Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1875-1878, 1878-06-07

There is one bed-or, more strictly speak
ing, bundle of rags-in the corner. The
household consists of an old man " rug
ged rs Rip on the mountains. q woman
whosc face the wrinkles have twisted and
furrowcd 80 deeply that il requires an i'm.
mensc sweep of the imagination to think
that it ever was young. -Four children.
from five to fourteen years of age, pale and
hungry, dart about the room like dock
rats. Except one. the little one, whose
hair lay back on her white forehead as il
it had been swept there by the winds.
whose hands were like shadows, and whose
eyes seemed to he fastened on the dingy
and dcsolatc- Choking ceiling. Shclay on
pallet, and the mother sat upon the floor
beside her and administered now and then
Il taste of water.
'Shc's the only white one in the flock"
said the man, as he tuggcd at his short and
bristling beard. "Shcs the only one Of
the gang that's fitted 10 be an angel, she
is," he continued, as he stared upon tho
sick face before him. She won't never
get out of it: there amt no Use tryin' it on
her." he went on in an distracted way.
We had the county doctor. but such as
them amt given to hangin' around a sick
bed like her'n. He left some truck and she
took it, but it never mendcd her ailin', and
guess he'll not come back"
The little face turned over on its moth
cr's arm, and there was hardly enough life
in it to be pcrccptible. "Bymcby," tho
father said, few minutes later, "some.
bread and made her somcthin that kind
O. seemed to make her pccrt like, rs she.
was when she crossed the 'IIiO and then
they read piece outcn the book and one
of 'cm-shc wits Il smart loOkin' woman,
and wasn't afraid of dirtyin' her clothin''
nor nOthin', though her goods wus fine
she got down on the floor thur, and shut
her eyes kinder close, halfway, and held
her hands, one of 'em on her busum, and
tothcr on the child's head, and the bratS
quit runnin' round and it was awful still.
And the woman turned her face up agin'.
the the ccilin'," He paused for moment,
as if he had to gather Il little strength.
And then: Talk about prayin'h She,
put up the best ever heard south of thc'Hio,
and reckon ii was US solid with Him as
heard it Us any that WIS got off. 1t kind
er made things hopeful around, and the.
child opened her eyes wide jest as if sha.
knew the woman was putin up for her.
1t got down into me, though thar wasn't
any stakes put up for me at all. WheA
she went away said to Emily-that's wife.
-th:! "ccld try my hand ON jest one
prayer, it seemed to help things SO. The
old woman shook her head, cause new.
er thought of such thing before. But I.
got down and put every cent had-Imean
everything could think of. And when
got to the word, the amen, it stuck in my
throat, but Emily got away with it She
said it right out like it was in mectin'."
II guess made misdcal somewhere"
he continued rather mournfully. "The
little one didn't look up any. and she's
been growin' weaker every day. Emily
said I'd spilled the whole business, and
that crowded the poor woman's prayer
out. But never meant ii. Eff I'd known
was intcrfcrn', Id never put up agin her
hand"
There was blast of wind that came and
ratified the window, and kind of q low
moan, and then the head of the sick child
and its face turned over in the mothers
lap. Its thin lips met the wrinkled oner,
and the struggle was over.
The grim faced. hardy looking man bent
over the pallet, but there was good deal
of good sense lcft in him still. He TUNED
to the reporter who had gone to the scene
of misery, and said: but am not the
man to 60 back On good prayin' even ifI
didn't win. reckon the hand that the
woman put up will win for somebody clse's
little ono, ef it didn't for ours. For it was
the solidcst hand I ever zee, not 'ceptin'
the south side of the 'Hio in old Kahn
tuck"
A pauper child was buried yesterday.