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

Hes deadp" Sally Norton made
this dread announcement tothe two
old people who were sitting opposite
20 each other by the fireside. 1t was
saily's way to be plain of speech, and
" did not strike her that she might
soften this cruel blow by a choice of
or the modulation of her voice.
Her father raised his eyes to her home.
y taco, SO pale that every freckle stood
out in bold relief; and then, as if he
had convinced himself that a great
sorrow had fallen upon him, he broke
silence:
"Do you hear, Cimanthy? Jacob,
our son, is dead. Sally, your mother
don't seem to heed"
The old man rose from his seat, his
stalwart frame trembling and tears
rolling down his cheeks onto the eriz-
zled beard. "Wife, wife," he repeated,
''our son Jacob is dead" But she re-
manned motionless;. her fearless eyes
had q hard glitter in their depths.
The wrinkled hands, knotted with
great blue veins, were clasped on her
lap and the lips were drawn tightly
together, as though some, strong will
power had sealed them fast lest they
should utter words which had better
not be said. The old man came to
her and laid his hand upon her shout
der. "Cimanthy," he said, in a brok-
On voice, "you've been a God-fearing
wo man, masterful you always vas and
always will be, and it's that sperrit
ing in to Gods will. You always low
ed Jacob better than Sally or me. I've
knowed it all along. When he was a
boy you set him up before everybody
else, and as you let him have his way
you had no right to moan and
bewail when he went off. I always told
you that there was'good in the boy
onc't ne was let alone to fight his own
way, and, sur enough, my words
came true. You remember the first
letter with the money in it, and then
the Others that KEEP a coming, till we
got enough to pay off Squire Meigs?
Sence Jacob come back with his wife
and child I've seen that you a pom
dering W. something, Cimanthy,
but you al always smarter than me,
and l reckon what you're keeping to
yourself is safer with you. You know
I amt much of a church-goer, and I
can never light on the right chapter
and verse, like Brother Stebbins, or
fall on my knees and tell the Lord
what I'd like him to do, but l know
this much: We've got to abide by His
judgments, and the best way is to be-
lieve that he knows when to give and
when to take. Do you hear me, Ci-
manthy? I've talked to you the best
way 1 know how. You amt turned
to stone, woman, that you can't
thank God for what you have left"
Sally had put q light wood knot on
the fire, which blazed up, throwing q
ruddy glow on the homely furnishing
of the room, and the woman sat down
rocking herself to and fro as she look
ed at the old people, bearing so differ
emily the cruel Visitation. They had
hardly recognized Jacob when he came
back, and were not quite able to as
sociate this middle-aged man with the
youth who had left them so many
years ago. Now that he was lying up
stairs dead, they realized the appalling
truth that Jacob had gone on another
Journey from which he would never re-
turn. Neither message nor letter
would come to tell the old couple that
although he had been undutiful, yet
he had kept for them in his inmost
heart a great love and reverence, and
A1-L H. loll - x>;~,1 49, L1,l al
which it required to make q crop on
the piney-woods farm, and therefore,
saved and denied himself in order to
send them from time to time a loving
remembrance, and just before last
Christmas there had come a letter
saying that he was bringing home his
wife and child.
"Cimanthy," cried the old man, now
a little sternly, "the neighbors are a.
coming and it amt 40 use to get talk
ed about"
At this she raised her eyes quickly
to his. "TheyIl do it anyhow, Stew
en-. Neither you nor me can prevent
it now"
He gave her a searching look, but
for some reason refrained from asking
her what dreadful meaning was con-
veyed in this speech, the first that she
had uttered since she was told that
her son could not live. After the fash.
ion of country people, friends and
neighbors were coming in, and the old
man went out to greet them, inviting
them into the best room, where the
chairs had been placed against the
walls, leaving a space in the middle,
Here the leaves of a folding mahogany
table had been lifted and a sheet
spread over them. Outside, the
wind whistled through the bare
: -anches of the china trees
nna the people in the room
l na '>wn close around the fire, fol
~ u I'D night. An old lady sit
]; "r &C. ~ - Sally whispered: f"It's
i,,ois,, t tho+ ;t,s @urned so cold. He'll
keep until they c. ges Inc
from Upton. How's VIZ ';t s1 Tt " = ~.
I should say she's not 4~e'y " ~ "
bed as some of EN- do" u
"She," answered Sally. n hNs1
see a woman like her in all my DOT
DAYS. To look at her you'dthink 81,
was only fit to set in a rocker; b.
she's ben on her feet day and night,
and she don't take on as some of EN-
do. She helped to lay out Jacob and
then she locked herself in the spare
bedroom"
"Ive heard" ventured the old lady
ttthat you and her don't git along so
we'll"
mo more that we DON'T snapped
Sally. II am. plain Sally Norton, none
.T~-1o-n E nr,I M a rsonn mad