Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1872-12-05
A Gift.
From August Blanch's "Pictures of Reality. ~
Translated from the Swedish, by Carl Larson.

From August Blanch's s.Pictures of Reality >
Translated from the Swedish, by Carl Larson
During my service in the dio-
cese, there sat, one winter night
in her little cot amid the forest,
a humble woman with a babe Of
four weeks nursing at her breast
Her husband, fatigued with the
day, lay asleep upon a bed. A
few branches of fir were burning
in the fireplace, Illuminating the
maternal picture, between which
and the hearth stood a big gray
cat, glancing alternately at the
fire and the woman, as if medi-
tating which was the warmer and
more secure for the night-the
hearth with its fire, or the mother
with her child. The door opened
and a boy, apparently about
eight years of age, entered,
How late you are, ,Grannasjerk-
er, sad the woman.
The boy made no reply, but
breathed in his hands,and stamp
ed upon the floor,for he was very
cold.
How is it with yonr papa and
mammal asked the woman.
'They are sick" was the re-
ply.
allow is your sister,"
"She cries so; she cries all the
time"
':Why didn't you come earlier?
| have something to quiet her."
said the woman, as she arose,
placed the babe in the cradle,
and approached the hearth. but
exclaimed in disappointment.and
cast a dark look upon the cat,
which sneaked away, hiding itself
under the bed, as if understand
ing the significance of the look.
The fact was the woman had
placed there before the fire a
quart of milk in a little earthen
cup; this she had saved for the
tender babe Of her sick neighbor
but the cat had drank it in the
supposition, too presuming for a
cat, that this luxury was intend
ed for her only.
The woman stood a while hest
tating, for not a drop Of milk re-
mained in the cottage. But she
hesitated not long. After some
little further attention to her
cradle, and casting a look upon
her sleeping husband, she took
Grannasjerker in hand, left
the room, and started through
the forest. The frs sighed be-
meath their burden of snow, frost
cracked beneath their tread,
and the wolf howled in the dis
tance. After an hours rapid
walk, for it was one of three miles,
with her little compaion, she
reached her neighbor's house.
There, too, was a fire burning, for
wood is always plenty in the for
est. There, too,was a bed, but
containing sick man and wo-
man. A thin female hand was
extended from the bed to keep
the cradle in motion, but the
child who lay in it walled most
piteously.
The woman, entering, made
her salutation to the sick couple,
and approached the crying child,
took it in her arms, put it to her
breast, and it became instantly
quiet. After having sat thus a
good while, she replaced the
baby in the cradle, and bent over
it. 1t smiled in its sleep.
"Now rest, poor Anna Stina,'
she whispered to the sick woman.
If Providence permits, I'll come
again early in the morning.
So saying she left. The frs
sighed yet more deeply,yet loud
er was the crackle of the frost,
and yet nearer sounded the howl
of the wolf. But the woman pur
sued her path steadily and quiet
ly, her look was directed toward
the four stars of Charles Wain,'
which seemed to her shining
more clearly than before. AT
last she reached her darling cot,
and found all within as silent
and as peaceful as when she left,
it. .a-s. .4 ... .-. ...
"Many have given much, but
who has given more than the
poor woman whose home was in
the forest .Y-InteriOr.