Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-07-04
THE LIGHT IN THE WINDOW.

W
er men might have turned aside, unwill-
ing to breast the full force of such storm.
Not so with Daniel misunderstanding
Dan" his fellow workmen called him.
He was no tavorite with them-a silent,
brooding, sullen fellow they thought him;
bat he lived life of which they under
stood very little. 1t thad been consecrated
for fourteen years to one object, and there
was in it an element of chivarous self
sacrifice of which he was utterly uncon-
sclous himself. He passed n store where
some of his comrades were talking and
laughing, then the forge, with its door in
vitingly open and the bright red light
streaming out cheeriy into the murky,
gathering night. For moment he was
tempted just to go in and warm himself
little in that glow, but he shook his
shaggy head and turned away. "Sho'll
be waitng," he said, as he drew up the
collar of his coat, "littlo lamb she'll be
waiting" And then MS if the thought
had given him new life, he ploddcd on
again valantly.
On, through sleet and snow, till he
came at last to low cottage standing
in the middle of square lot. A light
streamed forth from its front win
dow over the white pathway. 1t had
shown there for him every winter night
fall for many year, and he had never
seen that beacon ray without blessing his
little lamb" over and over again. How
warm she had kept his heart And yet,
among the hard things in his life, people
who took the trouble to speak to him at
all, always reckoned "that crippled child"
When his wife died and left him her
hour-old baby to bring up as best he could
they commiseratcd him and wondered
what he was to do. And when it was
found that the child would never be able
to walk, they thought his burden was
heavier than he could bear. But he knew
only ho could have told them or reason
cd about it-what had been his sweet
compensation. At first, to be sure, it was
a hard blow when he found that the little
one he lived was never to be quito like
others that she would never come tod
ding down the path to meet him, cling
ing to his hard hands with rosy littlo fin
gers, but this very grief about hor made
his love all the more tender.
She was the one idea of his life. Tho
only absorbing feeling he had ever known
was for her. He had liked her mother
well enough, but it had been an ordinary.
commonplace regard, until she died and
left this tender, blue-eyed blossom, which
he was afraid to touch. The child conse-
Grated the mothers memory, and he cared
for her dead moro than he did for her
living. But it was little Eunice who filed
his heart full, and sat on hor throne queen
regnant forevermorc. He had nursed
her carefully, and ho cheerfully gave up
every hour of his life TO the task Of being
father aud mother to her, both in one.
When she was old enough to sit in n little
wheeled chair, in which she could wheel
herself about the room, his delight knew
no bounds. In summer she was always
at the opened door to meet him, and in
winter her CHEEKY lamp burned always at
the cottage window.
When she was twelve years old she
herself proposed to keep house for him.
There were three rooms in their little
cottage, all on the same floor, besides the
unfinished garret overhead. From room
to room Of these three she could trundo
herself around. She contrived to do n
great many household tasks, and with u
neighbor hired to come and help each
day, she managed nicely and was the
proudest OF little housewives. or late,
however, she had been growing weaker,
and her father insisted that she should
not be left alone at all. SO the neighbor
that helped her stayed all day now, but
went home mt night when Dan came for
he was not ready to give up the pleasure
of having his darling all to himself dur
ing the long winter evenings.
Now, as he entered the yard, his step
grew quicker. All that was shufing
passed out of his manner, and he walked
with the strong, firm tread Of one sure Of
his welcome. Drawing near, he saw her
face at the window which the light illu-
mined-a face Of almost ethereal beauty.
Not the features SO much when you ana
lyzed them they we're far from regular,
and bore n curious likeness to his own
but the great blue eyes we're full Of light,
the color came and went on her checks
in faint pink hushes, and the skin was
transparent as the most delicate crystal.
Around this wistful, loving, waiting face
6oated n mass of soft golden hair, like the
halos you sometimes see in old pictures
around the brows Of saints. When she
saw him the blue eyes kindled, then the
face disappeared from the window, and
when he opened the door, there she was
in front Of it with her lips upliftcd for his
kiss. The neighbor stood by, her things
on ready to go and it struck Dan there
was look of pity on her faco.
You'd better not get too near the child
with those wet things on" she said kind
ly; "she's but weak little thing, and
she mustn't take cold"
He started back remorsefully and did
not go to the girl again until he had taken
all his wet things off In his own room and
made himself dry and tidy. By this
time the neighbor was gone, and he and
Eunice sat down together to the supper
which waited. lie had the keen, hungry
tit % G ~ ,,o.I, l., n, man bnt IL 1i1 NOT