Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-11-30

and you nor nobody else can say that Sarah
Rounds ever begrudged you time or labor,
or shut her eyes to your interest in any
way. In all chat time. Benjamin Dwight,
you've never flew right in my face before.
You've been contrary and obstinate, good
ly RICH: square aginst my expressed wish
es. Well, the best of friends must part.
suppose you're tired of the old woman. so
l brought you the keys. You can get an.
other housekeeper-she,u find everything
straight"
Mr.. Dwight was taken completely by sur.
prise.
"Why, sarahiU he exclaimed, "what do
you mean? You surely would not think of
leaving meW
Sarah had arisen, and now stood like a
statue with her eyes bent upon the floor.
After waiting a moment Mr.. Dwight said:
III seems to me very hard, Sarah, that you
should so bitterly oppose my wishes to in
dulge myself in the luxury Of a little act of
these poor children? If you had been
married and had had children Of your own
you would feel differently, even II YOU had
only their graves to remind you of Them"
Sarah Rounds looked up quickly, and,
though her cheeks flushed, she said, quite
calmly:
benjamin Dwight, I have been married.
nave had children, n / have only their
graves to remind mo of them!' and before
MI; dwight could express his surprise, she
ADDED: "When l entered your service you
asked no questions about MY past life. You
knew that my brother had been killed by
the Indians, and that that was how I han.
pened to be alone in that camp of wild men.
Out OF gratitude for my care Of YOU in that
long spell of broken bones and fever, YOU
TOOK me away with you from that awful
place, and promised that I should never
want again. You have kept your promise,
but from first to last, through all the good
and bad we've gone through together, You
never felt interest enough in me to ask one
question about my life before you knew me,
or il l had friends, or If I was married or
single You gave me a home, and I gave
you faithful service, and there all your in.
terest in ne ended"
"You must not saw that. Sarah. for Il ia
not true. How could l help feeling a deep
interest in one who has been like a good
sister to me, not only served me we'll, but
borne with all my faults. No, no, Sarah; if
never asked you about yourself, it was be-
cause thought from the circumstance of
your being in that camp that you might not
care to be questioned."
"There was nothing to be ashamed of,
Mr.. Dwight; l had nothing to hide but a
broken heart, and that l carry vet, You
wonder that I don't love children. Pm
afraid Of children. Every child I sec stabs
me, and I want to stab back. I can't help
1.-THE Lord is to blame. I had a happy
beautiful children. I am old and withered
now, Mr.. Dwight, but once was called the
handsomest young woman in the State.O
II can well believe it, Sarah," said her
listener, as she paused a moment.
"My husband, ]" she continued, twas mas
the last haul of the year he %foundered in a
storm in sight of the light in his own win
der. l found his body on the beach the next
morning. Before I hardly had time to tell
myself l was a wilder, the fever broke out
in Saco, and in one week my three children
was laid alongside of their father in the
churchyard. l didn't grieve; somehow I
couldn't. But I hated every woman that
had a husband, and 1 hated every child that
| crossed my path; and 1 wantedto get away
from them all. l stood it as long as I could
the plying looks and words of people
that Ia their families around 'em every
highland one day | put some clothes in a
saved up, set fire to my house and waited
till everything in it and aroundit was burnt
to ashes, and then / left town. People
said l was crazy, but l warn't. I only
wouldn't have any other folks's children
a~-playin' about where mine had played, or
usin' the things mine had used"
"Poor woman!" said Mr.. Dwight. "But
how came you to wander out to Califor-
nia?"
"My brother was workin' in the mines
there, and | found my way to him. Three
days after got to him the Indians caught
bury him. Then 1 took to cookin' for
them miners. You came there, and I saw
you was different from the others. You
had no hard words for anybody, and you
KEEP yourself a-lookin' decent. 1 took you
under my protection from the first though
i ;J,yt 1-,,,o, 81 ,-l 11~r Loeo,,o A.
time came when there was occasion for you
to need me, Benjamin Dwight, 1 would
"a laid my life down for i you. ]
could never expect to be happy again, but
| you was always kind and ~considerit, and
have been a tolerable contented woman ]
didn't think it would last SO long, for ]
reckoned on you marryin', and then ]
would have had to leave, for I couldn't "a
KEEP house for your wife. Mr.. Dwight. ]
was glad when the end of every year came
and you was a bachelor yet, and I was be-
| ginnin' to think you would stay so, but this
cranky notion about themt children is jest
a-goin, to put the other notion in youl
time.0
"Nonsense, nonsense, Sarah ~ exclaimed
Mr.. Dwight, ~ have no more thought O.
marrying than you have. had no idea o.
any sue sad history as you have related
to me, but it gives you another claim upor
I 14Cs / SoAA w Sc IA J SbS ~ "a GAAN
you can not do without me and l won
hear a word about your le5ving me. d.
you remember your children, Sarah?"
"Remember my children! Mr.. DwightH
she exclaimed almost fercely.
"Well," he said, gently, II want you tt
recall them and their pretty ways TO you
mind now. Suppose instead Of your losine
them they had lost you? Sarah, they nigh
have been thrown poor and ~friendless upol
the world just like many of the childen WI
have just been talking about. Do you no
in your heart bless the man or woman wh'
would have spoken kindly to them, or hav'
done tho least thing to help them to ris'
out of their loneliness and misery? Answe
me, Sarah"
The woman's face twitched, n he
hands trembed so that the keys dropped
from them. A silence of several minute
followed Mr.. Dw1ght's question, and h
saw that she was making a mighty effort t.
control herself. But her strong nature hal
been toodeeply stirred. An agonizing sol
burst from her lips, and with both hand
pressed to her heart she abruptly turne'
and left the room, and was seen no NOR
that day.
But the next morning, as Mr.. Dwight wa
mounting his horse for his usual ride, sh
came to him and handing him a ten-dolla
bill, said, without looking at him:
"Give this to the fund for those children
please, but don't say who sent it; and
won't hinder you from doing a good deco
Benjamin Dwight; let them children come
but don't ask ME to see them-you don
know-von can't underStand-dOnst try M