The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-01-10

"May, and his is Johnnie" she an
swered
Strange, the same names as my
two darlings; and 50 like them," he
thought.
"But what is your last name?" the
matron queried. He leaned eagerly
forward to catch the reply, but the
girl spoke so low that he could not
make it out.
"Where is your father" asked the
matron.
Hes dead" answered the little girl.
eve used to have lots ofmoney once,
but he lost it all just before he died,
and now we're poor, and mammals
been sick ever so long and can't work,
and there won't anybody hire me,
cause they say amt big enough,
and-and-" and here she broke out
crying.
The matron soothed her, and after
a little she dried her eyes, and saying
that they must be going home to
their mother, took her brother by
the hand, and the two passed out
again into the cold and snow. He,
to, went out, and as he brushed by
the matron, to his wonder, she did
not appear to see him at all. He
thought it was strange, and would
have given it more thought, but just
then he was too busy in trying to see
which way the children had gone in
the darkness.
He followed just behind them as
they plodded sturdily along through
the stinging cold and cutting sleet,
but for some reason, he could not
understand what, he could not over
take them. He tried to call out to
them to stop, but again his tongue
refused to do it's work, and no sound
issued from his lips. Soon the little
boy began to whimper with the cold,
and his sister took the threadbare
shawl from her own lily clad shoulders
and Wrapping it around him kissed
him, and bade him to keep up good
heart for they would soon be home,
"Home?" he thought, "what kind
of home must it be that two such
waits as these call by that dear name?
My God, what if my petted darlings
should ever come to this?'
He thought of his refusal to give a
paltry five dollars of his abundant
store to aid in clothing such as these,
and then Of the seven dollars and q
half for the new box of cigars, and
cursed himself as a selfish brute.
"Never mind" he thought, "I'll
make up to these two little ones to-
morrow
just then the little fellow stumbled
and fell in the snow, and crying bit
terly declared that his feet hurt him
so that he could go no futher. Where
at the girl lifted him in her arms,
chafed his feet with her equally freez-
ing hands for a moment, then wrapped
ed them up in her apron and with
his head upon her shoulders trudged
bravely on. He tried so get near to
them so that he could take hem
in his arms-to cry out to them
to stop SO that he could overtake
them, but again the same invisible
power prevented him.
Up to this time he had been unable
to catch sight of the face of either of
them, but all at once, he could not
tell how, he found himself in front of
an facing them.
He gave one look into their faces,
and started back in horror, Great
God! he saw before him the darlings
of his heart-his May, his johnnie
the two babes to save whom from
even the slightest pain he would
gladly have periled his life. He
sprang towards them to clasp them
in his arms, to gather them close
and warm their Freezing frames if
need be, in the very life blood of his
heart, which now throbbed and leapt
within his bosom Ikea mad thing
struggling to be free. He reached
them, he threw his arms around
them, but they did not appear to
see him, for they passed through him
as if he were but thin air, and again
he found himself behind them. He
turned and again tried to lift them
up, but his arms again held nothing
but the air. Three times he vainly
tried to clasp them to his. throhbing
breast, but still brave hearted May
strode bravely on, as il unconscious
of his presence,
Then all at once it flashed across
him that he was dead; that perhaps a
year had passed since he had died,
and he had but now come to life in
spirit form. And as the thought
flashed through his mind with all
the conviction of undeniable truth,
and he realized that he was powerless
to help them, there burst from his
lips a shrek of agony that sounded
like the cry of lost soul, and the
next instant he found himself still in
the flesh, in his own comfortable sit
ting room, with the cold sweat hang
ing great beads upon his brow, his
May and Johnnie staring at him with
scared faces, and his wife pale and
wild-eyed clinging convulsively to his
arm and asking him what was the
matter.
He rubbed his eyes ard looked
around him for a moment, drew 6
long breath, stopped and kissed her
and answered.:
! "Oh, nothing, dear; only I had the
nightmare, that was ALL Thatmince
pie ate for supper pretty near gave
me the iim.jams.
He walked over and kissed his
astonished babies O halfa dozen times
apiece, lit another cigar, and with &
sigh Of relief, sat down and smoked
and gazed into the fire.
"By the way, Mary" he said al
last, turning to his wife, shave yo,
| anything particular to do tomorrow
night?"
. mo, DEAR" she answered; "why"
"Oh, nothing; only I forgot to tel
J you that I bought q eoupl,
of tickets for the orphans ball to
: morrow evening, and l want you tt
CO."
J Which fib the recording angel un
} doubtedly forgave; for the mex