Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-11-23

cit will never come to that / have
pair of hands"
"Much you can do with your hands,
you as fragile as a reed?'
81 can work for you and the children
with them. Don't fear"
eff you can get work -
CT shall see. We will godown to one
of the great mill towns; and it will go
hard but
eco down to a mill town. Down in
dark, sitting alley of a town Away
from all the light and freedom here-the
hills, the glory of them, the strength of
them Oh!I will die first. / had rather
die p
"But we can't die, you see. And if
we doubt Providence, that is worse than
death. ooh! we are tried half
sobbed Greta. "We are being tried !!
But somehow [ seem to feel-I know! [
know! that help is on the way to us,
Just as much as though 1 heard voice
from heaven saying So" And she went
to bed and took the shivering little
mother in her arms, and the nervous
storm throbbed itself off into sleep for
the weary old Anstice; and then Greta
took her turn to see the stars slide by
the window. pausing to look solemnlv
in, while the thought that, somewhere in
the wide world, they were looking down
on the spot where her husband slept.
Once or twice she rose, after Anstice had
been soothed to slumber, and moved
about the room. When a great meteor
went slipping by, in a swift blaze of
| glory, her heart gave plunge; and then
it seemed to be asst the stars themselves
had sent her messages of comfort, and
then she slept
"Ben,' said little Asher in the morn
ing, sitting up in bed, with the sunshine
breaking in new lustre on his pretty
golden head, and the color flushing
freshly up his face, "did you ever see
an angelo"
"No," said Ben. "Did you?"
"Once L did. Yes. L saw an angel
last night, Ben"
Ct guess So.
81 did. Really and truly did, y
said Ash. e. saw two of them, Ben.
| woke up in the night, when it was
dark, and the fire was out, and one was
standing by the hearth, and the stars
shone all over it. And l saw it all in
white; and it went away. And it looked
just like the angels mother reads about
to us in the Bible.
81 guess it was mother" said Ben.
"The other wasn't mother!'' an
swered Ash, Indignantly. "The other
was real angel, any way. 1t went sail
ing by the window with great wings like
fire, and it left path shining behind it.
And I know it was the Angel of the
Lord"
do you really suppose it was Ash q
81 know it was. And, of course, ii
came for something, you know, Ben I
shouldn't wonder If we were going to
have Thanksgiving to-day, after ALL"
81 hope there'll be raisins IN it, then, 81
said Ben. CT like raislns so -
"Just hear the darlings," whispered
Anstice, after her custom, to Greta. "Pd
give my hand to get him raisins for the
day. Going to have THANKSGIVING
after all! Thanksgiving for being cast
adrift upon the world - And she began
to cry bitterly.
"Come, boys" called Greta, who had
been gently moving about till the fires
were bright in the two rooms, for of
wood they had still plenty. Gone
should be stirring early on Thanksgiving
morning. Porridge is ready when you
have said your prayers. And as she
sat down where the rose and purple OF
the sunrise fell over like an aureole, as
the two little chaps came pattering out
to the swapping fire in their long white
nlght-gowns, and, kneellng before her,
hid their faces In her lap while she said
the prayer.
One would have thought it little enough
that Greta Purcell had to give thanks
for that day-nusbandless, homeless,
portionless, and with three helpless
souls hanging on her for help. But to
one hearing the simple words that she
had offered in her morning sacrifice it
would have seemed as though princes
had no more to be grateful for-as she
gave her thanks for life, for health, for
hearts not yet broken altogether, for the
bright morning, the lovely earth, for
hope of heaven, for each other.
"Amen! p said a voice at the other.
None thought of fastening any door III
that unvisited country.
The children lifted their faces as they
| kneeled, and Greta turned her head, to
see tall man standing in the doorway,
with loose cloak wrapped about him.
perhaps it is the angel" whispered
Ben, still little under the spell Of his
mothers prayer.
"John! John !' came cry from the
inner room. ooh, John p' cried old An
stice. "My son my sonp' And she
would have fallen before she reached the
bearded, black-eyed stranger, with a
sort of wild beauty on his dark, sweet
face, had he not caught her on one arm
while the other already folded Greta,
who sat like white stone.
g [ knew him. I knew him first p
cried Anstice, presently, to Greta.
"Oh trust mothers instinct. He's
my flesh and blood p
"And do you suppose L did not know
him ?" flashed back Greta, not yet quite
herself. "He is my very self! And /
always knew he was alive. Z always felt
it. [ was sure half of me was not dead %
"But half of you came mighty near
it twice" said John, from where he was
sitting then, with an abashed and I'M
/ Il "a 4