The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-07-30

heard q swish like a dress aside me
| turned and there were Mary-my
Maryl--so beautiful, so like queen,
with her darlin' blue eyes lookin SO
wistful at me.
"tOh, daddy!' she cried, holdin' out
her two arms, and calm me by the
name she called me when she were my
own innocent little baby. '0h, daddy,
listen to me now"
''The anger rose up hot in me,
though me heart were beatin' like
'twould burst ne breast and lumI
in me throat were choiSin' me.
"'Not a word says /, mot word
with deserters, and traitors, and
worse! You're dead to me! You were
no more Mary Delany from the night
you left your parents!
"'No!' says deep, clear voice, but
she's Mary Barton, and has been from
that same night, and out OF a room
leadin into the parlor steps my old
lieutenant and puts his arm around
her SO bold, and lookin' so handsome
that l was speechless and moveless.
II struck the tears from my eyes,
and heard little voice say Drandadl
an looked down, and there was my
little Mary three years old, lookin' up
at me, an holdin in her hands that
ould fife.
'Ilooked from the child to the moth.
er, to the father, and saw what an
old brute and fool I'd been. No need
to tell me q word more.
"Tiss me, drandadt" says the little
one, and ! gathered her up, and !, that
had never shed tear for sorrow or
PAIN, run the eyes oat of me with cry.
in for joy.
"We talked and we talked. They
told me how they had been to England
and France, for Mary's education,
how the lieutenant's people had join.
ed them in Paris the year before and
how they all loved and thought there
was nobody like the ould sergeant's s
Mary, the sons wife. And all this
time, God forgive me for bein' selfish,
/ was forgettin' the poor ould mother.
"The baby was bundled up, holdin'
the ould fife that Mary had taken with
her when she went, and that baby had
always played with. and we were soon
in a carriage rolling of to my poor
home.
ri went in first, little Mary in my
arms. Mrs. Delany was in bed in the
back room. What KEEP ye, sargint?'
sez she. Il hope twas good luck,
Ye'll find tn stew on the stove!"
"'The devil fly away with your stew,
Mrs. Delany,' says l. Come out here
and see the stew I've brought you.'
But before she sould move from tho
bed Mary was on her, and-well, you
can guess the rest, the happiness, tho
talk, the tenderness that night! wax
ed the whole house with Yankee Doo-
die and Garryowen on the fife, and with
me feelin's all worked up and bein'
out of practice too, they were played
bad enough to wake the dead.
"There amt much more to tell. Our
troubles and heartaches were over.
The next mornin, talkin' to Mary
and the leftenant / says, takin' O. lot
of letters out OF my pocket, III you
young people are short OF money,
here's over three thousand dollars
that belongs to you, that's been sent
to me for FIVE years back
ooh, you dear, proud old daddyw
cries Mary with her arms about my
neck and tears in her eyes and voice,
'and you wouldn't use it in all your
needs? might have known it, think.
ing what you did of me-
"Well sir, that money went to buy
little farm where | and the ould wife
live like lady, and of course it will
go back to them that gave it when we
die.
There's boy now, sir. I'm going
to see him christened Delany Barton,
and he s to be soldier. They're none
of them ashamed of the ould sergeant
and his wife, but she's not able to
travel and SO have to report alone.
Will take asup out ofyour flask, sir9
"Well, talkin's dry work and I've
been doin' power OF it; a sup would
go well now, but if you'll excuse me, /
won't take it. Ten minutes will
bring me to where they're all waitin'
for me and I'd rather not kiss Mary
and the babies with the Taste touch OF
it on my lips. e
In ten minutes we stopped at sta
ton, the old sergeant stepped from
the cars and as we moved ofhe was
still the centre of a beautiful, loving
group.