The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-08-23

1IOm poverty anu suucIlup duu HuuSCs'
In his over-wrought state of mind It
seemed to him that his home was Al
ready gone, and he would not have
been surprised. could he have been sud-
denly transported to his cottage to have
found il 3 mass OF ruins. with the rose
vine dead above the porch. and his Vine
yard, and orchard, and fields covered
with mass of debris from the mines.
He paid his bill at the boarding house
without seeing the party to whom he
paid it, watcrcd his horses and hitched
them TO the blackboard mechanically,
| and turned their heads homeward with
| look Of such absolute hopclcssncss
that even Johnny was silent. his young
spirits ovcrborne by the weight Of his
fathers woe.
Several times during the first half Of
the homeward journey the boy tried to
arouse his father by pointing to some
bird, or flower. by the roadside, but il
he heard at all John Parsons replied to
the lad only in monosyllablcs. or at
random, and again relapsed into the
silence which was SO depressing to the
child.
When little more than half way
home, as they were winding around a
hill upon the edge of a deep gorge, two
deer which had been sleeping IN a
bunch of tall grass by the roadSide sud-
denly sprang up and bounded across,
almost under the noses Of the horses.
So unexpected were their presence and
their movement that the horses them
selves. half asleep and jogging along
under loose rein and with ears
dropped forward. took fright and jumped
quickly sideways. overturning the
blackboard and throwing its occupants
out with considerable force.
Clinging 10 the lines. as he instinct
lively did, prevented John Parsons from
going over the bluff. and after being
dragged a few rods he brought tie
horses to a stop and arose TO his feet
unframed, excepting few scratches
md bruises about the face and limbs
But Johnny, having nothing 10 cling to
except the back Of the scat, which was
wrcnched from his grasp in the fall,
was thrown violently over the bluff,
and rolled halfway down its steep
side, being caught at last by huge
bowlder which had itself fallen down
from above at some previous period.
Mr.. Parsons first thought when he
arose was of Johnny. and he looked
around, hoping to see him unhurt and
scrambling up the bank.
But, no; he was nowhere in sight
His father called once; then again
then he hastily tied the now perfectly
quiet animals to a stuntcd manzenita
tree BY the roadside and ran back to
look for the boy.
Not seeing him from the point on the
| road where the blackboard was over
turned, he rushed over the bluff. nearly
pitching headlong in his haste. and
scrambled down its side, coming upon
the body Of the boy where it lay. with
eyes closed and one arm bent under in
way in which it could only be IL
broken, and with blood issuing from
nose and ears.
For q moment John Parsons stood
with look of awful horror on his face,
and then his strength left him and he
staggered and leaned upon the rock
against which the body lay.
The next instant his strength re-
turned, and with great beads Of per-
| SEPARATION standing out upon his face, lie
knclt down and placed his hand over
the lads heart.
There was a faint fluttcring there.
aud raising the body in his arms he
worked his way mp to the road. coming
out of the gorge several rods in advance
of where the horses stood hi.ched TO the
manzenita bush.
Still holding the body in his arms he
ntt - ,,nrua,~ a., L.,lt.,c
with which they were tied. intending to
leave it hanging to the bush; but the
horses were frightened at sight of the
limp body and the scent of blood, and
drew back.
He might have united the strap from
the tree without difficulty, but If this
were done it must be allowed tn drag
on the ground and might cause the
horses to stumble and again throw him
from the blackboard, which had rghted
itself after having thrown its occupants
out. He laid his burden carefully on
the ground, united the strap and Sc
cured it in its place, again lifted his
child in his arms, got upon the buck
board and drove with as much speed as
he safely could down the hill, and then
toiA Ou Oll W lAC lSAN luto Il
which he knew led to settlers shanty
not more than quarter of mile away.
BY the time he reached it, Johnny
was showing signs of returning life.
and hope that he might not be so
badly injured as at first appeared was
beginning to find Judgment in his
fathers breast.
As it CHANGED, the only occupant OF
the shanty at the moment was a
woman. her husband being in the field,
and the children at neighbor's on an
GRAND.
Through the open door she saw a
stranger approaching with the limp
body of a child in his arms. and under
stood at once that an accident had hap
pened. Catching the dinncr-horn from
the nail where it hung, she ran to the
back door and blew several loud and
sharp blasts, then rushed back, and
without stopping to ask any questions.
or even for him to reach the door, called
to Mr.. Parsons to ''come right in" at
the same time arranging the led to re-
ccive the body.
John Parsons looked his thanks and
laid his burden down upon the place
prepared for it, the woman assisting
him, and placing the poor broken arm
in as natural a position as possible. As
she did so, the sufferers eyes opened
and closed. then opened again. Then
his lips parted and a low moan escaped
| them.
John Parsons sank down by the bed.
side and looked at his boy with agony
depicted in every lineament of his face
more terrible than that of his child's,
and when another moan came and the
eyes of his boy were turned 10 him as il
! pleading for help. he buried his face in
the bcdclothes and groaned as if his very
soul was being wrung from him.
You had better 60 for doctor at
once, said Mrs. Jones. for that was the
woman's name; there's none nearer
than the Landing, ten miles away, and
the sooner he can be got here the bet.
ter. My husband will be here in few
moments, and we will take the best
care of the child we know how until
you get back; and after all he may no,
be SO badly hurt as he appears to be; il
it is only broken arm It doesn't really
| amount IN onvfhin ~ vary cor. an, nx.n,,s