The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-11-20
M / S G G Ila1le on .
UNDER DIFFICULT
TIES.

susanna, my child, am dying, run and
call your papa"
A girl of some nine years, with long
tawny hair and ireckled face, dropped her
doll and stared wildly at her sick mother,
then asked in scared voice:
"Where is he 2"
"In the con-feld over by the orchard.
Be spry or maybe l shan't live till he gets
here, and there is something important on
my mind which l must say to him."
The little girl sped with the ileetness of
a frightened deer. Mr.. Fuller saw Eer
coming, and dropping his hoe went for
ward to meet her. 1t was with difficulty
that she could articulate her message, so
choked was she with halfsuppressed sobs I,
but the man heard enough to comprehend
its import, and fastened to the house
"Amos," murmured faint voice as he
entered.
"What is it, Sarah Are you worse2"
eyes, am going to leave you. l feel
the icy chill of death already stealing over
me. I shall look upon your kind face but
a little while longer, for darkness is even
now obscuring my vision"
Mr. Fuller wiped from his brow the per-
spiration which his rapid movements had
induced, and put on his linen coat, for
tn erewas draft through the apartment.
His voice had mournful cadence as he re-
marked,
at is nearly sunset, my dear, and there
is cloud in the west; probably that is
why you cannot see well. Don't give up,
I guess it is not quite as hard as you fear ;
you don't seem to look any worse than you
did in the morning, and the doctor told me
then that you were getting on famously."
"Amos you are Totally unsympathetic.
understand my case. The doctor is deceiv-
ing you, but you must not deceive your
self. The end is approaching, and before
| go have one request to make of you.-
When you have promised to comply with
my wishes L shall died happy
What is it, Sarah ?"
"Let me rest one moment, dear, before |
90 on. Put q teaspoonful of that crust
coffee in my mouth" There was silence
for few minutes. Nov Amos, send Isaac
in the thorough brace spring wagon after
Rosamond Wilder"
Amos Fuller would have despatched his
right arm to the moon without asking
question if it had been suggested under
such circumstances. He rushed to the
barn. shed where the boy was making
hen coop, helped him harness the horse and
sent him on the Grand with all possible
alacrity. Had he stopped to take second
thought he would have been considerably
mystified at his wife's singular caprice in
summoning Miss Wilder, for she was by no
means an intimate friend of the family.
When he returned to the house the sick
woman appeared to be sleeping. The nurse
came in with some Cruel and placed it
upon the table. She stopped and gazed
sorrowfully upon the pale face tor few
moments, and then left the room to attend
to household duties. Susanna was sent for
the COWS, as Isaac would hardly get back
in time, it being full mile and a half to
Mr. Wilder's house, and Abigail was des-
patched to the hill for the doctor Mr.
Fuller sat down in the arm chair near the
head of the bed, and his eyes grew very
dim and damp as he thought of the desc
lation of his hone ON the morrow. Sarah
had been the sharer of his joys and his
sorrows for many year. She had been a
true wife, q model housekeeper, and good
mother, only little cross on OCCASIONS
He had never dreamed that she would
leave him thus! 1t was very dreadful
When supper was ready the nurse called
him and took his place in the sick room.
Neither Isaac, nor Susanna, nor Abigail had
yet returned, and Amos Fuller was obliged
to eat alone. He was gloomy and wretch
ed, and also ravenously hungry. He made
quick work of the steaming flap jacks and
the tea-cakc, saying to himself, however, at
every mouthful, that they were not half as
good as Sarah's. Indeed he could think
of no one who could hold candle to
Sarah in the way of cooking, unless it was
little Betsy Shepherd who staid with them
few days in the spring when the children
had the measles. She hadn't experience it
is true, but 0, such bread as she turned
out of the big wooden bowl with her two
pretty hands He happened to be round
the kitchen and saw her do it. In fact he
happened to be round the house most OF
the time then, because the children were
sick, and it was too early in the season for
farm work. He saw her do great many
things, the little winsome thing, and
thought she was "amazing handy" 1t
was pity she was only seventeen, but then
she was growing older every year. Sa-
rah was only seventeen when be married
her. She had not made pie in her life,
then. But she took to it naturally, as
women do, and how flaky she could make
the top crust after two or three times try