The Osceola times., 1881-03-12

fingers twitched at her apron, as she
added, in a deprecating tone:
"Youuns III think I'm soft, expect;
but can't help it. | can't forget some
things" The tears in her eyes said as
much, and more.
They were married in time, we came
| to know, and went 10 housekeeping; but
they were poor; they had to rent land,
bad luck followed their planting, and
| finally, Aaron determined to 90 west
with the Santa Fe freighters, many of
whom, once as poor as himself, had been
known TO return from that mysterious
region with money enough to buy we'll
improved farms in the Boones Lick
country. II didn't cross him about it,"
said Aunt 'Cinda; she was alters dreadful
sot In his ways, an couldn't be coaxed
ag'in the grain. That was his weak spot
everybody has one, you know. 1t was
Almost too much for me TO see him start
off on sech journey, but | made myself
think it would turn out for the best; an
knowed he'd come back
Two years passed, however, and he
did not return, nor did she hear aught
from him, except that he had duly reach
ed Santa Fe. A third year, almost,
dragged away without sight or tidings of
him; and then she resolved to move out
into Kansas, along the route he had taken,
-"so's to be higher TO him." she told us,
AN meet him as he comes home" And
so she had been pushing on from place
to place, through hardship and danger,
by the great trail across the plains, until
now she could see, OH a clear day, the
outlines of the mountains that she knew
he must pass over on his way eastward.
She had supported herself by cooking
and washing for the freighters, and car
ing for the sick who fell in her way, and
at length had contrived, after years of
"scrimpin' and dickerin'," as she de-
scribed it, TO secure this isolated ranch,
where she dispensed hot meals at a
dollar each, including biscuits and the
accompaniment of real table cloth.
And here she waited, watchful and
patient, for the truant husband. Hes
sure to come" she would say, "and /
can't miss him;'twouldn't surprise me to
have him drop in any day" She scanned
the faces ofthe alighting passengers from
the stage every evening with habitual
eagerness, and yet trife timidly; as il
doubtful about the kind of reception he
would give her; indeed, she said once:
81 dunno but it'll rile i'm to meet up
with me so suddent away out here, an
him a-thinkin I'm in Missouri; may he
hadn't orter "a come" Every day some
special dish was cooked as he had been
wont to prefer it; the best bed, in room
by itself, was kept always vacant for him;
regularly, each afternoon, she would un-
loose her abundant hair and gather it in
to long, thick braid, after the obsolete
fashion of her girlhood and tie it with a
scrap of ribbon-because Aaron liked it
better that way"
The fact that she had received but one
letter from him in all the long years did
not seem so unaccountabc after she in
formed us that, owing to early neglect he
was "onhandy with pen," and general
ly had his writing done by proxy. In
strict truth, he probably could not write
word. "But he knows tiggers Jest as
nat'ral as kin be-" she fastened to plead
for him, "an' | never seed the steer or
hog at he couldn't geuss the heft or nigh
onto few pound; an, nobody could ever
beat i'm cipherin' out corn in a crib
She refused, also, TO confess moments
uneasiness as to his personal safety; both
his absence and his silence failed to dis.
concert her "He kin take keer of his
self anvwheres," she declared, with evil
dent pride, "an' if he's done got hurt or
made way with, I'd have some warnin'
of it, in a dream or somethin'. But l
amt had's much as a sign in the coffee
groun's to make me afeard. OF course
he'll come back. What in the world
would he stay away for?"
1t was idle to dispute such trust, even
silently. Not only that, it was impossible
to avoid sharing it, and soon it became
as much our habit rs it was hers, to look
from day to day for the absent husband.
So miutely did she talk of him that we
! believed we should recognize him at
sight in fact we felt so sure of this, and
expectation come to be so fidgety with us
that often, when the weather was fair,
we would stroll out for miles on ponies TO
meet the stage and get an earlier glance
at the occupants, hoping thus to spy
| Aaron, and gallop back to Aunt 'Cinda
with the good news of his approach.
Such was our thought, our talk, as we
cantered leisurely along the trail one quiet
evening. and rounding a curve, came
upon a single queer, covered wagon,
drawn by oxen, and creaking piteously.
Inside the vehicle lay a man with pallid
| face and long, struggling whiskers. who
| raised himself on his elbow to salute us,
and then sank down again with an ex-
preston of pain; near his side slept a
! baby: the wife and mother sat in front,
on titling seat, guiding "the critters
with well-worn Mexican goad. Ii was
I a novel sight, and provoked at once both
curiosity and sympathy. We forgot about
the stage we forgot about Aaron; and
when the baby awoke presently, and put
| its tiny fists to its cheeks and gazed at us
in shy, debating wonder-as if trying to
identify us with something seen in its
Just vanished dream,-we almost ceased
to realize the great, far-stretching and
empty periphery of desert, child was
such a godsend there.
"Yes," said the woman, as we wheeled
about, and rode beside the wagon. with
our ponies reined in to suit the slow gait
of the oxen, "Yes, | think she's toll
er'ble nice baby, myself. We call her
Cutie, but her names Adeline, same's
mine. He named her'-indicating the
pale and silent father, who thin fingers
clutched the childs frock protectingly.
"Has your husband been sick long2'
"More'n month"; the man answered
"But Pm pickin'up now. | amt nigh SO
porely as | was back in the valley. If !
could only get shet o. these rheumatic
I'd be all right It's the rheumatic more'n
anything else"
Its the mount'n fever" remarked the
woman in kindly whisper; and then
speaking loud and cheerily, "Yes, he's
doin' splendid now" she continued IAN
don't need nothin' but to keep quiet
less it mought be wild cherry bitters, il
we had 'em. Wy, two weeks ago, he