The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1881-01-29

to talnt now.
Mrs. Taney forgo. TO eat her dry bread
or drink her milk The meadow lots
1t was to buy those lots that her husband
had made their lives bare and hard and
wretched from their wedding day. The
good wholesome produce from the farm,
which should have fed the children. had
gone to market, while they ate the re
fuse; the moneJ which should have edu-
Gated them had been put in the bank to
buy these lots. When her baby was SO
! III no doctor was brought, and her child
died; the money saved W ut to the lots
the mother had begged TO: headstone
toy the grave. There was Lefty, growing
to be a woman, half-clothed, without Il
sparkle Of fun or pleasure to tighten her
young life; while poorer girls dressed
and went out. and had company, and en-
ioyed, as the girls should, days filled
with comfort and happiness. Every pen
ny thus saved William laid by for the
lots" Yes those twelve actors had come
to be the absolute God for these people.
Not happy life. nor God, nor heaven.
At'er supper his mother followed him
out.
"Wi.iam,' . she said, desperately, ,"how
many years will il be before you can buy
the lo,sI'
Years? The lots" in unteigned
ama1ement Il how on earth can you
understand business
II was the first time she had ever
spoken in this way.
II dont know. Bat NJ afraid I will
not hive 70 see 1t. It IS so long
She went back 10 the kitchen. The
dishes stood untouched upon the table
and Lefty was seated upon the steps, a
basket of red peaches beside her, which
the boarder brought dowDtro his room.
He was u young man, a teacher in a
Virginia country school, who had come
up;o these hills yeo!ogizing in his sum
mer vacation.
II brought them from the Mcbride
farm. Mrs. Taney. They are very COM
mon Kind in the Shenandoah valley" be
said, handing them to her.
Mrs. Taney's features grew warm.
Il remember q tree just like these at
home,' she said. My old nurse used TO
hold me up SO as to pub them down for
myself"
"Yeur little girl tells me that you came
from Fauauier county. It is fine coun-
try, indeed.
ut is the most beautiful country in
the world" said Mrs. fancy.
She stopped and went in hastily. She
felt the tears chok ing her She could
hear Mr. Burke tell the child that his
school was in Fauqu.er, and that he had
often passed her grandiathcr's house It
was for sale now, with d dozen acres
about 1t; would sell very cheap, no doubt.
Land had deprecated since the war. "A
quiet, comfortable little homes stead, too,
asany in the State, he sail.
Mrs. fancy paused 10 her work. .Oh,
If | could only show il to Lefty" said
she to herself "rhe dear old farm The
sunny porches, and the Bourbon roses,
and the great oaks, centuries old She
had never spoken of her old home to her
other children, but to Lefty she had
talked Of il often when they were alone
Lefty was like herself; the others were
all Taneys.
She came to the door.
.Do you know, Mr.. Burke, il there is
an old negro ON the place gardener.
Il ncle Tod? Oh, everybody knows
the old man, and his stories about the
Clcvelanas, dc fam ly, as he calls them. :"
I'VE were the CleNeiands. And old
Tod is really living yeti she laughed
for the iirs. time in a year.
When Lefty had gone IN Mr. Burke
paced up and down the porch. He was
q manly. iarge-natuied fellow. and his
heart ached with pity tor the poor punched
lives Of this child ana her mother. All
he could ito TO show Kindness was to lend
books to Lefty. which she devoured
eagerly. for she was fond Of reading; in
TACT she hal obstlnately persisted ID stay
ing a, the free school, Until she had cdu-
Gated herself.
William fancy waited until the young
man had gone. ana then he went into the
pantry where his neither was strainn9
milk. Something III his manner made
her set it down. trembling.
You have bad news to tel. She said.
No. with an uneasy. stricken laugh.
most lolks cal il good. Fact is moth
=. I've made up ny mlnd 70 marry
"Oh. Wl,liam." lei cd cheeks color.
ing.
Il made up my mlnd three months
ago. And the CIR coarted. and the
wedding $ TO bc tomorrow. TAere now.
No need for you to look III that way.
am generally pretty closc-mouthed about
my own business yoa might know that.
And ! don choose 70 Lave the matter
cackled over AZ hone The girl is Miss
Susie Crawford
HIS mother came toward him. He
was her son after ali. AMI this was the
turning point Of his life She put her
arms about him and kissed him. God
bless you. my boy. she sald.