina Ann Buster.
Then there were hurried explana-
tious, into which mother-uith good
ness for which I vowed ia my heart to
DO ever gratetul-entered 20 farther
than to say that tho Strangers horse
had "behaved badly" aud had thrown
him.. The great chamber VA hurried
" prepared for his reception, and he
was laid there, beginning to revive
enoughto speak, but 50 ;iucohersntly
that bis words excited only less appre.
hensionS than.a continued inseosibility
vOuld have done
:. The phyacian, brought by Will in
hot haste, shook his head over tho ram
bling uttersnces Of his patient, declaring
himself for tho present unable to deter.
mine the exact amount Of injury he had
received, though the wound. on the
head was not Of itself serious. So there
was day or two of horrid doubt aud
waiting, in which I seemed forever .ta
hear the lament of Lamech 81 have
slain man to my hurt, and = young
map TO my. undoiog." And mother
watched me :furtively in the intervals. oi
her nursing, and tried many = loving
stratagem to comfort and 1eassure me,
though never .lluding to my being the
cause Of all thi. trouble and father and
and Will, m.n.lke, never noticed that
anything allied me, though I Kept look.
ing At ~ halr every time I pulled it
T. - , 3 =. F. . t,
down to see if it had not turned gray,
with the trouble of my mind. |
We knew who our guest Va. now.
Father had fouod, among the. papers
IN the stranger 8 pocket ., letter direct
ed to himself from an old and valued
friend 10 Canada, introducing the bear
er .s bis. son, Robert Ransome !; 20
there was Especial cause for the anxiety
that vas felt for him, and the rejoicing
that ensued when tho doctor pronoune-
ed, at the end Of two days, that with
care and quiet he saw no reasonable
ground for fear of any further i'll result
iu' the case. oa5 u >2'a7's' - E=R s>R&
What load vas lifted from my mi mind
BY these words!' l wanted to kiss the
pudgy little doctors button.hole Of .
mouth, s he. closed it tightly after his
orac4 c4lar words. IA '--S><'' @'''s>s ;'..:4