The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-05-11

Ting 4 ~ 81 s i6BJy bttE cut 6ff IA IA
snoW-covered carriage dfiye, and d faint /
fragrance of delicats 8 coffee and warm.
smellingviands on the cold, frosty air,
while a fair, girlish face peered anxious 4
ly through the heavily curtained win-3
dow, the red draperies held back;by q
small, rounded hand, as my husband
lifted me from the carriage, and with
warm kiss on my cold cheek said:
Welcome home, dearl Your home
as well as mine, now"
"A moment more and was in the
warm, bright room, and, after being cor
daily met by the old nurse and house
keeper, Mrs. Wait, who had taken care
of my husbands house and two children
since the death of his first wife, many
years before,I was introduced to the
little maid whose sweet face ! had no.
Iced at the window. 1 felt at once that
u should love the child, with her fair
lovely face and clear blue eyes, so like
her fathers. And the position of step
mother, which had so much dreaded,
assumed an altogether different aspect
as. L drew Mamie close to me and pressed
akiss upon her smiling lips, while her
father looked on well pleased at the
meeting between his "little woman" as
he was wont to. call her, and her new
mamma.
Suddenly he seemed to miss some
thing, AMI turning abruptly to Mrs.
Wait, who stood by waiting to show me
to my room, with hall.jealous, half
pleased expression on her kindly face,
said:
Where is Laurie? Whyisn't he here
to meet his mother?" Mamie stole
troubled look at her nurse, and then
leaving my side put her little soft hand
into her fathers gloved palm, and look.
ing beseecllingly upinto his grave face, as
Mrs. Wait, said, in answer to his in
aniry:
to go coasting with some lads this eve
ming, so he took an early supper and left
before time for your arrival. He prom
ised some time since, see, and didn't
as my husband frcwned slightly.
every WE'LL" he replied, quietly, after
a moments pause, in Which Mamie
pressed his hand tightly with her small
fingers. E.
l felt that all was not right. and a
strange feeling Of chilliness crept over
'ue as I followed Mrs. Wait to the large,
handsome room which had been pre-
pared for my use-a feeling which even
the sight of SO many of my favorite lux
urieS, suggested, as we'll knew, by my
husbands thoughtfulness, could not dis
pei.
During the remainder of the
evening, spent partly at the
supper table, and partly in the cozy IL
brary, with my husband and Mamie,
Laurie's name was not again mentioned;
but strange sadness brooded over me.
The old happy freedom Of my heart was
gone, and somewhere there lurked a
vague apprehension, mingled with fear,
of what / hardly was conscious, and
yet which overwhelmed me to such q
degree as to make my future, which had
seemed so radiantly bright a few hours
before, appear unattracive and lacking.
early hour, but not to sleep. lay for
hours wrapped in thought about the
house which had eptered-a bride of
only a few short days-to fill the place
of a mo- her to two motherless children.
Myself a mere child, fresh from my own
mothers arms. and without experience
or understanding, and now, on the night
| of my arrival, my heart is chilled and
| disappointed by the knowledge that to
| at least one of these children my coming
is unwelcome. And Laurie, the one L
had hoped to win first; Laurie, the bow
l had learned to love, because they told
me he was like his father, the first one
| to make me feel that my presence is an
intrusion.
Weary with thinking, at last fell
asleep with prayer on my lips that I
might act the part of true mother to
this boy already so dear to me, though I
had never seen him, save the likeness OF
Their gave me, when he said: 81 know
you'll care for him, Alice, and I'm sure
! he'll love you. He needs a mothers
love sadly, poor boy"
| The next morning as passed down
the long hall to the stairway-my hus-
| band had gone down to give some or
ders preparatory to his departure to the
| city heard merry whistle in the
lower hall, and as ran swiftly down the
| broad stairs encountered Laurie COM
ing up two steps at bound. 1 stopped
| on the first landing and held out my
hand, while I smiled at sight of the
fresh, happy face and handsome face as
l said: "Good-lnorning this is Laurie, l
SUPPOSED"
My offered hand was accepted with a
gravity and stateliness becoming an old
time knight, as the boy said coldly:
"Good-norning. Yes, am Laurie"
Then with stiff little bow went on up
the stairs, leaving me with the feeling
that wrs suddenly CONCEALED into ice.
That sensation was somewhat diSpell-
ed by the warm greeting which Mamie
gave me as I entered the Dreakfast-room
q moment later, but it returned again
when the door opened to admit Laurie
with the same boyish statellness in his
manner, and the same little stiff bow
whenever I addressed him.
| In vain endeavored to draw him in
to conversation by introducing boys
favorite topics, such as coasting, skating
and other exciting pastimes. Mamie
chartered like little magpie, and
beamed upon me from her seat by her
fathers empty place, while her brother,
sitting next to me, ate his breakfast in
almost utter silence. I tried my best to
appear natural and at my ease, but that
chill presence made me cold and quiet
was too young, too easily affected by
Others to not care whether boy of tif.
teen years approved of me or not. Per.
haps if the boy had not been Laurie, il
would have been different. But as ii
was, was glad when the meal was ut an
end, and, after kissing Mamie, and with
q cool "Good-morning" to me, he had
left the room. 1t was with still greater
sense of relief that saw few moments
later from my post at the library win