Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-22

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She prayed for her brother that night q abe
never had prayed before. She did not know
| Why she did it. Nothing in this gruff stranger
had reminded her OF saucy. afectionate Jem.
But when everybody in the inn was in bed
looking out into the gray. fathomless night.
Somewhere out in that great unknown world
he was. He might be in that grand house-he
might be sick and starving among beggars. but
! Wherever he Was, he must come back to her.
Her childish, faithful soui went out in an agony
of supplication.
Lord, bring him back 10 me. To meme. /"
The fog was thick and cold. and Miss Dilly
was used to the warmest corner of the house.
But it seemed TO her that she must go out into
the open wide night to come nearer to him n
He was there alive, needing her. Lord, bring
him back to me" she cried:
The people at the station noticed q change
in Mise Oily after that night. She had always
been kind. but now she was tender to every
living thing she could reach, with the tender
| ness which mother shows to a sick child. She
had always been cheerful. but now she was
breathlessly anxious to make every one about
her happy and merry.
Il reckon" said Colonel Royal, shaking his
head. shes ripenin' for the end. The doors
Is openin' an the glory's a shinin' down on
her.
An uneasy dread seized the station when this
| oPihion was haoe Known everybody whis-
pered and kept an anxious watch on Miss Dilly's
coughs and appetite. Mrs. Barr, who was q
dribbling woman as to mind, at last told her
what they feared.
Miss Oily laughed sound, healthy laugh.
Its not death at all that's comm. Mis-
soury," she said. .'It's Jem, The Lord isn't
deaf. Nor hard Of heart. Neither has he gone
| on journey, as the prophet says. He'll send
| my brother back to me. Tn thinking of il
continooally now: If one of yous sick think
1 tSnt kl.ak~ t.
And if another ones downhearted. 1 think.
what il that was Jem? An try to cheer him
its Jem." '' ~ '' 'e"'''
IF the Lord should disappoint her after
when he heard this report from his wife.
Summer came, and winter. and sum me
again. until two years had gone BY
Judson had stood his trial and been convicted
and served out his brief term of imprisonment
The day he received his discharge, the warden
| OF the prison. as usual, spoke a few kind words
| OF warning and counsel to him at parting. He
was startled when Judson. who was noted as a
reticent gruff man. answered him formally"
| "Sah, yohre quite right. I'd been runnin'
down steady for ten year. Down. Sudden.
one day. like a flash Of lightin' across my path,
| l was made to know of q woman-who shall be
nameless hyah-who he'd loved me an believed
in me all my life. Thet has made a different
man OF me. Sab. she's KEEP holt on me! She s
tied me to God with her pra'ars! l cahn't get
loose!" he cried with Q nervous gulp in his
| throat
Sab, thank yoh fob yoh words I'm goin'
| 70 her to try to be the man yoh say. I'm goin'
to trust to her an God to pull me through
BEFORE he left the warden gave him more
| advice. Take your own name, Judson," he
said. Il suspect you are now under an alias
Say nothing TO this woman of your past life.
Begin afresh where it is not known, and may
God bless you. sah."
This was in October
Christmas. that year, brought. as usual, a
stir of delightful excitement to the inn.
Sewer station knew nothing of the high sig
| niicance which modern thought attaches to
the great festival of the Christian year. II
vas the day, however, on which Colonel
Royal sent before breakfast a bumper of
| roaming egg-nog to every white man and
woman in the clarin'. Every negro who
| asked for it had .'warmin'n of whisky al
the colonefs expense. 1t was the day. too.
| on which Squire Barr gave his annual ire
| menJous dinner of turkey and chicken pie.
at which the six families of the village all
sat down together. Mrs. Missoury Barr.
also, made a practice of sending dishes OF
roast pork and hominy, or 'possum stewed in
rice and molasses, or some such delicacy. to
every negro cabin. There was general inter
| change OF gifts; brierwood pipes. or pnchbeck
| scarf pins. or cakes of soap in the shape of
dogs heads. all of which elegant trifies had
| been purchased from travelling peddlers months
before and stored away for the great occasion.
| Miss billy, you may be sure. was quite ready
| for Christmas. Her locked drawer was full of
socks and mufiers knitted by herself. all of
| bright red. as '.bein' more cherin.'" Nobody
was forgotten in that drawer, from the squire
to the least pickaninny in the quarters.
There was vague idea throughout the
clarin' that the day was one in which to be
friendly and to give old grudges the go-by; the
Lord with whom Miss billy was better ac-
quainted than the rest) was supposed. for some
| reason. to be nearer at hand ON that day than
usual, though not SO near as to make anybody
uncomfortable.
Father Ruggles, the jolly old Methodist itin-
Grant. was up in the mountains, and had sent
word that he was coming down for his Christ
mas dinner.
Hell ask blessn' on the meal. thank
heavens!" said Mrs. Missoury with a devout
sigh.
The squire hurried with the news to find the
| colonel
It'll be big occasion" he said triumph
| antly. Father Ruggles II be equal to turkey
himself / depend on You fob maxim de cof-
fee. colonel. Sans that eggsited now he doan
know what he's about"
'.Suhtenly. suhtenly! But really. Mrs. Mis-
soury d better double de supply of mince pie"
he suggested anxiously. Father Ruggles is
tahrible fond of mnce."
Preparations went on with increasing force
and yigOr. They reached full completion the
day before Christmas. Then the station paused
to take breath before the great event.
Father Ruggles arrived at noon. and in five
minutes had shaken hands with everybody.
black and white, and put them all in good
humor with him, themselves. and each other
"A doan like Miss Dilly's looks" he said.
lowering his voice. when he and the Colonel
and Squire were seated together in high con-
clave on the gallery. ''She's blue IN peaked
about the jaws. Old age. heh?'
mot bit of it," replied Preston. quickly.
"She's young woman. comparatively. It's
Jem. Colonel James. She's done tired out
waiting on that man. These lasttwo year she's
took to expectn' him every day. She watches
| the train night n mornin'. 1t nd make yoh
sick to see her old face when il goes by"
''Natuhlly," the colonel struck in. pompously:
''we want to make Miss billy happy tomorrow,
long o. the rest She doan forget none of us
in her knit.in's an buyin's. I'll warrant, Isays
to the Squire hyah suppose de clarin' COM
bine n buy somethin wuth while-a cheer or
new calico or somethin.' But he SAYS. .Whah's
de use?" he says, she wants nothn' but her
brother. Kin we give her her brother2 So
thah's how it isl" filling his pipe with gloomy
nod.
The men glanced furtively at Miss Oily,
who in her blue gown and white apron,
stood in the yard below feeding a noisy flock
of chickens.
The sun going down through frosty sky
threw red lights upon the vast white plains
and the cluster Of little gray houses hud-
died closely together. Their hoods of feath-
cred, crusted snow made them almost pic
turesque.
Across the road came a black paunchy fig.
ure II was Mutt the carpepter vbo kent fb1ss