Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-02-24
OPEN SESAME.
From the Argonaut

II would rather die than submit mySen
to this fate, Helen. 1t is too hard-too
hard!"
Hush, dear, and Helen Conway laid her
finger upon her husbands lips, but she
could not thus prevent the groan of anguish
that accompanied his words. do not de-
spair, Herbert; there is yet hope. Be brave
and strong, my husband, and all will again
be well with us.
She herself felt not ray of hope. With
o womans keen intuition she had read the
verdict between the lines of the doctor
cheerful reinsurance. His sympathetic
manner was, to her. but confirmation of her
worst fears, the realization of which now
plunged her into darkest despair. For the
FIRST time in her life she comprehended the
terrible word in its fullest sense. Her hus-
band, too, realized the bitter truth of that
she felt assured, he was so utterly despond-
emit; and then three days had interviewed,
and he had not once alluded to the subject.
For the first time in their married life, trou-
BILE had come to them which they did not
discuss.
Her heart was well-nigh broken; but,
brave little woman that she was, she had
not once in her husbands presence yielded
threatened to overwhelm her. 1t was her
sacred duty as q wife to illumine with her
bright smile the blackness of his clouded
life.
She passed her hand caressingly over the
poor ewes threatened with doom so terrible
darkness, utter darkness! There was mes
merism in the hand, passed SO lightly to
and fro. 1t soothed his pain, that pain the
hardest of all to detrimental anguish.
"Helen"-he stayed her hand moment
to clasp it in lis own could and would
endure this cruel fate without mulmur did
it affect me alone, but what will become of
my wife and babies? 1t is this thought that
maddens me, that makes resignation i'm
possible" He put away her hand and
turned his face from her.
She knelt by the sofa, and put her arms
tenderly around him. MY darling, He
who gave you wife and babies will provide
for them. I believe that God oftentimes
deprives us Of our resources that We may
be forced to look to Him for aid. I do not
expect a miracle to intervene, but faith
will surely open to US some natural avenue
Of escape"
Helen, please look on the hearth, and
see if you can find paper there" His
voice vas entirely composed as he made
this request. His wife looked at him Won
deringly. She could not understand this
apparent irrelvancy; but she did as directed
without comment. Presently she returned
with small envelope carefully sealed. She
turned it over. There was no address.
Handing the missive to her husband, she
said:
'Shall read it to your
In moment" he replied. "Sit here
by me, while 1 relate an incident which
happened to come under my observation
this evening, while you were out" He
drew her hand within his own, and then be-
gan:
about twilight was lying here think
ing, with my face turned to the wall. The
door softly opened and the children crept
In Seeing me, to all appearances asleep,
they hesitated, but, after whispered con-
sultation, they tip toed to the study table.
Evidently there was some project on foot.
So I concluded to play eves-dropper, by
way of diversion.
I'm childish whispers, which have the
peculiarly of always being distinctly audi
BILE at any distance, they entered into dis
cussion-the subject Santa Claus" There
was a slight tremor in the fathers voice as
he continued:
Pet isped little Hal, 9TH me and
Fwank telths 'ou what to w'ites it, won't
Thanta Klauth bwing the pwesents all the
same?' Pet, with the superior wisdom
born of seven years, assured the little boys
Of the perfect safety of this pl n, then in
her old fashioned way"
Here Mr. Conway broke off abruptly.
Helen" he said, ''the baby nearly
broke my heart.
There was a moments silence. The
tears we're stealing down the mothers face,
but she brushed them away, and with as
steady voice as she could command,
said:
"wen, dear?"
Gently pressing his wife's hand, Mr..
Conway proceeded: "The child's sweet
way of talking is simply inimitable.
1 can only tell you what she said and
how she said it. She told the boy that
Santa CLAUS only came to rich children,
and they weren't rich because papa said
SO. Maybe he would take the trouble to
come down their chimney, so he would not
see the letter, if they put it there. Here
upon Hal set up wailing, and even Frank
could not see this cherished illusion dis
PEELED without shedding few tears. Flush!
you'll wake papa I doubt whether Pets
gentle admonition would have restored
peace, had she not supplemented with:
I've thought of way. When I wrote to
Aunt Susie, papa put my letter in one he
wrote to Uncle Howard, cause he said such
little letter as mine would lose its way. if it
went all by its lone. Now ,s'pose we write to
Santa Claus, and put it in letter to God.
He'll be sure to know it's here, cause He
knows everything, and He will send
one of his angels down to get it,
and then the angels will carry it
to Santa Claus To this proposition the
children eagerly assented. I lifted the
bandage from my eyes; I could not help it,
Helen. As a man condemned to look his
last upon his loved ones, SO I looked.
drank in every detail of the picture before
me. They were grouped as artistically as
if by a masters hand-the golden head
between the brown. With painful precision
Pet wrote to the boys dictation-that is,
she probably succeeded in transcribing one
word in twenty suggested by them. Read
it aloud, please"
With trembling fingers Mrs. Conway
broak the seal Her eyes filed with tears
as two tiny notes dropped out Of the en-
velope. The first was directed to Santa
CLAUS:
DEAR SANTA CLAUS: Papa an mama don't
want anything but mummy, cause asked EN-.
frank wants bal hal wants boss what roks
and i want spose you no i'm pet want dol
hous an pleas bring sum candy to caus we
havn'thad eny for 80 long. pet frank hal
It was only after repeated failures that
Tue lAOnAOA hlniitAtsCo W Icdu hlouu buc
second letter:
DER COP: Pleas give this letter to Santa Claus
we was fraid he wud forget to cum down our
chimly caus we haven't got eny mummy we want
more things but the words are to big for me to
gpel so can't rite EN- wen tell you to-nite when
We say our prayers then you can tell Santa
Claus and der god when you send the angel
please tel him to make papa wei for it makes
mama cry for him to be sick pet frank hal
Self control was no longer possible. Be-
fore she was herself aware of it, Helen
CONWAY was in her husbands arms, Sob
binQ like o heart broken child.
An hour later she was sitting in the library,
IN All intents and purposes alone, since her
husband. although in the same room, was
asleep on thesofa. Placing q screen between