The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-04-11
But the singin'?'' said one, inquir-

But the singin'?'' said one, inquir-
Iingly.
lT'Yes, l was goin' to tell you about mat
singin', continued Tim. II kept
ka-hearin' it and a-hearin' it. and finally
] laid the baby down, careful-like, I'M
der the edge of the house, and went
huntin' around for tibet singin'. The
lsky was as clear as bell now, but
could see the snow-cloud whirlin' along
down the prairie, and | knew they We're
ketchin' it further on. 1 peeked into
the house, but that was pretty much
broke up. The whole thing had sep
arated, so far as l could Judge, into two
or three parts, and it didn't take me
/ long to see whoever that was singiQ
wasn't in there. L poked along-I
reckon it was in a crazy sort of way,
for | was about dragged out-when, all
of a sudden, came to the top of big
hogshead. 1t was planted sorter side
ways in the snow, and packed in hard
as rock. A little piece was smashed
out of it near the top, and the nearer
to it | came the surer | was that the
singin' came out of that. | peeked in
at the hole, and, sure enough, there was
a little boy, all muffled up in a bed
quilt, and he was singin' away as chip
| per as you please. | saw in minute
that the hogshead had come down on
lin as he had been lynn or a-crouchin'
Gown on the snow"
80, come nown' drawled "Skep"
Thompson, with the air of man who
has borne all that could possibly be ex-
; =, ted of him. and refuses to endure
anything further.
'Its fact" went on Tim, infexibly.
ut sounds big, but it is as true as
preachn' that that hogshead had come
down on that little fellow and been
drove into the snow too deep to be
moved again, and there, covered up
with his bed-quilt and under that hogs
head. that little chap had stood it
through all of that storm. | wish |
could think what it was he was singin'
an old tune. Maybe you'd believe
me if l could think what it was. It's a
Christian tune, too. Queer | can't think
of it.
lawful queer" said "Skcp" Thomp-
son, with an incredulous laugh, in
which some of the others joined.
at wasn't" began the Hardaway
boy, with some agitation-''it wasn't
like this, was it?'' and he lifted up q
pure boyish voice in two lines of the
old hymn
Brightest and best of the sons of the morn
ing,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid. ;
Tim stood listening to him in {
speeches. transport of amazement.
ut was, thought he cried en-,
Enthusiastically, as the boy concluded
''Why, were you-it cant below die
you happen
''Yes, but I vas, though" said the
boy, his face flushed, and his voice
shaking, Il thought l knew what yor
were talkin' about, all along, but
thought I'd wait till you got through
before said anything. Our house wa:
blown away jlst like that in Dakota ter
years ago this Christmas. Ny little
sister was killed, but my father anc
f mother were saved by crawling into {
hay-stacz that had got stuck in drift
and hogshead fell on me- in Just the
way you told about, and saved me.
remember it all-well. There was
man there who dug me out, and you
: must be 9fse Yer rave 10 give inr
Beats air. cried the men, in aston
. sted chorus.
You can ask my mother, if you don't
believe me-" said the boy. Il reckon
7 she believes him, now
They turned toward the place where
!, Mrs. Hardaway had been sitting. but.
unobseryed amid the excitement of the
last few moments, she had fallen on tho
j floor, apparently overcome by the re
collections induced by Tins realistic
recital, and there she lay in a dead faint
FISHERMAN Tins tuthfulncss wa,
vindicated at last,-Kate Upton Cj0r5
IN CHRISTINE Union.