Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-12-18

per was given them of hot milk and
buns.
"There'u be something grand for
breakfast" / aid, looking upon them
q greedily ~ evcr poor Marley did upon
Hulda. How the old kitchen echoed
with their romps 31acapCxs1s They we're
all handsome, and every one of them
with RQb's fine make and bald, and
beautiful eyes like their pretty dead
mothers.
"Bob," l said, choking yearningly
owe tho thought, "f yOuW give them
to me, the whole three, Tll spend my
whole life In making them happy; and
after I'm gone they shall have the home
stead and every penny I've got in the
world"
eyes, yes" said bob, who had never
ceased shivering, and was now - hot
and red ~ he had boon white and cold,
"Tlf pay their board, Magada; this is
only q temporary trouble. Hope to get
q clerkship. quite . lucrative clerkship;
but little Bob will never get through
the ~storm-nsver! Keep hold of your
sister, Bob" cried my poor brother, in
a loud voice, "and keep the tail of my
coat firm in your other hand; don't let
60, my son, for Gods sake Bobby
don't let goi"
He got upon his feet. and seemed to
be plodding through the storm, and a.
made his way to the kitchen door /
coaxed him on up to bed in his own old
room, that l had kept aired and COM
Portable to tighten my own aching heart.
When the morning dawned and the doc
tor could get to us, poor Bob was wild
in delirium; the only words he muttered
or called aloud we're about bonds and
bills, dollars and fractions of dollars.
His long white 6ngefs seemed to hold .
pen, and scratch, scratch the weary fig.
ures upon the cOunterpane till my eyea
aud brain ached for very pity.
For two wretched days and nights be
struggled with this sordid misery, the
fend of commercial fret and disas.
ter eve letting 90 his grip; but
Christmas morning dawned clear and
bright, and before the eastern sky had
quite lost its glory Bob fell into q deep,
untroubled sleep. How white and wan
he looked! How thin and blOodlesl
were the once busy fingers that now lay
limp and still!
Hulda and l wept our fill upon thu
landing, but not q sound disturbed thu
stiffness Of Bob's old room, for the doc
tor he'd shaken his head when we argued
10 hopefully for this slumber, and VI
said D one another it was the DOCTOR
prim, old.fashioned way, but we wen
about on tip-toe nevertheless, and my
heart kept choking up in my throat,
scarcely knew why.
At noon-time the sky was all ont
blaze Of cloudless sunny blue, and tt
keep the room dark / strove to fasten ar
extrashawl over the window. Suddenly
l heard Bob whisper my nsGpe in such
strange voice that ! got down quickl!
and went over to the bedside, and wa
puzzled to hear q low laugh from hi
trembling lips.
"Say, Mag" he whispered, "don't lie
mother know. / crept in through tn
window. and left some of my pants Oh
the gooseberry bushes below; you'll
patch 'em up, won't you, Mag? Ant
heep mum about it. Such a lark as VI
had last night! Dave Devine and
painted the deacon horse white and red
bat keep mum, Mag-not a word TO
your life!"
/ kept mum. God knows / couldn'
speak. Ihad got my boy Bobback again
but there was q sore Juggling at N,
heartstrings. The doctor came ant
fingered long, then he turned to me
"My work il done," he said. ~ wa
afraid from the first it would be useless
q higher and better work has begun
There is some one down stairs-a strange
in these parts, but no stranger to you o
me, this dear lad lying here.
wouldn't like to bring a new face anon
you Just now, but this one will dc
Bob," he said, leaning over my dea'
brother-"B Bob, here is an old friend I
pray with us on this day that Christ wa
born"
Then there came into the room a ma
with brown skin and lusty growth-hi
hair was almost white, but his eyes ha
a familiar loving glow dear to the olde
time. did not care to question who b
was or whence he came, but knelt silen
" at the bedside while he prayed.
Bob's lips moved, but only with som
boyish memory, and hour after hol
went by. The day was at last waning
I was alone with my brother. l hear
the light breathing Of his children, an
mine now, in the room close by; u
low voices of David and Hulda reache
me once in q while from the lower foo
/ might have been q hard and bitt,
woman, but a. at last the day went OF
and took Bob with it, I felt a grim d
light in my sore and aching heart tn.
he was beyond the reach of the Marley