The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-12-07

peaceful face of Sister Lockwood. Could
will efface that dreadful day from her soul !?
Even as she answered, the whole scene
passed again before her mind-Jacob' s
long delay to come, and his final coming, a
hfeless mass of clay borne by four of the
neighbors, one of whom had found him in
the woods under the fallen tree; the dull
anguish, the crying children, the hopeless
outlook. But she answered quietly: No,
Mis- Salisbury l ha'nt forgotten it, but
I've larnt to see the Lord don't DO things
for nothin'. He knows better | do what
twas for, and l am thankful Jacob didn't
live to come to poverty; he had lot more
sperrit' I've got, nd 'twould ha' troubled
him a sight
"Then there was them children pur-
sued her interrogation Baby died right
off, didn't it ;?
Yes, yes hastily replied Sister Lock
wood, slow dlmming her spectacles
as she stopped to take up stitch, and saw
that unforgotten tiny shape across her
knees, looking up to the mother-face above,
in its last agony, imploring the impossible
relief. Yes, baby died, and it may seem
kinder queer to you but many a time I've
thanked the Lord on my knees that he took
the little creature away from trouble to
come, and expect Jacob was real glad to
! COO bar bo f,vo.aJ hin, g, ,n,al,
Reub, he ran off to sea, u spell after.
didn't he e?
We'll, he did; you see he was the oldest;
he was twelve years old when his pa died,
and what with bein' dreadful busy -
" Yes, l know, broke in the interlocutar,
% that was when we lived neighbors, nd
my! how you did work, sewin', nd washin',
nj sick-nussin', to keep the breath Of life
in your body, nd the childern's too
Il never wanted for worik, though, that
was a blessin'; but as l as a sayin', Reu-
ben was pretty we'll growci, nd boy
wants mans hand over him. [ could't
rightly manage the child, nd he got be
witched a-readin sailor-books, so he run
off, but Providence sent him to real good
captin, who KEEP him straight; nd he sent
me home most all his wages, nd best of
ALL when he had follcred the sea four years,
nd been twice home to see me, he got laid
up a spell in the Sailors Home to Liver
pool, havin had ship-fever on the voyage,
nd there got religion. | declare fort
when | heard he'd fell overheard nd got
lrownded, the first thing thought on was
his last letter tellin' about his experience,
nd his gettin' converted; it seemed as
though | couldn't be thankful enough for
that, even in the very middle ofmy distress
about losin On him.
We'll, you do beat all, Mis- Lockwood.
>'pose ta'n't no use to speak o Ruth 'nd
Rachel going into a decline jest as they
got good cldication, I'D was goin to
keep school; or Els a-goin' to Calforny
long o my Joe, and never been heerd of
sence.'
- Mis- Salisbury! and here the patient,
faithful woman voice choke |, aud her face
: flushed for the first time. Il don't deny
that it seemed as though couldn't give up
Ruth and Rachel no how; for a spell | was
real rebellious. You see I'd kinder looked
forrard to their bcin' Il comfort nd Il help
to me, nd l was pretty mis- able in my
health along then, | couldn't work real
smart; moreover | was real proud of them
two, they was dredful pretty-lookin' girls
, don't you remember EN-, Mis- Salisbury?
'Sakes alive.-I guess do! jest as well
as can be; they allus looked like two posies,
nd you couldn't tell one from t'other nor
t'other from one; pink checks nd fair COM
plected. But them dredful bright eyes, nd
red lips, nd slim fsgers ant never real
healthy. Don't you know, | used to alters
tell We they'd go off young?'
yes, yes, you did, but couldn't think
so; fact is, l didn't want to, nd when l
see EN- fadin' before my eyes, why, l
didn't really take it in till they slipped
away Twas hard to see 'em lyin' there
in bed, hold of hands, lookin' right into
each others eyes to the last minnit; then
Ruthy, she looked up at me nd jest smiled:
she was past speakin', nd kinder showed
over towards Rachel, nd drawed her hand
l up to kiss it, an went to Sleep and Rachel
; smiled, too, at us both; 'twasnt an hour
after that she died, jest like baby, never
KNOWN that Ruthy'd gone first
BY this time, quiet tears, gentle as the
dew that falls from summer heaven, and
; more sweet than sorrowful, were slipping
!, softly down the poor womans wlthered
= cheeks, glttering on the red mitten and the
II blue gown below, but she did not even wipe
them away, going on in the same stilled
voice:
Twas a dreadful affection, don't deny
it, but it would have been worse if one on
en- had gone and left the ether behind
= they was more to each other than most
l. twins be; seemed as though they breathed
the same breath and felt the same feelins
from the time they was born. And they
;, never wa, real rugged mebbe eff they had
: lived and had to get their own livin, twould
= have killed EN- by inches, as folks say;
but now they died to home and had mother
= to take care of EN-, and was comfortable
TO the last. I'm SO thankful for that
Even Granny Salisbury paused a moment
as Satan spared Job for a day or so, but
there was more to come.
How about Eli then
i My Lordr whispered a decrepit olt
r. negro curled up against the other jamb ot
o the fire e-place, that ole missis' powerful
! eantankerous, a int she? He. he! he. Deb
n bic hese'f can't stop her mouf; she's file,
de hopper and started de wheel!
ce Incla Sol Gates who rnca;red the wh;s