The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-05-02

bat I can't get the Hermsens out of N,
head; l. we were to be taAen ke them
wo ldn't the children be worse off that
Cradle-Mie is now? Heaven le thankc,
that we are strong and well!''
The honest couple sat talking Will
longer, but when the clock n the church
tower struck ten they were already snu,
in bed and sleeping peacefully OF
toward the coming day.
II.
Every one in the village knew tina
hump-backed Christina was dead, an,
every knew, ais, that the so-ca,let
[ radlc-Mie was alone now in the wild,
world every one pitied the pretty youns
girl, who hid no human be Dg left L
care for her. b tho one thought of being
the first to help her.
| No one kneS who Cradle-Mie really
was; but the landlord Of the Horse
Jockey" could tell how she had come b,
her singular name better. perhaps, thar
any one in the vi lagc.
1t was natural that he should. for HI
and the Germans had always been lost
friends; and he remembered, as well a.
if it had happened only yesterday
though it was seventeen years ago las
m DIS miners day, how las Hermser
had come running to him at six o'clo |
in the morning, gust as he W feeding
the calf in the barn. He re numbered
quite well Clas saying. breathlessly
Listen here, Christian, I've got q
strange thing to tell you" and how per.
turbed Clas had looked, and how they
had gone into the little kitchen behl nd
the large taproom. and las had begun
aga n, christian. you're man whom
one can depend on; just think that
this morning - But then Clas had
looked at the door, as if he we Q
AFRAID tina some enc we stand ng out
side listening and not till Christ an
had assured him that he might speak
out safely, had he gone on. Il put my
horse into the cart at three o'clo k tn s
morn ng to draw manure. l had 90
g cart full. and was driving it out to
the field at kuhkanpe, when just as
got outside the viliag l saw it 10 ked
Odd. man. can tell YOU, little iron
cradle covered with green cloth,
standing in the middle of the road, close
by the old u de p st. went up to it
and lifted off the cloth, and the e was
little child in it. with q face like an
angels, fast asleep. You can guess
hristian how l stared" las had
proceeded, "when saw the child lying
the e. 1t be an to cry, and l di n
k ow what was to do. At my wits
end, put the cradle in the ditch and
brought the load OF manure out to uh.
kampe as last as my horse could trot.
" hen l got back The cradle was in the
same spot. L took it up, with the chi d
in it, and put it in the cart and drove
home. When got home my wife was
maHing up the butter, and when she
saw the era lie and the chi in it sh
set up such screaming that l was
afraid she would get cramps. l told
her in plain terms what had happened,
and that she ought to be ashamed of
herself TOR having such an evil m nd;
and then we talked the matter over,
Christian, and agreed that we ought 10
give the Mayor notice of my aving
found the ,hild. l did SO; and the
Mayor. and Sprick, his seci etary. have
been at our house. ut they could find
moth ng in the Grade except the child,
an armiui o. nay and sealed ettcr, on
the cover of which was written
"1his child is commended to .he care
of whoever may find her. Gcd " iii re-
ward h m for his kindness to her. The
child has been baptized; her htistian
name is Marie. This cradle must re-
main in her pc session, and this letteris
not to be opened by hel until she is of
age"
The Mayor had readily given CIas
perm ssion to adopt the little waif and
bring it up as his own. for his wife had
had no children in the thirteen years
they had Ueen married, and she was
not likeiy to have any now.
The landlord. who was looked upon
as an unus ally clear-headed fellow, re-
all this gu lie dist nelly: he
knew too that in the night previous to
I las Hermsen's finding the child. a car
riage had stopped at his house. III.
Goa Imam ha reused him up out of h
bed; he had drunk glass of brand,
and had sad that he was on his way to
B. Chris an, however, had discov-
cred a'terward that the coachman had
on'y said it in order to put him on
wrong scent, for the next morning the
ca r age had passed through D. IN
quite different direction. No one had
seen the carriage again after that.
The He msens brou hit up the desert
ed child with as mu h care and love as
if she had been their own, and owing to
the manner in which she had been
found. she was always known in the
village as ''Iradle-h,ie."
III. .s.
A month had gore by since the even
ing on which We saw eter Jansen and
has family at their evening meal. 1t
was still early in the morning, and as
the sun does not make its appearance
1t the end of November till nearly eight
o'clock. it would have been quite dark
# the moon had shed its wan light
down upon the ear h.
Ieter Jansen jumped out of bed and
opened the shutter.
"Hullo, snow" were the first words he
said. :" by, it has be,om. winter all
Of sudden during the night. ONE,
" fe, get up he continued, ca ting an
ot er glance back at the warm nook ne
had ust lie t. ''Get up, Meta; the SHOWS
, foot deep or more; you'll have to
sweep it away from the door as fast as
you can"
The good woman did as her husband
,ade her, and when she had swept
away most of the snow from before the |
1oor to one side. she hung Kettle of ]
water over the fire, put spoonful of !
ground coffee into smaller kettle, and |
y hen the water was boil Nc fast and flu
.iously she filled the smaller yes ell to
he br.m, and stirred it round and !