Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1880-12-23
4 Bg Aralus

A Bey Agaius 4
SCHOOL Il done d tic day There
is sknrryiue alouer bah, and happy
voices 81 boys solsp1Dlih.s for their essIs
and ot girls scarSshfg for their wraps
ffu9 out exuitina A few u the
grssver girls pause lang enough % kiss
the weaticd. bur alssass thouglnfoi and
loving teacher, but the boys, as II
igiQted by coum,a impuise. gallop
through the hall, and with shliH
ehorsls Of yells plunge hsadlong iato the
biz snow-driit that aA gathered close
70 the steps since IL {fcfe iast ealseds
fFvin* etiify As t'Aetnerge from the
white temptation see above me on the
topmost step the figure of n little girl
A wholesome face. half hidlon by the
oI0se.iittng hood tied under the chin
with daiuhness peculiar TO its wearer,
looks laughingly down n nc. The
black eyes snap and fash, aud the 1.-the
form dilates with the rush of high
health. / look single question. The
ohjldspn the step gives me n quick an
sweriug look. lift ms arms and she
leaps gally toward me- Her momentum
Is tco groat; have been too confident.
aud we 20 down together We only
I laugh the mcrrier, and ! am thrice
( hapDy and eNullant. Had not she done
my mute bidding without an instant's
wait or doubt2 ! had commanded her
/ by mere glance. aud twenty sturdy
bows had seen Il who would have gone
/ dnnerless every day Of the term TO
I have won the priceless prize now mine.
4 / lift her out oi the snow, and hand
I in hand we run TO the place where l
+, keen my sled during school hours. Size
needs no Invitation, but takes her place,
and [. like a cnuqnering hero. bear her
away in more triumphant and beatiiio
I frame Of mind than have ever known
since.
count rs untold treasure the faet
that time has not blurred the picture.
! Standing there, al the gate, the while
our lips were voicing words which
meant nothing 10 me, thai. living f,s'g-
mcut of my early life kept knocking
at my heart with pcrsistency that
could not be withstood. lturued from
The gate with a word OF parting and
straightway took my course tn the OLE
school house. qujyeringwith eager hpp'
; to lind it as bad .kpowp i in thoS'
childish wears Is was indeed very lit
tie altered, and had the time been De
cember instead of June, | believe
should have mounted the foot-wori
steps and essayed another plunge int'
the firiftpd snow. Asit was, ! satther'
and lived over that scene and many 9th
! ers not wholiyunlile Il, nor quite disas
sociated with the mother OF my new
fu,md friend
suppose Il will be understood tina
IN The 'days reflected in the picture out
lined here there was but one girl IN al
this world, and she wore y hood wit
strines bewitchingly tied under he
+ chin. I had Just seen stately woman
splcndid in attire aud consciously supe
ri0r in mien (as all women thus en-
= dowed are), fresh from those devotion
i 10 which she had been reared, Sh
called herself my earliest friend, but
! did not know her In that hour knee
. onlv the radiant child who leaped int
= my upifted arms from the self-sam
= per1h on which sat in dear commuf
Z, ION with me memories of anothe
y world sAd another life. What 90 m
VI lSas the hustle Of this rattling world
o was unconscious Of It, rocked nothin
4 of is imperious calls and SCARED u
" HitA llEtl hboAt liN NNhAA'A"p' ~ HN'
know how loug lsat there undisturbe,
but the vision gradually faded and q
:, tangible Now again confronted m
4 Here was the sehool-house. ltried
" look in through the nearest window, b.
y il was curtained and nothing could
i seen. There were other window
= which would try; but before leayir
!, the spot looked around on all the dc
familiar forms = ON the trees und
= which had lain in the lazy noontime
!, dreading the tinkling summons tn
:, always came ON the minute; the villa
y store, with It's weather-stained Al
a misspelled signs over the wayi the Q
" tavern sign by thg roadside. mount
Il on post and eiabofately adorned wi
~ iron scrolls; the playground where
!" PLAYED ball and crack -the.whip in SUI
!" nier, and foS-and-geese in the wintt
~ the horse she'd In which had practic
y, circus feats thousand times, and I
- calm hills that stretched as far as 9
" could reach. covered withsummer yeI
ure or waving with ripening graii
All these things lsaw aud was gratei
(or. - Siqaor Mar, ia Detroit Free Pre-
M .A--.-.-----s sss-------+--- tAU
OF A Grizly's Free Lunch.
nt He came 10 our camp one night,