Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-09-18
On Guard.

T'Forty whole dollars!" Alice said,
looking at the crisp, fresh banknotes
lying in AIMS lap. "You never can
spend it all, Ann. You can buy you a
watch and pink silk dress and-O,
everythingn
"The likes O. me in a pink silk
dress" said Ann. "No, it's better
than that I'll do with it. It's land I'll
be buying; quarter section maybe. .
''What do you want of land %
Johnny questioned, as Alice nodded
her head till every curl danced. "You
don't want to go and live by yourself,
do you?"
@Of course she DOESN'T said Alice !;
"she'll have a house, and big Dennis
will live with her. Won't he, Ann 2"
Its no big Dennis [ want, said
Ann, looking rather guilty. "Why
shouldn't live by myself, thin ~
But you wouldn't want to go away
from us, would you % Alice asked re-
proachfully. After you've been here
SO long, and all 2"
Ono, [ wouldn't thin" said Ann
fBut there's no harm III having the
land. 1t can't break nor be stolen like
as if [ put it III bank. There it I'll be
the same as money any day, an I'll
have an estate to myself, an my own
hands to thank for it, "
" Maybe you'll find another calf and
sell that" JOHNNY said.
/" No such luck" said Ann, rising.
FNow I'll go and put this away with
the rest. It's near milking-tim
tSLet me come, too" Alice said, fol-
lowing on to AIMS room, opening
from the kitchen and overlooking the
orchard.
Ann took an old family Bible from
her closet and laid each bill carefully
between the leaves, putting it back on
the top shelf.
eff thieves was as thick as blackber~
RES, which they isn't, ," she said, " not
one O. them would open a book to find
money, let alone Bible"
g they don't, like to have much to do
with Bible, [ guess"
Nobody saw two eyes which looked
eagerly in for moment and then dis
appeared as Ann went into the kitchen,
and the children returned to their play
in the barn. Nor did they notice the
faint rustic in the cew-house, or feel
that the same sharp eyes watched them
between the boards of the old stall at
the very end where straw was piled in
for the cows bedding. Mr. Carter
came up from the field presently, as
the first bell rang for supper, and
stopped for moment as he passed the
barn.
q Yes, if it is pleasant tomorrow, %
Alice heard him say in answer to some
question from Winthrop, and ran out
at once.
90 papa are you going to take us
all? Ann and everybody
Cali but one, who must stay to keep
house" MIR. Carter answered. "You
did last time, Alice, so it is Johnny's
urn now"
60, dear! I wish houses could keep
themselves, papa" Johnny groaned.
'You won't be gone all day, will you 2"
It'll late afternoon, my boy We
must get IN our winter supplies, for
soon the creek will be so swollen we
cannot cross the ford You shall go
next day when we shall haul them
home" Johnny frightened up at once,
and began to plan what should be done
III the hours he would spend alone :;
and the family went in. Milking-time
passed, the great barn doors We're shut,
and nobody saw the dark figure which
later in the evening dropped from a
little window of the stable aud skulled
away through the orchard, muttering,
oil oil 1,,5
come round better.
Now forty dollars will not seem very
much to you, but it was great deal to
Ann, who worked hard for all she earn
ed III Mr., Carriers family, and to whom
this was Just SO much clear beyond her
yearly income. And this is how it
came to her. Three Years before. an
emlGrant wagon, bound still further
West, camped all night on the great
Illinois prairie, in the midst of which
was MIR. Carriers section of land. The
Hermllllon river ran close by, stream
full of rapids and deep holes and
treacherous quicksands. Supposine
the ford perfectly safe, the owner Of
the formost COW did not unite the COW
following behind, but drove in care
lessly, to find his horses, in moment,
OF their feet and struggling in the
swift current How they got across at
last he could not have told, but when
the screaming children were safe on
the other side, the poor COW was found
to be dead, strangled by the rope
which had wound about her neck. The
calf, only day old, had been lifted
INTO wagon behind, and the owner,
discouraged at the loss of the mother,
went on next morning, leaving the little
thing by the campfire. Here Ann found
1t III the afternoon, almost dead, and
IN her own strong arms took it home
and fed it with warm milk. Nobody
thought it could live but AIMS baby,
as Alice called it, after a month or two,
wherein it seemed daily dying, turned
about and grew as if to make up for lost
tune. In a year there was no finer
heller among ali Mr. Carriers cattle,
and when by and by she
began to give milk, the neighbors all
declared it was as good as their cream.
Farmers came TO see her, and Ann in
time found that her nursing WAS q De-