The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-11-14

PROVIDENCE.
Fretsa,,s 4 Blsssings in Diasuise.

y
PROVIDENCE.
FrettinG At Blessings In Disguise.
It was Saturday afternoon! The
mid summer sunlight lay warm and
bright on all the green New Eng.
land hills, and crept IN waves of glim-
mering gold over the white, sandy
floor Of Deborah Hunters tidy kitchen.
Debbie herself sat just behind the
doorway, with a huge basket Of new.
ly-ironed clothes beside her, from
which she was asserting variety OF
little garments, pausinx now and then
to darn hole or sew on button, and
singing softly to herself the while for
she was q happy wife and mother, and
her smile was bright and her heart
cheerful, despite the endless duties
that kept her willing hands forever
busy.
Out In the garden, in the shadow oi
the elm trees, where the Haunting tu.
lips aud sunfiowers bloomed, and the
bees made homeiy music, Mark and
little Totty were playing, and chatter
ing like parrots.
And presently they came toddliug in
Mark leading his chubby little sister BY
the hand.
Mother" he said, .smsy we go down
to the wood and gather some straw.
berries? Father likes 'em with cream
you knowi Please let us, mother T.
I'll put Totty's shoes on, 80 the briare
can't scratch her feet, and I'll take
good care of her. Mother, may we
go9"
Debbie amiled and nodded, and
Mark ran OFT for Totty's shoes, and af.
ter considerable grnnting and Juggling
succeeded in getting them on her chub.
by feet. Then he clambered up on the
dresser and got little tin kettle, and
OF they started, hand In hand.
"Now, Mark, take good care of your
sister," called his mother, .and don't
60 nesr the pond. And come back
soon, for ! think we shall have rain be.
fore night"
eyes, mother
Totty looked back, her white sun.
bonnet tapping in the breeze, and dis
closing her dimpled checks, and tang
led, golden hair.
"Mother," che lisped, tstouldnt you
dive us one texm-cake fore we does
dust one, mother z"
And Debbie put aside her needle
and going to the cupboard, produced
the coveted cream-cakes, and put them
in the chubby little hands. Then she
came back to her work, and resumed
her song.
And the midsummer afternoon
waned slowly. The sunshine danced
and glimmered amid the green elm.
branches, the bees ,hummed about theiI
khiyes, and the hens cackied lazily in The
bArn-yard end the breeze growing
stronger; tossed the puspI0ii .bouah,
till the air was heavy with their swec,
perfume. Debbie worked on, singing
softly to herself, and the sunlight crep1
stealthily across the sanded floor, anG
disappeared at last beyond the door
sill. Her work was done all the LITTLE
garments were ready for the coming
Sabbath. She rose, and put her basket
aside.
"Tis time the children were coming
back, she said, going TO the door an6
glancing out.
The west was ono mass of black
|-thundcr-clouds, with lurid. brassy ed.
ges and even while sha stood there
there came . distant umble, prophetic
of what was coming.
"We're going to have thunder.
storm" che thought, her heart thrilling
with fear: 'surcly Mark will hasten
home"
She set about her evening prepara-
tions, eager to get them over before the
rain. Half an hour went by, but the
children had not come.
"What can make them stay SO n sht
thonght, looking out again and finding
the sky well-nigh overcast, and the
great black thunder clouds rolling
up rapidly before the fast rising
wind.
The poor mother, now thoroughly
frightened, caught up her shawl and
| throwing it over her head, closed the
door and ran down toward the wood
calling her children as she ran. But
there came no aDswer---no sound but
of the gathering storm, and the angry
booming of the thunder.
She searched and called in vain, they
were no where to be seen, and hal
frantic with anxiety, she ran back and
met nr husband, just returned from
his labor at the door.
s'Oh, Nathan" she cried, .sthe chill.
dren are gone--lost in the woods
What shall we do?',
He turned without word, to the
hugh Newfoundland that stood beside
him. !.
.Gyp,' he said, s'the children arr
gone, come we mnst go and find
| them"
And Gyp trotted slowly along be-
hind him, followed by the poor dis
tracted mother. As they reached ths
wood the storm broke upon them in al
its fury. The clouds rolled up in grea,
masses blotting out the waning day
light, and the lightning blazed ant
famed in every direction, while til,
thunder ratified from hill to hill ant
the winds tore and shrieked among
the trees like pack of demons. Anl
presently the rain began to pour dowl
| In great drenching sheets. Poor De.
borsh wruDg her hands in agony.
"Oh, my dear children she cried
"my poor little Totty what will be
come of her."
| The father hurried on followed b,
Gyp, on and on, till they were in tn
very heart of the wood. But no trac
of the children appeared.
| "Gyp," said the father turning to hi
| dog again. "can't you find hechildren
come tly."
| And Gyp with his nose to the grount
went of Ike an arrow. The parent
followed, needless of the pelting rain
ION and on, into the heart OF the wood
and around to the shore of the pond
There the poor fellow stopped, with
peculiar cry.
The father and mother FASTENED UP
and there in the yielding earth, wer
little footprints, the unmistakable i'm
prcss of little Totty's chubby shoes
and strewn about were bits of moss
and broken flowers, and presently
away out ON the muddy angry waters
Of the pond, they espied Marks littl
cap.
As tho mother recognized 1t, sh
gave a piteous cry.
"Oh my precious babies. they ar
gone--they are drowned
!, ayes" replied the father hoarsely
ssthey are gone; must get help an
J Idrag the pond! My poor wife yo
had better come home"
!. But Deborah shook her head an
cr0uched down upon the shore of th
. yellow pond. And there she sat wit
y the pitiless storm beating down upo
Z Z her unsheltered head, waiting ant
Z watching In the very patience of dis
:, pair.