The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-08-13


never had feeling, nor had any one
else, that ever | knew, that she didn't
like other folks to have good time.
She'd do everything she could to
make things brig and lively for peo
pie and then go quietly away.
One day, as she sat rocking the
baby had been watching her for some
time, and Isaid:
"Mrs. Willis, did all your smiles and
laughter go down with that ship?"
She gave a start and looked at me
for one second, then her eyes dropped,
and she said, slowly:
81 am afraid all my life did"
Well, one day seven years ago, it
was harvest time, l came round from
the side porch, where Nanny and the
two help were busy making sandwich
es for the men, to the front door.
had been wasting little time
watching Nanny, she looked so pretty,
cutting the bread so fast and then
packing the things in the basket with
her little white hands. ! heard the
baby babbling to her grandmother,
and as | came around the corner OF
the house | saw my wife's mother
standing on the porch in the shadow
of the Madeira vines, a little apron
she was making in her hand, the baby
playing with some roses at her feet.
1t made nice picture, and l stopped
to look at it can see that grave
face now with it's settled, mournful
look-though / have never seen it
since.
Just as l commenced to speak the
gate clicked and L turned to see a man
coming up the walk. My wife's moth.
er raised her eyes and the little one
looked too, dropping her roses. The
man was tall, with hair too white for
his handsome face-I liked him the
very minute | looked at him, and I've
liked him better and better ever since,
He came on up the walk until he could
have touched the woman, standing
there so still and silent, then he spoke,
Nanny" he said, Nanny, 0, my
darling, my Nanny, you have not for
gotten?"
There was an awful look came into
her face as it seemed to sort Of break
up-she threw up her arms with such
cry as never want to hear again.
go, ny God! my God!' she shrieked
and fell forward into his arms.
In one minute my wife and the girls
came running. was too confused to
move, and seeing her faintingto to death
in strangers arms my wife cried,
"What have you done to her? Give
her to me-"
He was holding his burden close
kissing the white lips, but he looked
up with start and said. "Who are
your" In her surprise my wife an
swered, Nanny"
(Which is it?" | heard him whisper,
looking from the sweet face before
him to the white one on his arm, then,
very low, cher child-not mine"
1t was a long time, or it seemed so
to us, before there was the least sign
OF life in that death like face. We all
got too frightened at last to ask any
questions. Finally she gave long,
long sigh, and opened her eyes. The
man was kneeling by her side and she
looked right into his face. / never
saw such a. glorifed smile as came
about her lips, into her eyes. She
put out q trembling hand to draw
him closer, and, lido declare, my wife's
mother looked like a girl of 10 as we
heard her say. ''Ned, my husband" +"
1t was the queerest thing, and the
most beautiful, too, to see how she
just accepted him and went back to her
youth without one doubt or question.
"Your father" she would say to Nan,
SO simply that we both took it up,
and now our children know no other
grandpa.
All the first days, wlsssss he told us
his story, she hardly ever spoke
don't know as she heard half of it,
she sat close by him, her beaming,
lovely face raised to his, his arm
around her. The vessel had been
wrecked in cyclone; after three or
| four dreadful days he had been wash.
ed ashore, and there among some sim
pie, kindly savages, he had lived four
long, dreadful years, eating his heart
out waiting for the ship that came at
| last and brought him back
| to home and despair, for Nancy
Dawson was the wife Of Dea-
con Willis, the mother of the child
Then his only thought was to spare
| the woman he so loyed--the woman
who had only given her wasted, brok-
on life to do coed for othersthe I'm.
merited disgrace of being the wife ol
| two men. He went to theship owners
| in Boston and told his story and they
kept his secret. Then he went West
and prospered, and all the long years,
while Hannah Willis did every bit ol
her duty, working in the present, liv-
ing in the past, he toiled on, making
money he didn't care for, always
faithful to the only woman he ever
| loved.
| The first time she ever laughed il
gave me kind Of shock-but I'm