Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-27

short afternoon drew to a close; and
at last, just at nightfall, she was
rewarded by seeing small, one-horse
wagon, belonging to neighbor who
lived some five miles further on, stop
| by the roadway, as near as the wagon
could be driven to the house; and
then through the dusk she saw figure,
with bag of flour thrown over it's
shoulder, approaching her door
But the wagon and horse remained
stationary; and the figure which at
first she had supposed to be certainly
her husbands, did not look like
Donald-that was not the free, light
step nor the tall, well-knit figure of
her hardy highland husband.
"Can anything haze happened to
Donald ?" she thought with a terrible
sinking at heart, and opening the door
she FASTENED toward the approaching
figure, which she now recognized.
"There's yer bag of -four, Mrs.
Malcolm" said the farmer, with the
Canadian backwoods' twang which
had been so difficult for Jeanne to
| understand till she had grown accus-
toned to it.
"And thank We kindly Mr.. Smith"
answered Jeanne, with the polite old
country curtsey that she had not yet
| forgotten. :. But where's Donald
thought maybe, he had waited for a
lift from a neebor, but I'm sair disap-
pointed not to see him wi We, sir
Farmer Smith entered the house
and set down the bag of -four before
he answered. and then he did not
meet Jeanie's wistful gaze, for he
was a kina-hearted man. and did not
care to see the look Of anxiety and
disappointment he feared to see on
the fresh young face.
':He'll be home by-and-by. Mrs.
Malcolm. It's a fine, clear night. and
We needn't be scared about Donald
there's a half dozen Of them coming
home together, and they'll likely
keep each others spirits up, for they'll
have plenty within. But 1 must be
going--you'H not mind that I'm in
hurry, for I left my horse waiting
in the cold out yonder-but don't be
fretting about Donald"
He nodded his head and smiled
encouragingly as he went away; but
he was far from feeling SO sure of
Donald's safety as he tried to persuade
Jennie, and she knew it. though she
smiled in return, and her Scotch pride
and undemonstrativene forbade her
to show one tinge of the anxiety that
was Juggling at her heart.
Donald Malcolm, though in most
ways model husband and blameless
young man, had his failing-it was
love Of a good glass of whisky.
And as Jeanne knew but too well,
when he took one glass he never
stopped there-it was glass after glass
till a wild delirium succeeded, and
a drunken carouse that lasted for days,
and even weeks.
The love Of liquor was like mad
ness with him, and though he had not
once given away to it since she joined
him in thier new home, nor for long
months before, and dread that temp
tation would some day assail him, and
that he would yield to it, was the one
drop Of poison in her cup of happi-
ness.
AS the door closed after Mr.. Smith
she sank down on the little window
stool that Donald had made for her,
in imitation of the 6 creepie" she
used to have at home to rest her foot
on.
A low wall came from her lips, and
the baby stirred in answer to it. She
caught up the little one from it's cradle,
huShed it's murmers, and as she pressed
her lips to it's velvety cheek, hot, bit
ter tears fell on the tiny sleeping
face.
eff I could only be at his side-if I
could only lay my hand in his, and
whisper a gentle, tender warning in
his ear
This was the thought in her mind,
for Donald had never been deaf to her
voice, and never had answered her
harshly to anything she had asked of
him.
"And why not - she said, aloud.
LISA beautiful, bright night, as safe
for me as for him, and baby is nothing
to carry. It's but couple of miles at
| maist, and what's that to me! I'll
just gang and meet Donald"
And almost as soon as she had
formed the idea Jeanne was ready, the
baby was warmly mapped frae the
cold; and having secured the log
cabin and left the key in a corner
that had been followed out next the
door for it, Jeanne set out to meet her
husband, as she had said but in her
heart she knew very well that she
meant to walk every step Of the way
to the ''Four Corners" and then to
beg Donald to come home with her
and carry the baby.
1t was bright night, although
there was no moon, but a million daz-
Zling stars made it almost as bright as
moonlight, and Jeanne kept bravely
On.
One thing only troubled her. The
air seemed to grow keener and more
keen with the frost. and warmly as
she had wrapped up the baby, she was
terribly afraid that it might take cold.
Presently she came to a path that
was called g short cut" which she
had often heard Donald say took away
half the distance, and though she had
never travelled it she unhesitatingly
struck into it, never doubling but that
she could follow it easily to the end.
And SO perhaps she might have done,
if her mind had not been distracted
with anxiety and gloomy fears. AS it.