Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-03-17

| more to the Old home. She had been
very delicate that winter, and my
great, rough father denied her nothing.
/ shudder when | think Of that beauti-
full, dreful face now-it seems as
though our evil fate lowered about it.
All the anguish ever knew centers
there
We passed one peaceful month to-
gether, disturbed only by distant ru
mors Of the diphtheria, scourge which
seemed to be striding along from vii
lage TO village, first on the river, then
nearer us on the great lake; but we
never thought its touching us, until
one miserable night when father came
home, languid and feverish, from one
Of his numerous expeditions, and we
read in his face that the CHASTITY finger
of the scourge had set its mark upon
him. After the second day Of anxiety
about father, all strength seemed to de-
sert my delicate little mother From
the first she had despaired about him,
and now | saw that, if fathers life were
taken, should have to part with them
! both.
Her life would die with his, for sor-
|
! Joy, and they had suffered so much to-
gether, his love always supporting her,
that he had become the life of her life.
! She could not exist alone
! | struggled hand to hand, and sick at
heart, against what / felt to be an mex
orable fate, and on the afternoon of the
eighth day | found myself alone and
almost despairing, save for the thought
OF the happiness of the two | had loved
! best IN the world.
The sunset came, rs sat by the lake
side, flooding my desolated world with
a heavenly glory, like sign from them
to me of their new found JOY.
The stars had come out before ven
| tured to return to the worse than de-
serted house. ! could not hope for
help from any neighbor until | sought
it myself the next day, and | had to
look forward TO a night-how horrible
| did not foresee, or ! could not have
endured it, What follows | could
scarcely credit myself if did not bear
on my hand a tangible proof of it in
well defined scar; and, even now, |
could not bear to write of that nights
| experience had not my childrens
laughter and loving husbands care long
since banished all unnatural gloom
from my life,
While ! had been sitting alone on the
! lake shore, toward the evening, had
heard distant shot; it scarcely reused
me. a sportsman, thought, had wan
dered from his encampment on the op-
posite shore, had seen some game ia
our wild woods, killed it, and his car oe
had long since carried him away. In
the gathering darkness | grouped my
way back through the familiar little
| path that reached my own door. |
alone should pass the threshold in the
! future; their feet were still: the busy
feet that had toiled for me, followed
me, and had been ever near me- |
was to go on my rugged path alone
| Heartsick and overcome, | stopped at
the door, and, leaning my head against
it, sobbed III uncomfortable despair.
Tired out ut length, / had grown quiet,
and WAS Just about to lift the latch,
when faint moan, as of an animal in
pain, and close to me, startled me; then
a death-like silence reigned.
j 1
felt that must forget myself and help
| the poor creature in distress. " 1t is
very good for strength to know that
some needs you to be strong" No
longer hesitating, ! hurried into the
little cabin, struck light, and went in
| the direction whence the moan had
| reached my ears. | thought of the
shot had heard. 1t was quite possible
| a poor, wounded deer was lying in the
bushes. Yes | could now see its
skin--unmistakably a fawn-spotted
| dun-color. 1t lay quite stll-perhaps
that moan had been it's dying gasp =
and so | came quite close to it, leaned
over, and, paralyzed with horror, saw
my mothers face, only young and very
beautiful, rs she must have looked
when girl, Deathly pale, dead, pos
sibly, she lay-clothed in dOeskin, Just
then she stirred; 1t was not death All
wonder ceased with me, every feeling
fled before the thought that this being,
whatever, whoever she WAS might be
saved to life.
l dragged her the few steps into the
house, laid her on my hemlock boughs,
untouched by me since the sickness
visited us. Then found n wound in
the poor creatures side and bound it
up, bathed her head, and, in the quiet,
now again | felt startled Mt seeing my
mothers image, young and fair, before
me, and when at length her great eyes
opened, | felt 1t must be that sister lost
to me till now, and sent back in this
sad hour to take my mothers place, |
leaned forward in IN excess of tender