Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-09-01
Gated by Vesta, with the baby between

@Alutud D1tIhc. Biz lCPlACOs
'.Do you live near here?"
''t)ut on the prairie %yonder."
"Who takes care of you?"
''Nobody but myself"
"But you live with some one?"
Eyes, Miss, with Hans mother" ex-
planned Zintha. II mind him for my
board, my father is away, and 1 look
for him every day."
'sWhere is your father?" said Miss
Perkins.
.I can not tell, Mss" was the reply.
"He has gone to work, and when he has
made plenty of money he will come and
take me-. If 1 could know where he
was l should be so happy. If | ask
Mrs. Hansen, she says: You will hear
in good time,; but the good time never
comes"
81 am very sorry, DEAR" said Miss
Perkins, ''but l am sur your father will
come"
81 come always to the cars" con-
tinued the girl. 81 can not keep away.
He kissed me and said: BE brave, my
Zintha, and [ will come for you.' But
my eyes ache with looking, and he does
not come"
sBrave is grand word, little Zintha,"
said Miss Perkins, as she kissed the sad
little face. $50 kind afather must have
written, and some time all will be well.
You should go to school, my dear, and
learn to read and write"
81 read now, Miss" replied Zintha.
"but I a not go to school. Mrs.
Hansen has a smaller baby, and she
keeps me tt mind Hans. My father
wished me to go to school every day,
but l can not"
Miss Perkins looked sober for a few
moments, then she said: *sZintha, I
shall always remember you, and you
must not forget me. Here is a card
with my name upon it. 1 have two
homes, n in Los Angelos-printed
F here, as you see-and one in New York.
For n year l shall be with my brother
in Los Angeles, perhaps longer. Will
you keep trying to write, and by and
by send me a letter there?"
II will, Miss try every day." said
Zintha, eagerly.
, 81 take Hans to the big lumber-yard
over there, and make him a place be-
tween the pile of boards, and then ]
write. See this pencil; it was given MT
Wy U1C A1CC 11uu WIZ ulCdSuICS luS
lumber, and I do many lessons on the
boards. Iwrite my fathers name often.
! [ love to write that. Heinrich Dierke is
. his name"
When the passengers came back into
the cars, Miss Perkins knew that she
II must send her little friend away Hal
and Vseta' filled a box with bonbons fol
her, and Miss Perkins gave her some
pictorial papers and a bag full of crack.
ers made in shapes like animals, and
then the conductor lifted Zintha and
the baby out upon the platform.
II think she wanted your book, Aunt
Sue," said Hal; ''she kept looking at il
e so earnestly"
. 'Poor child!!" said Miss Perkins. "I
it We're not my precious copy of Whit
tiers poems, with his own handwriting
on the tly-leaf, l should certainly give i
to her."
Asudden thought came into her head
k She turned over the leaves quickly, ant
It wrote upon q scrap Of paper four lines
a from one of the poems:
l. 'The dear God hears and pities all;
l., He knoweth all our wants,
h And what we blindly ask of Him,
His love withholds or grants"
e Aunt Sue hurried to the door with the
paper, just as the conductor cried: CAL
aboard!"..
.'Do give this to that little GIRL" sh.
said.
W with pleasure" replied that polit,
n official; and he Immediately reached
IS over the heads of those about, saying
Here. little girl, the lady sends yol
this. May be it will prove a fortune
Some Of the %by-standers smiled. How
e could such a scrap of paper prove
fortune, and if it should, what woult
that sad-eyed child holding a fat Ger
man baby do with it?
ID Again the train moved on its way, an
in due time reached California. Their,
20 General Perkins met his sister, and Dor.
her away with his children to hi
orange groves near Los Angeles.
3 AuntSue enjoyed every moment of tn.
restful, indolent life, and wondered i
she should eve care again for the nois,
and hustle of her native city. Ha
gloried in his freedom. As for Vesta
d she was not too happy to think o
Zintha, and Aunt Sue was constant,
- teased to tell her own fancies concern
~ ing the little maid who carried bab,
~ Hans.
~ How was it with Zintha?
r. Every day when the weather was fair
she carried Hans to the lumber yart
and wrote or figured upon the boards
Sometimes she had a bit of paper befor,
d her, held down by two bricks, to keep i
y from being blown away.
w "See here, little one," said the fore
man one day, ..swhat are these verse;
r. you sre scribbling all owe my matched
boards?"
j. Something a kind lady gave me,
e sir" she answered, timidly. II hope
e it is not wrong, Sir"
"No harm DONE" said the foreman,
"only some of the men spoke of it, anc
d the boss mightn't like it, you know
1T The next day this kind friend brough
k Zintha a large blank book.
"There, Sis" said he, '.when you'v,
" written that full you will be ready tt
g copy sermon for the minister"
Sometimes the foreman asked Zinth:
to figure up a sale for him, in advanc.
of his w reckoning. Before long, he
pave her ru1aa for n,ooc,,ropoo,+ ~,