The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-12-27

deathbed and promised with tears in
her pretty eyes to do whatever he
wished"
"Of course he did it to keep her
out of the hands of fortune hunters.
No one outside ever dreamed the old
fellow was more than decently we'll
off. I think he mightn't have told
the girl anything about it, let it be a
surprise to herself as we'll as to the
rest OF creation. Seventeen hundred
thousand to be handed over to her
on her twenty-fifth birthday: But
don't you think if she marries the
husband will find it out?''
"Not after her promise; no.
"Well once she is married it will be
a silly thing that she can't confide in
the man."
"Old John was always queer"
"Of course she will marry!'
"Of course"
cts a great pity she isn't a boy"
4 Il
Mrs. Hamilton sat in low chair
by the nursery fire; she always came
up and stayed with the babies while
the nurse was down at her supper.
The smaller of the two, the smartest
baby that ever lived, was sleeping
peacefully in his nest of a cradle;
while the lovliest baby on earth was
nestled in mother arms, laughingly
looking up in her face with wideawake
blue eyes. They made a pretty pic
ture, with the freight kissing the
mothers loosened hair and playing
with the little pink toes that would
peep out from Nellie's nightdress.
But Mrs. Hamilton was not thinking
of Nellie though she held her so ten
derby in her arms.
ltwas Christmas eve. Two stock
ings we're hanging by the chimney;
one of them was mothers stocking.
Nellie's didn't hold enough for her,
the other was Nellie's: baby's didn't
hold enough for him. Outside the
snowfakes were dashing against the
window panes; it was a clustering,
wild night. Nellie did not care, Old
Santa Claus and his reindeer could
get along now. II fink I hear the
BELLS" cried this lovely baby, jump
ing up from her resting place, II fink
1 hear the BELLS" She nestled down
again and closed her eyes tightly, for
it would never do for the white beard
ed gentleman to find her awake.
There were two great stormy tears
in Mrs. Hamilton's brown eyes, and
one of them, falling was lost in Nellie's
golden curls. She had been happy
little wife for four delicious years, and
a miserable little wife tor four dreary
months,
This is how it happened: There
had never been a kinder, gayer lord
and master than Will Hamilton I'M
til last summer at the seashore.
There was girl there the very OPP
posite of the brown-eyed Helen, a
girl with black eyes and a bold, dash
ing air about her that captivated
most of the men. And it was whis-
pered about that this was Will
Hamilton's old flame, whom he had
gone mad over, and been Tilted by,
five years before. And then, sure
enough, Will suddenly changed. He
lost his careless, gracious manner.
He kept out OF the way of the little
wife and the babies. He plunged in
to wild gayety, stayed up half the
night dancing; rowed on the river by
moonlight.
The little wife put on the armor of
pride and they drifted farther and
farther apart. Will was peevish and
restless IN her presence, made very
little fuss about the babies, declared
it a pity the boy wasn't girl, for
boys were sure to meet with disap-
pointment sooner or later. And so
they kept a-drifting. Since their re-
turn to town matters had not i'm
proved. He went to the bank early;
he remained late.
All this was crowding into Mrs.
Hamilton's brain as she sat in the
freight with her little girl in her lap.
Those four delicious years had been
full of wonderful planning, and now!
Some one came up the stairs, opened