Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-04-16


sweet brown haired mother by an
open window, just outside of which
her father stood pruning a rose that
threatened to throw such thick foliage
across the window as to shut out the
light, while past them through the
airy hallway and out through The
yard to the orchard Fred, her eldest
brother, was driven by the family,
little Ben, still in frocks, but often
Boosting of the pants he is to wear
soon.
''Out on the wide, rose covered
porch, cluster of young girls are
chattering merrily, and their laughter
reaching the woman by the window,
then makes her smile again, as if she
felt in their happiness her own youth
renewed.
In the pleasant dining room the
table is spread for tea, and soon the
family and the merry girl cousins,
who have come in honor of the day,
are gathered to unite in the enjoy
ment of the good things prepared for
them. All heads are bowed moment
as the father lifts his voice IN words
of thanksgiving and of prayer. That
prayer comes back to the teacher in
the plain, country school house far
away from her loved ones to day.
The fathers voice is stilled in death.
Little Ben and the mother, and even
the merry cousins, full of life and
health, as they then seemed 10 be,
have each heard the call 10 the home
where ii IS always joyful and the
roses never fade. The teacher believes
that Fred had Joined them there. He
went to the army while yet the roses
of that June were in their prime, and
years have come and gone, the war is
long since a matter of the past, there
is yet no word from the soldier boy,
and hope so long delayed has given
way to despair. There was another.
too, who went out that happy June
time to risk his life at his country's
call-one who was young, and pas
sionate and hot headed who, because
of foolish quarrel with the girl who
loved him herself quick tempered,
and little thinking how far one little
angry word may go toward embitter-
ing a whole lifetime, thought would
soon pass away, as many another Of
their quarrels had done, leaving him
loving her as much or even mere than
ever-went away without one word
of peace or kind good-by, though he
still wore her fair pictured face next
to his heart and she still retained the
engagement ring he had given her.
After days of weary waiting for
him to come sueing for peace, the vii
lage gossip told in her hearing of his
having joined the army and gone
away, and the news fell on the girls
angry heart like a seethiug branding
iron. But then she had her father and
mother and little Ben home with her.
Now all were gone. The happy home
gone, too. Yet that prayer of the
father for her in whose honor that
simple fesat was .spread-her whom his
heart held very dear and for whom his
soul went out in trembling earnestness
still lived on.
Even as it came to her thought to-
day she felt as if not alone after all.
Surely the God to whom her father
had prayed was with her yet. He
had promised never to leave nor for
sake. With him was no changing no
death. no anger, that so long as life en-
dured could not be turned away show
ing forth His tender mercy and His
love.
No, she was not alone. A sweet sense
of otection-of comfort-c came to her
heart, and she seemed to join her ia,
TIERS spirit in the prayer he had
breathed that day, that God would
take her future into His own keeping
and guide her days according to His
will.
A red rose fell on the desk at her
side, and, looking up in a startled
way, she saw face at the window near
her that made her hold out her hand
with a cry, uncertain between fear
and Joy. But the great bearded fel>
low who sprang through the window
and caught her in his arms and just
as she tottered to fall was not uncer-
tain any longer.
"This was his sister May. The one
whom he had sought and sought
again, DuL COulO hOb huo bthbAA ~
chance-if there X such a thing as
chance-in passing this little house in
the grove he had found her bending
over the roses with look that he
knew although the face that held it
was sadly changed from than of the
merry sister he mad left at home so
long ago.
There was no school in the brown
school house that afternoon. The
children frolicked in the grove or slyly
crept up to the door aud looked in
at the happy pair; some of them even
tiptoed into the school-room and stood
listening while the brother told of the
fierce fight that had almost cost MIN
his life, of the long dreary season in
the hospital, of other fights that fol-
lowed, of time harder than all the
rest, when he lay surrounded by the
horrors of Libby prison, Of other
fights and other hardships till the war
was ended and he started for home,
only to be overtaken time and again
by sickness, when he must bide for
weeks. sometimes months at some
hospital along his route, as he was too
i r