Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-30
proceed until they had rested from the;,

a. HiSiolall she came to
tne outskirts of the great city, and the
prospect was not encouraging to ewes
accustomed to the freshness of the COIN
Try. AS she passed street after street
there seemed a mingled odor of oil.
dirt. grease and general untidiness
everywhere. Ash-barrels and garbage
pals stood all along the sidewalk. and
here and there a half-decayed ORANGE.
or a lemon peel, or a wilted cabbage
was flung IN the way of the foot-travei-
err. Hl-tempered, snarline dogs ran
out OF the tumble-down tenements-
whose human inhabitants looked eouallv
snarling and ill-tempered.
what if l have made a mistake in
coming here at ALE" thought the anx-
lous mother, with a shudder, as she
locke into the face of her delicate Child.
"How hard it is to know what is best
but L could net stay any longer with
them: They hated me, and they hated
my child, though their own SON. was his
father! All, William-dear William!
How could you leave me to fight their
hard hearts alone?"
from the almost bursting heart, but the
brave little woman crushed it down, and
held her child closer to her breast.
Night was coming on, and she felt
the urgent need of food and shelter for
BERTHE; inexperienced as she was, she
had but a dim idea Of the difficulties be-
fore her-alone, and in a great city for
the first time. She began to glance
about a%nxiously, eagcrly-how dark it
was!-and how suddenly the night had
come on. Then for the first time she
observed that the heat was not so
great; q cool breeze had sprung up,
and it blew straight in from the country
fields she had left so far behind her. It
was cool and moist, and it bore the
sweet odor of wet grass and hay and
of the damp earth. While she was
feeling rather than thinking of this
change in the atmosphere, came the
rumbling roar of thunder, at first far
off, but gradually coming nearer.
The clouds gathered more darby, and
from out their gloomy depths leaped
forked tongues of lightning. Then
came peals Of thunder that shook the
ground she walked on, while little Ber-
tie trembled and chung more closely
to her. Anxiouslyn now wildly = the
poor little mother glanced to and fro in
search of some shelter. Her breath
came quick and short-a dizzy tumult
possessed her brain-she heard the wild
throbs of her own heart, then it seemed
to stop beating. A terrible faintness
overpowered her; the darkness grew
blacker. She had an indistinct vision
of an open door little further on; she
struggled blindly toward it, tottered,
swayed to and fro, made one last eff
fort and ran, then fell, fainting, across
the threshold.
Thank Heaven! there are kind hearts
to be found, even in the midst of squalor
and misery that too often harden the
gentlest. Bertic's mother had scarcely
reached the floor when she was caught
by q pair of strong arms and a good
natured voice exclaimed:
"God bless us! but look at that, now,
and the child in her arms nigh killed!
Is it dhrinkin' we've been? An u burn
in shame fur ye, with that swate child
to take care of-the Lord forgive me-!
What was 1 sayin'? Sure there's little
sign of dhrink in the pale face av her,
but dead bate entoirely, an tainted
away altogether. Come here, Biddy,
an take the child.
A tall. girl came forward and took
| BERTHE in q very motherly manner, like
one well used to the task of caring for
children. She disappeared with him in
to an inner room, and divining that
food and drink were his chief wants, fed
him copiously.
In the meantime, Mrs. Flynn had car
ricd the mother to y small apartment
little better than q closet-which did
duty as her WI sleeping-room. There
she placed the insensible woman on the
bed, united her bonnet, chafed her cold
hands, marveling at their wilderness.
and observed with an approving nod
the plain gold.ring on the third finger.
"Poor craythure!" she murmured;
ga wildly, i suppose, like meself."
1t was long before q faint color came
back to the pallid lips and faxen face;
but at length the large blue eyes opened
and gazed wonderingly into the red,
good-natured countenance that met
them-the next moment the poor moth
er remembered. and asked in an anxious
whisper.
where's Bertie?"
.'Whist, now! don't be afther worrith-
in. The child's cared for, yell be
bether in a moment an thin yez can
talk"
''But he's hungry, and I've money to
buy food"
:Be aisy, now! Dye think we're
haithens here? Yer baby's had all he
wants, an no thought av pay"
The tears that shone in the grateful
mothers eyes spoke mute, but eloquent
thanks. She wa. too weak to speak and
gladly refrained from making the effort
for awhile.
Mrs. Flynn was a widow. with a large
family, which she managed to support,
as she said herself, ''by turning her
hand to siveral trades" She did wash
ing and ironing by the day, or dozen
also scrubbing and house cleaning. She
kept a small store for the sale OF eggs,
milk and butter, which a friend on the
outskirts of the town supplied her with.
Then her two eldest boys sold papers
and swept crossings, while Biddy-who
was housekceper and care-taker in gen
eral to the family, in her mothers alb,
sence-had a great gift at knitting ana