The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-01-19


and a waste Of time. But even in
such trifies was the afternoon spent
and when the children were agaiI
I gathered, and Sandy, with delicacy
which the schOOlmistress understood
! took leave Of them quietly at the out.
skirts Of the settlement, il had seem.
ed the shortest day of her weary life
As the long, dry summer withereC
to its roots, the school term of Red
Gulch-tO Use a local euphuism-
"dried upn also. In another day
Miss Mary would be free; for a season
at least, Red Gulch would know hel
no more. She was seated alone in
the school house, her cheek
resting on her hand, her ewes
half closed in one of those day.
dreams in which Miss Mary
fear, to danger Of school discipline
was lately in the habit of indulging
Her lap was full of moses, ferns, and
other woodland memories. She was
so pre-Occupied with these and heI
own thoughts that a gentle tapping al
the door passed, or translated itseli
into the remembrance offar-off wood
peckers. When atlast it asserted itseli
more distinctly, she started up with q
flushed cheek and opened the door,
On the the threshold stood a woman,
the self-asseTtiOn and dudacity OF
whose dress were in singular contrast
to her timid, irresOlute bearing.
Miss Mary recognized at a glance
the dubious mother of her ANONYMOUS
! pupil, perhaps she was disappointed,
perhaps she was only fastidiOus; but
as she coldly invited her to enter,
see half unconsciously settled her
white cuffs and collar, and gather
ed closer her own chaste skirts. II
was, perhaps, for this reason that the
embarrassed stranger after a mo-
ment's hesitation, left her gorgeous
parasol open and sticking in the dust
beside the door and then sat down at
the farther end of a long bench. Her
voice was husky as she began
81 heard tell that you were gOin'
down to the Bay tomorrow, and 1
couldn't let you go until / came to
thank you for your kindness to my
Tommy
Tommy, Miss Mary said, was a good
boy, and deserved more than the Door
attention she could give him.
''Thank We, miss; thank ye!r cried
the stranger, Frightening even
through the color which Red Gulcd
knew facetiOusly as her "war paint, y
and striving in her embarrassment to
drag the long bench nearer the school
mistress. 81 thank you miss for
that; and if am his mother, there
amt a sweeter, dearer, better boy
lives than him. And if l amt much
as says it, thar amt a sweeteI, dear
er, ANGLER teacher lives than he's
got"
Miss Mary, sitting primly behind
her desk, with a ruler over her shoul-
der, opened her gray eyes widely at
this, but said nothing.
''It amt for you to be compliment
ed by the like Of me, / know" she
went on, hurriedly. ''It amt for me
to be comm here in broad day, to do
it, either; but / come to ask a favor
not for me, miss,-nOt for me, but for
the darling boy"
Encouraged by look in the young
schoOlmistress's eye, and putting her
lilac glOved hands together, the fing-
ers downward, between her knees, she
went on in a low voice.
Ou 6CC lA4Aocg lAAEAC llO OAAC AAAC
boy has any claim on but me, and l
amt the proper person to bring him
up. thought some last year, of
sending him away to Frisco to school
but when they talked of bringing a
schOOlma'm here, waited till saw
you, and then knew it was all right,
and I could keep my boy little long
er. And o, miss, he loves you so
much; and if you could hear him
talk about you, in his pretty way, and
if he could ask you what / ask you
now, you couldn't refuse him.
sit is natural, +" she went on, rapid
| ly, in a voice that trembled strangely
between pride and humility,-''it is
natural that he should take to you,
miss, for his father when 1 first knew
him, was q gentleman,-and the boy
must forget me, sooner or later,-and
so 1 amt a goin' to cry about that.
For come to ask you to take my
TOmmy,-God bless him for the best
est, sweetest boy that lives,-to-tO-
take him with you"
She had risen and caught the young
girls hand in her own, and had fallen
on her knees beside her.
"rve money plenty, and it's all
yours and his. Put him in some good
school, where you can go and see him,
and help him tO-to-tO forget his
mother. Do with him what you like.
The worst you can do will be kind
ness to what he will learn with me.
Only take him out of this wicked life,
this cruel place, this home of shame
and sorrow. You will; I know you
will-wOn't you? You will-you
must not, youcannotsay no! You will
make him as pure, as gentle as your
self; and when he has grown up, you
will tell him his fathers name-the
name that hasn't passed my lips for
years-the name of Alexander Morton
whom they call here Sandy! Miss
Mary do not take your hand away!
Miss Mary, speak to me! You will
take my boy? Do not put your face
from me. I know it ought not to
look on such as me. Miss Mary =
my God, be merciful she is leaving
meln
Miss Mary had risen, and, in the
gathering twilight, had felt her way
to the open window. She stood there
leaning againstthe easement, her eyes
fixed on the last rosy tints that were
| fading from the western sky. There
was still some of its light on her pure
young forehead, on her white collar,
on her clasped white hands, but all
fading slowly away. The suppliant
had dragged herself, still on her
knees, beside her.
'I know it takes time to consider. I
will wait here all night; but 1 cannot
90 until you speak. Do not deny me
now. You willi-I see it in your
sweet face-such a face as have seen
in my dreams. I see it in your eyes,
Miss Mary!-yoU will take my boy!"
The last red beam crept higher, suf-
fused Miss Mary's eyes with some
thing of its glory, fiickered, and faded
and went out. The sun had set on
Red Gulch. In the twilight and
silence Miss Mary's voice sounded
pleasantly.
'I will take the boy. Send him to
me tonight
The happy mother raised the hem
os Miss Mary's skirts to her lips. She
would have buried her hot face in its
virgin folds, but she dared not. She
rose to her feet.
'DOes-this man-knOw of your in
tention?r asked Miss Mary, suddenly.
mo nor cares. He has never even
seen the child to know it."
"GO to him at Once-tO-night-nOwI
Tell him what you have done. Tell
him have taken his child, and tell
him-he must never see-the child
again. Wherever I may take it, he
must not follow! There, go now,
please-pm weary, and-have much
yet to dOI'
They walked together to the door.
On the threshold the woman turned.
"Good night"
She would have fallen at Mary's
feet. But at the same moment the
young girl reached out her arms,
caught the sinful woman to her own
pure breast, for one briefmOment, and
then closed and locked the door.
1t was with a sudden sense of great
responsibility that Profane Bill took
the reins of the SlumgulliOn Stage the
next morning, for the schoOl-mistress
was one of his passengers. As he en-
tered the high road, in obedience to a
pleasant voice from the "inside," he
suddenly reined up his horses and re-
spectfully waited, as ''Tommy" hop
ped out at the command of. Miss Mary.
mot that bush, Tommy-the next"
Tommy whipped out his new pOek-
et-knife, and, cutting branch from a
tall azalea bush, returned with it TO
Miss Mary.