New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-05-15

!3osssluly ue talSplaceu ny the EWlndS or
waves. f
The Wee, Wee Bairnie.
W. T. H. in Kelso Courier
"Step gently, step gently"
I stepped hastily back. / feared / had
been treading on some of the old mans
flowers.
He leant on his spade, and made no
motion for some minutes At length he
raised his head. and in a husky voice be-
gan:
''Aye, sir, I mind the time as we'll as
twere Yesterday, and its forty years
since, when our wee bairnie died. 1t was
his fourth birth day, and he stopped up
tae wait till came home wi bit of
present for him, I sat doom be- the fire
tae wait for my supper (my wife was ben
the house bakin), when 1 heard the pat
term O his little feet, an I looked up
an held DOT my arms for him. He didna
come runnin'ta e them sac quick as usual,
an when had hisn on my knees. says I,
'An' fall ye be, ye wee bit nickum2''
:. I'm foyther's wee, wee bairnie.n
An Wi that he nestled closer to me.
He didna seem CHEEKY, see cad the dog
gle came lazy like frae his coraer stretch
in his legs. The bairnie put doom his
little hand. But he didna get up an play
wit, an seemed tired like
ssJanet, cad ben the hoose, s'wbat
ails the bairnie?''
calls him, said she.' AVA VII We;
naethin' ails him.
"But he's tired like.''
sHoot," says she, nae wunner sittin'
up till this time O. night
''Ah! but it's nae that, it's mair than
tired he is, Janet; he's nae wee"
Janet took up the child in her arms.
Aweel,n said she, ian he's no weel,
I'll put him tae bed when haze done VII
the bakin';'' an wi that she. set him
down i the floor. Forty years is it since;
but | can see the laddie standin' there
yet WI his head hangin' owre his clean
frock, an his wee bit leggies bare tae the
knees.
"Pit him tae bed the moo, Janet. Din
ma min the cakes
sShe took him up again in her arms
and as she did sac, his wee facie became
as pale as death, an his little body shook
a over. never waited a meenit, but
AVA ran out at the door for the doctor
as hard as [ could rim, twa miles across
the field, wi'my heart beatin' hard at every
step. The doctor wasna in. WI u sair
heart I turned back. ] stopped runnin'
when 1 got till our gate, and walked quiet
ly in. The doctor nae in sWaur luck
said ], as crossed the door. Nae word.
turned roun' intae the kitchen, an there
was SIGH SIGHT could never forget. In
ae corner was my wife lying on the grun',
an beside her the wee bit bairnie-nae a
SCUM frae either O. them.
Itouchit my wife, it'll shouther, and
she lcokit up, an then rose up wi'out
word, an stood beside me, lookin' at the
little laddie. Suddenly he gied a start.
an held out his arms tae me-" Am / no
yer ain wee, wee bairnie, fayther?' sAy,
ay, said I, for could hardly speak, an
knelt down beside him an took his little
hand. My wife knelt doom on tn other
side of him and took other hand Yer
wee, wee bairnie, lie muttered. as tae
himseP-for he gied himself the name
an then he laid his head back, an we
could see he was gone. The doggie CAM
an lookit in his face, an lickit his han,
an then WI a low whine an lay doom at
his feet. Niver a tear did we weep; but
we sat bath Gus luokin' intae the sweet
wee facie til til mornin broke on US.
The neebors cam i the mornin,' an
rose up and spoke to them tae them; but
my wife she never stirred, nor gied
sound, ane O. them them spoke o when
he wad be carried tae the auld kirkyaird.
'Krkyaird = said she. kirkyaird Nae
kirkyaird for me. Ny bairnie shall sleep
whaur he played--oor garden. Nae step
fayer.' But it'll niYer be allowed Z al
lowed cried she, the barrie shaDna stir
past the end o the garden. AN she had
her way. Naebody interfeTed; an there
he lies jist whaur We we're gaun to pit yer
fit, an there he'll lie ia the resurrection
mornin'. An ilka evenin' my wife comes
an sits here wi her knittin, an we new
er tire Q; speakin O. him that hes be
meath. !"
And the old man bent down and pass
ed his hand over the loose mould as If
he were smoothing the pillow of his tEwee,
wee bairnie.'s
A Significant Reply.
a fine example of courteous rebnke
woo fbo anctyor of a Il Tn.