New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-04-07
stain her pretty golden hair, little FL

ACPOAV ~ c1A0 SuIl, ttuu III ~ lew SECONDS
the whole household had rushed into
the room, and then there was a great
hubbub of voices, and cries, and la
mentations, but the only words that
Norman heard was the piteous, ''My
child. my child!'' that broke in a wild
Shrek from his mothers lips.
Was Elsie dead2
They lifted her up softly from the
floor: The blue, eyes were shut, and
the little face was white except for the
stains OF blood upon it, but Norman
heard her give one moan, and that
sound OF pain was the first thing that
seemed to bring his own life back to
him.
He had never uttered word as they
| came harrying into the room Some
| OF 1.-THE servants began to question him;
one took him by the arm and shook
him roughly; but he neither moved
| nor answered.
He only, stood by his mothers side
(his mother, who in her anguish never
spoke to him. clinging to her gown,
and grasping it tight in both his
| hands.
ooh, I wish I was dead! | wonder if
L Snau De aOfe TO ole.
The poor young heart in it's misery
was passionately crying to itself.
1t was almost half an hour before a
doctor could be got, and when he
came they carried Elsie out of Nor
mans sight.
An hour later the little blue-eyed
yellow-haire child lay quiet on her
| bed, asleep, with her mother hand in
hers.
And her mother, sitting at the bed
| side, was looking at her with a look
as if her heart would break. ooh, my
Elsie, whose little feet will never make
music on the floor again." she was
murmuring over her through her bitter
| tears.
For Elsie Was not dead, and did not
debut she was famed for life. The
shot had gone into her right leg a. lit
tie below the thigh, shattering it to
pieces, and the surgeon had had to
cut it Off
sit might have killed her; let us
think how much more unhappy we
might have been," Mr.. Foster said,
as he held his wife in his arms, and
tried to comfort her. of she lives we
can bear. all the rest. Thank God.
Thank God!'
The father and mother were alone
together in Elsie's room; they had
neither CT them yet spokento or even
seen Norman
"Whereis he?' Mr.. Foster asked aft
er a long while, and the poor mother
| almost shuddered as she answered:
81 don't know! l know nothing
about him." she hurriedly said.
"Can you tell me where Norman is?"
he went out presently, and asked one
of the servants
II think he is in the garden SIR" the
woman answered; and then Mr. Eos
ter went into the garden and called
him. He knew that it was his duty to
see the lad and talk to him. Nor
man." he called loudly, but it was
only after he had repeated his name
twice that the unhappy boy came.
He came not daring to look into his
fathers face, and the father in silence
put his hand upon his shoulder, and
led him back into the house
He took him into his study and
closed the door, ~ must punish him,
but how can I punish him?" he was
thinking to himself II must speak
to him, but what can | say?" It
seemed SO useless, almost like mock
cry, to use words Of ordinary rebuke
to him-to treat him as if the feeling
towards him in his heart was one Of
common anger.
For a few moments he stood silent
with his hand still on Norman's
shoulder; then he tried to begin to
speak, but knot came into his
throat, and the words would not
come. There only came instead OF
them the sound OF q great rising sob.
The boy looked suddenly up in great
terror and anguish; he had never in
his life before seen his father weep.
He looked up almost wildly into the
white and quivering face, his own all
quivering too; and then something all
at once swept away from each Of them
all anger and fear, and in their COM
mon anguish they clasped each other
in their arms, and on his fathers
| breast the lad wept his heart away.
We learn by experience indeed; but
how much the happiest are they who
gather wisdom without her sharp and
bitter teaching!
From the day on which he shot his
little sister: Norman Foster was never
an entirely light hearted boy again.
How could he be wholly happy any
more when his reckless play had taken
the light and gladness out Of that 9th
er little joyouslife?
The look Of Elsie's shrunken face in
her little bed seemed half to break his
heart when he saw it first, the sight Of
the two little clutches she was to use,-
we'll. that took them all down, think.
All OF them at least, except Elsie her
self.
She looked at them with big, round
eyes, and laughed, and said it would be
SO funny to walk about on those two
sticks. "You walk with them now,
Norman, and let me see, she called,
eagerly, from her bed, where she was
propped up with pillows. But Nor
man did not do what she asked him.
He could not, but ran out ofthe room
with a great sob.