New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-06-28


And take your breath this side Of the top;
And you will reach it in wind, and strong,
Without stopping over. This ends my song"
LITTLE BROTHER.
BY J. r. TROWBRIDGE.
He was not so very little either. He
was fourteen years old and as tall as
most boys of his age.
But he was shy and sensitive child,
with features almost as delicate as those
of girl. And compared with his big
brothers, he seemed fitted we'll enough
by the nickname they had given him.
They were great, rough fellows, the
youngest Of whom, though only seven
teen, appeared full-grown man. That
was Luf-a word into which his real
name, Eliphaz, had been appropriately
boiled down. Somehow Ls!f Keller ex.
actly described the fat, stout, chubby
checked, jovial, rude, reckless sort of
boy he was.
Then there were Walt, aged nineteen,
and Russ, twenty-one; tall, bony, mus
cular young men, loud-voiced, full of
coarse fun and brag. How Milton (that
was the name of Little Brother) could
have been one of the same family, and
yet so wholly unlike these three, was a
subject of wondering remark to every
body who knew them.
The nickname had not been bestowed
upon him out of tenderness, am sorry
to say, but rather out of contempt
They could not understand how any
body should be so fond of books and
pictures, freside quiet and his mother
society.
The truth was, Milton loved fun as
we'll as they, but very different sort of
fun; and it was his dread of their rude
| ways which drove him to the chimney
corner and the shelter of his mother s
affection. She was a gentle, quiet wom-
an, to be the mother Of three such bois-
ferrous young men; and the youngest
boy was naturally her pet.
against the tyranny he suffered from
them, especially from Luf. Not that
Luff was viciously cruel to Little Broth
er; being so unlike him, he never knew
how cruel some of his tricks really were.
If lie thought of anything Milton espe-
cially abhorred, like the sight of rep
tile, or the blood-curdling shrek of a
sharpening saw, he took q strange de-
light in intlicting it upon him.
"He's got to get used to such things"
he would say, when the mother reproved
him; whats theuse of his being q baby
all his life?''
''But what's the use of your torment
ing the life out of him when YOU know
that he can't endure such things?'' she
many times had occasion to reply, with
eyes that could flash when she was
reused.
Gentle as she was, she had much re-
served dignity and determination of
character, which commanded the re-
spect even of the lawless Luff: He
would turn laughingly away at such
times, with careless, ''Oh, wal! won't
bother Little Brother any morer' and
perhaps play another trick upon him
within an hour.
Mr.. Keller, a kind-hearted but not q
very refined man, also took the part of
the youngest when the others were too
rough with him; more to satisfy his
wife, however, than because he thou yht
Milton ought to mind their jokes.
CHOW, boysv' he said one day, as he
was about leaving home, ''don't you 20
to plaguing Milton while Pm away; do
leave him in peace for once, if only to
please your mother"
They were digging a well in the cat
tle-yard; they had reached a ledge which
fh0rr Il r.
driving to town to get some drills sharp
ened.
"Now, Miltonr' he said to Little
Brother, who held the gate open for him
to drive through, ''help your brothers
and don't mind their nonsense"
"What you call nonsense is sometimes
awful to metz replied the boy from the
ground. ''Why can't they let me
alone?''
''They would, if you wouldn't pay
any attention to their jokes" said his
father.
Il can't help paying attention. Mil
me for and hold me up to the brink Of
the we'll and make believe he is going
to tumble me imp
"But you know he won'tr' said his
father.
''Of course know he won't. But ]
don't like to be held at the brink of the
well and made to look down with him
pushing me! 1t gives me horrible
feeling?' And tears started to the boys
eyes.
swell, well! Idon't think he will do
it any more; any way, try not to mind
it if he does" With which mildly con-
soling words Mr.. Keller drove off to
town.
1t was some time before Milton went
to the yard where the work was going
on. That gave Luff a chance to forget
his fathers parting charge to him and
to prepare another trick for Little
Brother.
+ ':Milt! Milt!' he called. They're
1 waiting for your
| AS Milt knew that he was expected to
help Luff draw Walt and Russ up out OF
the well, he reluctantly left the Kitchen
| corner and his book and went out in
answer to the call.
Luff stood amid the rubbish at the
edge of the well leaning on the windlass
and looking down. Milton, as he drew
nigh, could hear the steady click-click Of
the sledge and drill below.
He walked carefully around to the OBJ
posite side of the well from Luff, and
looking in, saw Russ and Walt still at
work, with no appearance of stopping.
t'YOu told me they were waiting" he
said. They are not half ready yet
eyes, they are" replied Luff, with a
sober look on his red, chubby face.
''They are going to lamp now, and they
want the fuse. Run and fetch it,