The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-07-12

deferred her, and she reseated herself
with the consoling thought that Sally's
rolls were of the lightest, and on such
an occasion the coffee would be of the
strongest. About midnight it grew
bitter cold, and the watchers found it
more cheerful before a roaring fire in
the adjoining room than the n in
which the body lay. Into the silent
chamber old Mr.: Norton entered,
holding the child in his arms. She
was asleep, her curly head resting on
the old mans shoulder. He seated
himself close to the fire, SO that the
little ones feet might keep warm.
Meantime Sally was with her mother,
urging a. request which the old woman
at first obstinately refused.
IF she's got anything to say let her
come to me-"
"You owe it to Jacob, ma, to do
what she's asked you. For his sake
| come"
Then she rose, and, disdaining Sal
ly's arm, entered the room With firm
step. closed the door between the
death-chamber and her neighbours, who
were sadly disappointed that they
should miss this moving spectacle,
| and sat down beside her son, not un-
covering his face to look at him, but
allowing her eyes to follow the ghast-
ly outline of figure beneath the sheet.
30 my son, my son." she moaned, "is
this all that is left to me in my old
age?"
At that moment, silently and al
most unnotlced, the Captains widow
r~Srnl +ho rr0,,- orI cf1o1 Of tho
feet of her husband, placing one hand
on the table as if to steady herself.
Her face al perfectly cclorless, her
eyes circled with purple rings, and her
abundant golden hair pushed back
from her forehead.
ave asked you to meet me here"
she said in a low faltering voice, "be-
cause l wish to beg your forgiveness
before I leave the house." Pausing,
she let her eyes rest for q moment up
on Mrs. Norton. "You are honest,
God-fearing people, and such as l have
no right here. 1 want to tell you how
it happened, that you may have no
hard thoughts OF him."
"Why don't you set down." asked
Sally in a loud whisper.
lllhIlhS, L WALL cCdllA uAOl i tC
said what l haveto say; it won't take
me long. Five years ago this man met
me in a ballroom where men were free
of speech and women listened unblush-
ingly to their words. l was young
and pretty and therefor the first time;
but | soon grew afraid of the rough
company and refused to dance with
some of the men. This gave offense
and l was insulted. Jacob Norton
stepped forward and announced that I
was under his protection, though l
had never seen him before. There were
oaths and pistol. shots, but we man.
aged to leave the place unhurt. He
and l never parted afterward until
now" She paused q moment to over
come her emotion, then continued:
"He deceived you, his ~oldparents, but
he did it for love Of me. God knows
why he should have wronged himself
for such as l am. never deserved it.
I allowed him to marry me, as people
get married in those wild parts, and
then after weeks of what he called
happiness-poor fellow, he knew little
enough ofit-I remembered my baby"
Mrs. Norton half arose from her chair
as if she would put the audacious
woman out of the room, but the old
man said, "Gmanthy," in a tone to
which she was unused, and she drop
ped into her seat witha groan. eyes"
continued the widow, II had q baby
left at a miners hut in charge of
his wife. I never intended to
go back for her, but the yearning
came on me and I set off
without letting Jacob know where I
had gone. 1t was night when l came
back again, with the child in my arms.
l looked through the window and saw
the poor fellow sitting by the fire.
Something in his face told me that I
Incident be afraid, SO l went straight
to him and said: Jacob, this is my
baby He turned awfully white, and
for q moment l thought he was going
to kill me, but he only said, in a voice
1 hardly would have known as his,
Nellie, we must try to take care Of
her between u.s. He took the child
from me and l fell down at his feet
and cried as I had never cried before.
He never went back on me or her.
God knows he didn't, and he brought
me here against my will. l never
wanted to come. o, indeed I didn't!
And now Pm going away with Lillian
"By G., you shan't leave this
house while l have a peck OF meal
leit," cried MI. Norton, rising and
placing his hand upon her arm
"stephen Norton shan't be outdone
by his own son. Cimanthy Norton,
this woman and this child belonged to
our son Jacob. His great heart took
'em in and mines big enough to hold
EN- too."
The old mother stood looking at
her dead son, and then sank down on
her knees weeping aloud. Sally had
taken the child from her fathers arms
and the poor, homeless Nellie knew
that she had found out now why
Jacob had brought her home. They
had taken her and Lillian as their own
for his sake.-"D." In New Orleans
Times Democrat.