The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1881-02-11

or drink nc1 milk. Inc MehdoN lots
1t was to buy those lots that her husband
had made their lives bare and hard and
! wretched from their wedding day. The
good wholesome produce from the farm
which should have fed the children, had
gone to market, while they ate the re-
fuse; the money which should have edu-
Gated them had been put IN the bank to
buy these lots. When her baby Yves SO
i'll no doctor was brought, and her child
died; the money saved '. .> 1t to the lots
the mother had begged ior headstone
for the grave. Ts"~" uas Lefty, growing
to be a Won. @'4, halt-Clothed. without a
sparkle of fun or pleasure to tighten her
young lite; while poorer girls dressed
and went out and had company, and en-
loyed, as the girls should, days filled
with comfort and happiness. Every pen
ny thus saved William laid by for the
lots" Yes, those twelve actors had come
To be the absolute God for these people.
Not happy life, nor God, nor heaven.
After supper his mother followed him
out.
"Willam, she said, desperately, ,"how
many years will ii be before you can buy
he lors!"
Years? The lo,sI" in untelgned
anazcment. "I-how on earth can you
understand business"
II was the first time she had ever
spoken in this way.
III don't know But III afraid I Will
not live to see it. 1t is so long -
She went back to the kitchen The
dishes stood untouched upon the table
and Lefty was seated upon the steps, a
basket Of red peaches beside her, whlc,
the Doarder brought downf from his room.
He was young man, teacher in A
Virginia country school, who had come
up to these hills yeologi<ing in his sum
mer vacation.
Il brought them from the Mcbride
farm, Mrs. Taney. They are very com
mon Kind in the Shenandoah Valley he
said, handing them to her.
Mrs, Taney's features grew warm.
81 remember a tree Just like these ut
home,' size said. My old nurse used to
myself.
'leur little girl tells me that you came
from Fauquier county. It is fine coun-
try, indeed
1T is the most beautiful country in
the world said Mrs. fancy.
She stopped and went in hastily. She
felt the tears chok ing her She could
hear Mr. Burke tell the child that his
school was in Fauquler, and that he bad
often passed her orandiather's house It
was for sale now, with dozen acres
about It; would sell very cheap, no doubt.
nd had deprecated since the war. A
quiet, comfortable little home stead, too,
as any in the State, he said.
Mrs. Taney paused in her work. "Oh,
if | could only show it to Lctty,n said
she TO herself 1.-THE dear old farm The
sunny porchcs. and the Bourbon roses.
and the great oaks, centuries old She
hal never spoken of her old home to her
0 Ter children, but to Lefty she had
talked Of it often when they were alone.
Lefty was like herself, the others were
all 1aneys.
She came to the door.
"Do you know, Mr.. Burke, if there is
an old negro on the place Il gardener.
Uncle Tod oh, everybody knows
the old man, and his stories about the
CIcvelands, De tam ly, as he calls them. =
I'VE were the Clevelands. And old
Tod Is really living yet1 she laughed
for the first time in a year.
Nnen Lefty had gone In Mr. Burke
paced up and down the porch. He was
a manly. large -natured fellow. and hls
heart ached with pity tor the poor plnched
lives of this child and her mother. All
he could 40 TO show kindness was to lend
books TO Lefty. which she dcvoured
eagerly. Tor she was fond Of reading; in
fact she hal obstlnately persisted IN stay
ing AT the free school until she had edu-
Gated herself.
William Taney waited until the young
man had gone. and then he went into the
pantry wherc his mother was strainin.
milk. Something IN his manner made
her set il down. trembling.
You have bad news to tel. She said.
No. with an uneasy. stricken laugh.
most folks call 1t good. Fact is moth
or. I've made up MY mlnd TO marry
.Ob. William her old cheeks color.
ing.
II made up my mind three months
ago And the girls courted. and the
wedding $ to be tomorrow. Tlere now.
Ne need for you to look IN that way.
am generally pretty close-moutbed about
my own business YOU might know that.
And | don't choose TO have the matter
cackled over at home The girl is Miss
Susie Crawford
HIS mother came toward him. lie
was her son after all. and this was the
turning point Of his life. She put her
arms about him and kissed him. God
bless you. my boy. She sand.
But he stood IS immovable as a log
Don't Let Us have any fuss, he said