The Red Cloud chief., 1881-02-10

"O~E1 she had = sou-ou-oip wit
n bone into IT, added Popsy. drasin,
In his breath and tasting bis own lips
I'm cold. Popsvri aid PeAse. Be
ginning 10 CRY As II he had never cries
before in al her life. and bad found
new and absorbing kind OF occupation
by which TO pass the time.
You get bread nlarsy.' sobped ;h'
baby. "Hsass Popsy. bread nlarsy"
Sweet Pease put up her little blu
lips and kissed Popsy in the neck; jos
a. she did when she teased him for hi
old broken top. or his two marbles. o
her turn to plague the landlady. yellow
cat waiting for mice upon the stair.
i don't know how We can explain q
one another why this seemed To Pops
the hardest thing that had happened
yet. How shall we?
Porsy jumped down from bi. chair
and stood still in the middle Of III,
room. lie looked a, Pcase. His breath
came fast Ike that II 4 boz who il
fighting. He felt ike a man. And
Sweet Pease. sitting there. looked ike
a little oma to poor Popsy.
I'D ought 10 take care Of nv little
sister said i'opsy. with a grand look.
After that he stood and thought q l.ttlt
more.
"Pease." said Popsy. then more soft
~. Il know. But well say our
prayers first
Sweet Pease stopped CRYING. and
Popsy got hold Of her hand. aud they
knelt down. But il was Just Is cold
I FOR oil shot II.n D.. 81 q. ~.
lay me. and Pspsy s-id. .'Our Faith
err for they did NJ know what else TO
say, and then Peasc began:
Dear Zhesus. ever AT nv sidc'-but
couldn't remember the res of that
prayer. and Popsy said he guessed that
was enough, and 50 they got up agaiu.
and Pease began 10 cry again. And
they were just as hungry as they were
before.
"Raver have brcad'nlarsyr' sobbed
poor Pea-e. "Rager have bread nlarsy
zan payers. Popsy"'
You wait" said Popsy, important
ly. We've got some business to tend
to"
So Popsy went to the table-drawer
where his dear dead mammakept things
not many things. 10 be sute-bu; all
she had. And in the drawer he found a
pencil and a half sheet of paper. And
when Pease said:
what you dom. PopsyF'
"Writin' letters" Popsy said. "You
hush up, Peasie!"
But he sat down and wrote. for all
that. And he looked grander and grand
er as he wrote.
Now Popsy couldn't write. exactly;
but he could print. He told Pease he
wondered if they could read printing;
and Prasc asked. ..Who?n
The folks I'm writing to-" said
Popsy.
SO he wrote on and on. And as he
he looked 2rander and grandcr.
Sweet PeaSc had never seen him look
SO grand. Yet he had a gentle look,
nad the tears were wet upon his cheeks.
By and 10y the letter was done. And
said:
NOV well GOMEZ"
But Sweet rease never asked him
where. and went IL once.
50 Popsy tied the plaid tippet round
her head, and he put his old cap on.
what there was Of it, and they started
ont
They started ont into the storm.
They had each others hands. Popsy
held Sweet Pease very hard and tight;
he thought she might blow away.
The landlady saw them 90. and cried
out, Good radiance TO themi' and
Tim Joggins saw them, and he said
better go TO the p'lice-for Tim
not very drunk and a little kind.
But PopSy said:
Never YOU mind where we gor'
And he held up his head and looked rs
grand rs a very small boy could look
n a very big storm. But to Pease he
aid:
I'm goin' on business. I'm goin' TO
post my letter"
So by-and-by they came to n letter
'oN. 1t was covered with ice and snow.
20 was Popsv. So was Pease. So was
he letter, too
SO was the lettcr-carricr. coming at
nat moment down the street. far away,
nd dim, and white. Vet seeming To
move mistily and swiftly like the an
els that we see in the background of
.'ictures.
1t was so SNOWY that it was all PopSy
ould do TO stand on tiptoe long enough
0 slip his freezing letter into the frozen
When he had done that Pease
cyan to cry. She said she was cold and
must 90 home. I
Il wanted To wait for an answer"
aid Popsy, reluctantly. But PeaSe cried
vice rs hard as ever. ,
Il s'pose | must go home with her." +:
aid Popsy. talking to himself. .:.She 4:
my little sister. | mustn't let her +.
lay N cry. | can come back and get nv ,
nswer.n /
So Popsy turned and trudged away. :
he storm beat upon them. The two !
tile figures seemed to bend and sink /
-ithin it. $
Young onesg" said the le~tter-carrier. c
up. He shaded his ewes with S
hand, and looked through the bit a
II sleet. The little iigareS faded and /
in it, Popsy holding Sweet :.
10y the hand. {
Pity thoughtful carrier. And then Y
thought no about it. r
He thought no more about it. till he n
ok out his bunch of letters To sort Ii
under cover from the wet. Then 4
at once he stopped, and said "
"Wh-ee-ee,' W
And he said nothing more till he cot
the post-ofiice. But when he was Il
ere, he beckoned to a clerk, and h
,pped again. o.
" What's up?' asked the clerk. h,
"I-vum," said the carrier. h
We all know that. You frequently
)" said the clerk. impatiently. az
What do you yum to-day?" W
Look al this --vummed letter." said w
, carrier, more softly. p;
It was a half sheet of paper. crooked or
folded, soiled. tumbled; there were w
ces of blood upon it. too; and the
lted ice; it was wet and limp, it WAS m
in a child's scrawl. in printed en-
slight and senseless thing. tu
But this bit of useless paper bore the 70
mp OF the great Mail Service of the
tied States. The clerk and the car
r dared not pass it by. gu
Just you look" said the carrier. III
lie spoke in a singular tone, as of one he
tile in W or fear. The clerk and ".
carrier gathered together, bending ft