The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1875-01-28
A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW.

LIGHT IN THE WINDOW.
! lie plodae on through sleet and snow
with steps awkward and shutting, yet
with II certain resolution in it. Other
men might have turned aside unwilling
to breast the force of such storm Not
so with Daniel Newton "Shufliing Dan,
as his fellow workmen called him. But
he lived life of which they knew very
little. 1t had been concentrated for four
teen years in one object, and there was in
it an element Of self-sacriiice of which he
was utterly unconscious himself. lie
passed the store where some of his com
rades were laughing, then the forge, with
its door inyitingly open, and the red light
streaming out of it cheerfully into the
murky night. For moment he was
tempted To 20 in and warm himself lit
tie by that glow, but he shook his shaggy
head and turned away.
"She will be waiting" he said, as he
drew up the collar of his coarse Goa { !;
"little lamb, she'll be waiting" And then,
as If the thought had given him new life,
he pl0dded on again yaliantly.
On through sleet and snow, till he
came at last in front of "A cottage stand
Ing in the midst of a square lot. A light
streamed forth from its front window
over the white pathway. 1t had shown
there for hlm every winters nightfall for
many II year, and he never saw that bea-
con 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 of him at all, always
reckoned that "crippled child"
When his wife died and left him her
houroh baby TO bring up as best he
could, they commiserated him and won
dered what he was 10 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 he could not have
told them or reasoned with them about
it-wlat had been his sweet compensa-
ton. At first to be sure, it was hard
blow when lie found that the little one
he loved was never to be quite like others
-that she would never come toddling
down the path to meet him, clinging to
his hard hands with rosy fngers-but
this grief about her made his love more
tender
She was the one idea Of his life. The
only absorbing feeling he had known was
for her. He had liked her mother well
enough, but it had been an ordinary. com
monplace regard, until she died and left
this tender blue-eyed blossom, which he
was afraid 10 touch The child consecra-
ted the mothers memory, and he cared
for her more, dead, than he had ever car
ed for her living
But il was Eunice who filled his heart
full, and sat Oh her throne queen regent
fofeyernore. lie had her nursed care
fully, and lie cheerfuIIy gave up every
hour Il MS life 10 the task Of being faith
er and mother t0 her, both in one. When
she was old enough 70 sit in little wheel
ed chair in which she could trundle her
self about the room, his delight knew no
bounds.
In tie summer she was always at the
open door to meet him and in winter her
chcery 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 the
little cottage, Ill on the same floor be-
sides the unfinished garnet overhead ::
iron roonl t. room Of these three. she
could trundle herself around. She con
triyed u do a great many household
tasks; aud with neighbor hired TO come
and help each day she managed nicely.
and was the proudest Of little housewives.
Of late, however, she had been growing
weaker, and her father insisted that she
should not be left alone at all. So the
neighbor who helped her, stayed all day
now, but went home at night when Dan
came; for he was not ready to give up
the pleasure Of having his darling 10 him
self on the long evenings
Now, as he entered the yard, his step
grew quicker. All that was shutting and
uncertain passed out Of his manner. and
be walked with the strong, firm tread of
one sure Of his welcome.
Drawing near he saw her face at the
window, which the light lluminated-a
face Of almost ideal beauty. Not the
features SO much, when you analyze them :;
they were far from regular, and bore
curious likeness to his own. But the
great blue eyes were full Of light, the col
or came and went on her checks in faint
pink fusbes, the skin was transparent as
the most delicate crystal Around the
wistful, loving, waiting faoe, foated a
mass Of soft golden hair like the halos
you often see in old pictures around the
brows Of saints. When she saw him. the
blue eyes hndled; then the face disap-
pearad from the window, and when he
opened the door, there sne was in front Of
it. with her lips uplifted for his kiss
The neighbor stood by, her things on
ready to go, and it struck Dan that there
was look Of pity on her face.
you'd better not go near the child
with those wet things on" she said kind
ly. Shes but weak little thing and
mustn't take cold"
He started back remorsefully, and did
not 60 up to the girl again until he had
taken all his wet things off in his own
room, aud made hims IL dry and tidy. By
this time the neighbor had gone, and he
and Euniee sat down to their supper
which was waiting He had the keen,
hungry appetite of working man, but it
did not keep him from noticing that the
food on the chil1's plate remained un-
falllhed IL Iaid dn,rn Lic Iln:fo IA