Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1876-01-06
How lono would + bo hoforo tbo |

could tell! Meanwhile she bathei
the poor bleeding head, while Madg
chafed the cold hands, and with he
white lips whispering fond. eooin,
words as to a babe. And at last sh
saw. indeed. that he lived. Nor
color came back to his cheek. Hi
eyes opened; but when she spoke t,
him. he answered her only in groans
One of the children had beel
awakened by the noise, and crep
down stairs-a little white ghost
with a scared face--and seeing wha
had happened, had awaked the res
by her cries.
And, in the midst of this, the doc
opened, and thank Heaven the doc
tor! tnt worse than that, Ben will
horror in his eyes. and a hand point
ing ever his shoulder toward the ret
glare that flashed up toward the sky
Madge saw and comprehended, and
quietly slipped out after him. The
barn was on fire; and while the wifi
within the shattered room had one
thought only, "Will he / love better
than the world beside, live or die?
Despite the fruitless aid that came toe
late, Though it was freely offered
barn and stable, hay and cattle, were
licked up by the devouring flames
And all the efforts of the bewildered
neighboFs only availed to save the
little homestead, and one poor COW
dragged by Madge's faithful hands
into safety at the risk of her own
life.
"a poor Thanksgiving for Mrs
Fielding said many kindly mat
ron as: she heard the news the next
morning. Yet Sarah Fielding WAS at
that very hour thanking God; for as
the doctor went away, he had put oul
the good wrinkled hand that had
given her her first spoonful of medi-
cine when she was baby, and that
had held up her own babies Tor her
to look at in her new motherhood,
and had patted her on the head and
said:
keep up your heart, Sara-keep
up your heart. Well get him
through yet. You'll not be a widow
this time
He would live, and what did she
care for barn or store! Let all go, so
that she had him.
But there was weary time before
her-days of fever and delirium,
days of weak misery, when the
strong man had become like fretful
child. Sara's round checks grew
thin, and her hands began to show
their iiones. Often she wondered
whether she could keep on her feet
much longer; but she did; and after
three months illness, Hiram got about
again, gsftfnt and sailow, too-though
that would pass away in month or
so, the doctor said--and that was
enough himself to make it necessary
that he should he told what had hap
pened; that his barn was burnt, his
hay, his corn, all his provisions near
ly gone, and his horses and oxen, too
Just the one dun cow that gave
them milk, tied in a shed that Ben
had knocked together, that was all.
II suppose my lantern broke in the
hay, Sara" he said. when he could
speak. 81 found the door open, and
went in, there was man there. |
grappled him and he struck me
that's all | know. Either my lantern
did it, or the man was there to fire
the barn. However it was, it's all
over now. 1t will take-Sara, you
took care Of my pocket booky'
She came across the room and took
his hands.
Darling" she said, have patience.
Your pocket book has not been
found. I've drawn my little savings
to live on. L thought you might re-
member where"
II always wore it in my vest," he
said. "You know that. | kept nv
coupon bonds in it. | kept all had
about me. There were five hundred
dollars in money, too, and | had re-
ceipts l dare not lose, for they are
signed by rascals. Sara, every
chance l had of'retrieving my losses
is gone forever. l suppose was
robbed as | lay senseless, and |
thought my own person better and
safer than any bank. Look at me
now, a miserable, crippled, shaking
that any child could mas
ter"
"But you'll get strong, again"
cried Sara, land we've the house and
the land" But Hiram was too weak
to feel any hope or courage. He
took to his bed again, and lay there
still when it was time for a farmer to
be busy.
However, he did not die, and there
was another conyalescence. Sara
had not had time to be i'll. She
dared not. What she could do she
had done. But farm needs its
master. If they raised enough for
food that year, despite neighborly
kindness and Ben's vows to work for
ever without wages, if need be, that
was all they conld do. And it was
poor year. No fruit to speak of;
vegetation small and mean, and corn
a disappointment.
Moreover, one of Fielding's credi-
tors did prove rascal; and though
the farmer swore to having paid his
debt, there was no receipt to be
found, and a mortgage of the land
was the consequence. Often the dis
couraged man declared that he wish
ed the thief had also murdered him as
he meant it.
But Sara Fielding kept her cour
AGE mp, and now that her husband
was fairly on his feet, and had even
flung away cane and crutch, would
have been perfectly happy, could she
have made him so.
And thus Thanksgiving came about
again, and friends shook their heads