Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-13
(Ceutinued from Hrrt psgc.J

and In the low brow, up from which was
swept q thick tangled mass OF curly brown
hair. Tears glislened on the long brow n
lashes, and the eyebrows were knit to-
gether 10 painful frown, which suddenly
relaxed as the sick boy watched her with
tired sunken eyes, and a sudden glowing
smile lighted up her face.
"She can allus dream and escape to the
beautiful world she tells me about" he
muttered with wisttul impatient sigh;
land can never even sleep"
Yes. she was dreaming. but not so deep
ly but that the movement and sigh of her
brother woke her. "Whaten's the trouble
Harry dear (? Be you worse tonight ?"
20 no. he said, and sighed again. 81
was lust a-wonderin' where 20 was, 20
smiled so; and longed TO be there too"
30 Harry, was way off, out o sight o
houses an streets an such-like. all alone
in the valley; an all the trees an the
flowers an the river spak to me to give
me comfort"
"Ah. the valley" said the sick boy.
that's where | want to go, as used 10.
fore was took bad Ii | could sleep per-
haps could go too Here he was inter
rnpted by. terrible fit of coughing.
which only left him strength to gasp fee
blv for water"
A cracked cup without handle stood
on the window-sill, and in it was little
water The girl rose to get it; but as she
was handing it to her brother the door
opened, and their father staggered in. For
an Instant he looked at his children, and
in a drunken fit of senseless passion.
struck the girl a savage buffet which made
her reel, and shattered the cup into irag-
ments in her hand.
The girls brow flushed crimson with
anger and pain, and her brown eyes
flashed fire. ''Io miserable drunken
brulem she said.
None o. yer SARGE. gal, or III kill yer +!
and he elared at her dangerously, with an
arm upliited to strike.
"Faither, father ~ commanded rather
than ,nplored the sick boy, sitting up with
au effort, and holding out thin pale hand
between them, while hectic red blaz
in his cheeks and vivid light shone in his
sunken blue eyes. Don't yo strike
don't yo strike her, or God will strike
yo"
There was a strange almost uncarthly
look in the boys spiritualized suffering
face that awed the man into temporary
soberDess.
As he paused with an arm uplilted,
looking at his son. an expression OF shame
and uncertainty crossed his features; he
hung his head, avoided the boys intense
ewes, and his arm slowly dropped by his
side.
Father" said the boy, in a gentler
tone, "yo've hurt her-yo have, and she s
50 good to yo.''
The man shifted uneasiiy from one foot
to the other, and looked up at his daugh-
ter, who was standing defiant and angry,
with dull, red mark on her cheek and
neck. When her brother spoke, her face
softened and her lips quivered; she knelt
suddenly by the bed and put her arms
round him, saving in a piteous voice as
the big tears fell on his yellow hair: at 5
no for me l mind! It's for 20. Whaten
viii yo do the night through witbouten
water? There's no drop more i the
house nor the street"
The boy said nothing as he stroked his
sisters brown head, but the wlstful long
ing look in his eyes, and the half sigh he
could not repress, showed how much he
needed the water, The man looked at
them fo- a minute, and then the fumes OF
the gin he had taken oyerpowered him
again as he recled to the opposite corner
OF the room, where he fell on to an old
mattress, and in moment was fast in a
deep drunken sleep. The boy closed his
eyes YEARLY and turned his face to the
wall. The girl kissed him and settled
him as comfortably as she could then rose
from her knees and went to the window.
which she partly opened. The moon was
high and full, and the street without
looked as bright as day. A sudden idea
seemed to strike her, for she smiled
brightly as she went softly to the bed and
stood gazing at the brother she loved so
well, and knew she should be able to keep
so short time.
my boy !" she said, with an intensity
of pitful love in her face, and stretching
her clasped hands out over him as though
she would keep him with her IN spite of
everything. "My boy he is all have
she murnured. Dear God, take care OF
him till come back; !" and with the love
still in her face she softly left the room.
She went out into the brilliant summer
night. and walked swiftly down the street
towards the lovely valley beyond. looking
mp at the quiet stars as she went, some
thing Of whose peace and rest seemed TO
he reflected into the depths of her usually
troubled eyes. Alter while she left the
town behind her and walked rapidly
through the fields and lanes and woods
till she came to the rivers brink. How
lovely il looked! The trees and flowers
and grasses seemed outlined in purest,
palest ,ilver-a very fairy network and
the quietly flowing river sparkled and
shone with the glorious radiance OF the
moon and the stars. The girl sat down
on a stone that projected into the river.
and filled Jug she had brought, with the
cold, sparkling water which she had come
to fetch for her brother. She seemed
spell.bound with the beauty Of it all, and
sat there quite long time looking down
at the reflections deep in the water, and
now up to the sky far above her head
'li only my boy could be here" she
thought. show happy he wud be Maybe
he wnd get well ii he coined here-he
loves the dumb material things So" Her
tears fell into the clear. ripping water.
A little breeze sprang up, and tiny wave
lets, silver bright tapped no and up over
the Stone to her feet. 80 river, dear
river she said, leaning towards it, last
night in my dreams 20 spak to me, pitied
me and vras snrru for my how E,.F, 49,.