The Red Cloud chief., 1885-07-17

ho never SAW me look - nice befOre!
"Ay. to be sure; that will he". re-
piled the old woman. ~fervently.
Though it'll no be the ribbons he'll
mark. He'll say as my Jem says when
I put on my smart gown Of . Sunday:
ITS the face ] mind. mother. and
naught besides,' he says. 'Ye look as
well in the Oldest gown ye wears. moth
err he says"
Il am afraid Jem is an arrant fat
terer." laughed Annie. you've pos
itively grown conceited since you came
to live with him You had much better
have stayed on with US at the house."
NAY. there's nothing as could keep
me from my Jem. now. Miss Annie.
dear" answered the old woman.
soberly. Hes the only one left me
Of all I had. and my heart is set on him.
It's little / can do for him now I'm old.
and nv sight is ailing. and I'm no that
quick ] was on my feet; but it's all in
the way Of Nature. he says Them rs
sows in the spring shall reap in the
fall. and I'm to reap now. whilst he's
TO work at the sowing. a deal of trouble
I've had in nv day. but no fingers
touch will he let anea me in my old
age he says Eth, but he's a good lad.
May Heaven grant We a o like him.
Miss Annie. when we've stepped down
| out Of the spring-time yerself."
''Yes, Jem's very good" assented
! Annie. carelessly. Father saws there
is not a place anywhere around 80 well
kept AS he keeps ours Oh! bark! Isn't
that the train"
She sprang to her feet, throwing
back her head and listening eagerly.
| with bated breath, raising an imperious
little hand to silence all other sounds.
1t seemed as il. at this spoiled darling's
bidding. the very birds stopped singing.
and the leaves forborc Their rustling. all
was suddenly 70 still. Nurse Edwards
listened. too. but less ~intently. and the
| chirping of the cricket beneath the
piazza ledge "a the only sound she
caught.
'Hey. what a noise he Makes" she
said, admiringly, as Annie turned back
with Q gesture Of disappointment. If
it's them a is happiest sings loudest.
yon fellow has the best Of us ALL"
''Oh! will it nerer be five o'clock"
cried Annie. mindful only of her i'm
patience. This day has been n hun
dred days long already"
Now don't We be in haste with
Time, my dear" said the old woman.
reprovingly. "Ye'll not hurry it.
though We fret il never so. We must
just bide the time. my Jem saws. and
all things1l come in turn-first life,
then growth, then death. Things is
best taken natural as they come. The
rose that We force'll only be sooner done
blowing"
but l can't wait" the girl com
planned. childishly. Il always want
things Immediately, and l want five
O'clock this minute. What time can il
be-. Nursie? Oh! do say its five
o'clock"
It'll be nigh upon it. sure. by the
slant of ths shadows" the old woman
answered. peering out across the lawn.
''fe can look at the sun-dial yonder. il
We will"
Nonsense" rejoined Annie. con-
t%emptuously. "As If a stupid bit of
wood and a rusty shadow kept any
count Of the time the train goes by.
I'll look at the clock inside"
"Then We may spare ycrsclf the
trouble, my dearie; for the hands
stopped ut five minutes to seven this
morning. exactly rs my Jem started out
for the city: and five minutes to seven
it'll be till Lay Jem gets home. which
may he the night or the morrow. And
I've boen a-thinking all the day as l sat
here how it's with me and with every
thing about me just as it is with the
old clock inside. It's him that keeps
us 60 ng; and we're all run down and
stopped together when he's gone. biding
the time till he comes back to right us"
Then l wish he could come back
now and make it five o'clock" sighed
Annie. Surely it must he five o'clock.
and the train has come in without my
hearing the whistle. I'll run down to
the gate and wait there. Fred can't be
long now. Goodbye. NURSE. In nve
minutes more l shall be the very hap
picst girl in all the world"'
And before she had finished speaking
she was of. disdaining the road and
making herself a painless way across
the lawn; laughing. dancing. bounding
along with many a light spring and
airy leap and merry twist. like a mount
ain brook too impetuous to run smooth
~. The old nurse smiled indulgentlv,
and. settling herself back in her chair.
went cOntentedly OF with her knitting. |
while the cricket again became the up
permost sound in Der world. like a
homely accompaniment to the single |
music of her thoughts
Many more minutes than FIVE went by
uncounted. when. suddenly. from the
direction of the gateway. Annie again
came running. but not as she had run
before. Very direct and straight sh-
came. Her arms were Outstretched ~
who runs blindly; her face. that had
been so rosy. was white Is death and
strangely set and she flung herself
into the old woman's srms with
great. sharp cry.
30. Nurse! q. NursA! The train is
not in. There has been an accident A
man going by told me. And there has
been one killed. Jast q light accident!
But there was one killed. Only one
killed. the man said. u Nurse! it is
Fred. know it Is Fred! Az certainly
as that q Am alive now. l know that L
is nv darling who Is dead!"
And the girl burst into . passion Of
weeping. and would neither be
nor listen 10 anything that
her old friend said.
II tell you I kncsc it Is he!" she
cried. with an agony of conviction in
her voice mat almost carried certainty
with it 1T was like . knife through
my heart the moment the man spoke.
At the word accident ! felt that Fred
was dead. even before he said anything
tell you ! kncs, that il is he.
rs surely as III saw him lying here BE-
fore my eyes,"
May. nay. my pet. my darling. my
dearie." cried the old nurse.