Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-07-30
late, but there's the illigant stew for

- *, p sl..I .
!" The devil fly away with your
stew, Mrs. Delany, s saysI. Where's
my daughter?''' .#..s f., A. G..
8. faint any of me knows says
she, j 'spose she's KEEP late. Ate your
stew, man, and don't be cursin' me,
for | won't take it off you nor no
man. > '%s-,%<a ~ ~
'Im fond of Irish stew, sir. and no
woman makes it better nor Mrs. De.
lany, but with this and that were SO
put out ! never enjoyed bite less.
Eight o'clock came and l was wor-
ried more and more. Then the wife
came out of the room where Mary
slept with a bit Of q note in her hand.
I read it: Dear father and mother,
/ have gone with my Barton, that
love with all my heart
II was struck cold, sir; I saw it ALL
Afore could catch my breath there
were footsteps running up the barracks
stairs, and Mary burst in, all in silks
and satins and velvet.
il" oh, father! daddy! Oh mother!',
she cried. 4 couldn't 20 after all,
without SEEM you!' Her mother
NOulu ACbSO uSllC0l W l1CI SAII, OuV L
stepped between them.
You're no daughter OF minen says
/: Mrs. Delany, don't touch her!
Girl, go! I'll hear no word from her
mouth. Go! before I disgrace me uni
form by strikin' you, before I break
my heart with cursing you'll
''She looked at me; she knew what
my temper was when it was up, and
she turned and went.
"Ah, sorrow like that is hard to bear.
It's the broken heart carried in nv
breast them days, and long after.
Men tried to speak to me of her and
him, but I swore I'd kill the tirst>man
named her name, and I've done it. I
could not face the men and officers
who'd known me so long. I had the
right to ask me discharge after that
length of service, and did and got it,
and went where Id never See face
that knew me.
1.-THE wife never troubled me about
the hardness, but I knew no other
trade but the soldering, and things
didn't go we'll with US.
MARY kept, somehow, knowledge of
all our changes, and every month
would come a letter with fifty dollars
in notes to me. No word-no way
could tell from where it came Christ
mas times the notes would DO for q
hundred, 80 l knew she was not in
want.
'"The Bartons were rich and q high
family. Often swore to go to them
with the story Of the ruin of my girl;
but the love still had for her and me
own pride held mo back from exposin'
the trouble. never played the fife,
never thought OF the ould thing after,
and it's a hard life the wife had with
me tempers, but she bore it well.
''The wound me daughter, me Of.
ticers and meself had given mo- were
KILN me with anger and despair.
That would hurt me longer, hurt me
sorer and hurt me worse to the life
core than any / ever got from Mex.
leans, 1njuns or rebels, and got them
from all.
"Well, sir, it was just FIVE years from
the timeI got that deadly hurt, and we
were living in -, with hard scratch
in to get along on me pension and
what I could make laborin,' for
was gettin' ould. Pm past seventy
now.
l came in rather late one night and
the wife says: You're wanted imme-
diate to the Union Hotel says she;
"you've been sent for twice. Who
is it?' says I. 4 don't know
says she; but brush yourself and 90 at
onct, says she, and I'll have q nice
stew for you when YOU get back. May
be it's good luck COMM"
$50 trimmed up orinspection and
review. I'd been tryin' to get a
watchman's place on a railroad and
thought maybe some of the masters
were waitin' to see me bout that.
II soon got to the hotel. My names
Delaney says to the clerk. He taps
the bell and says to the black man.
Show the gentleman up to Parlor B., ,
says he.
Gentleman thinks 7, 'Parlor b.
thinks I. It's risin' in the world I am.
Maybe they'll be maxim 8 superin-
tindint of an ould soldier thinks I,
and followed the blackie, all in blind
of wonder.
"'It's fine room were shown in
to, and nobody in it. The sarvent
left and was smoothin' my hair be-
fore big lookin' glass were there, when
heard swish like a dress aside ME.
I turned and there were Mary-my
Mary!-so beautiful, so like a queen,
with her darlin' blue eyes lookin' so
wistful at me.
"Oh, daddyP she cried, holdin' out
her two arms, and calm me by the
name she called me when she were my
own innocent little baby. :Oh, daddy,
listen to me now"
''The anger rose up hot in me,
though me heart were beatin' like
'twould burst ne breast and a. lump
in ME throat were chokin' me.
"'Not word,' says I, mot a 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 a 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 a little voice say 'Drandad!'
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 a. word more.
"'T'iss me, drandad!" says the little
one, and / gathered her up, and l, that
had never shed a. tear for sorr0yr 81.