Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-08-23


out OF clothes. milk, meat. They
were to pay for the handsome gran
lite monument, Erected TO the MEM
ory OF Daniel Holmes and Ann his
wife.
While you live-livel"
She dropped the bag as ifsome one
had spoken mt her back, locked the
drawer and went down stairs.
The ''piece" was spread as usual
on Sunday Moons; tiaky bread. clover
scented honey, delicious pies. Ann,
as she cut the pie, was confronted by
a sense OF spiritual well-heing. No
woman made such crust in Amity.
Nh woman vas more faithful mt
meeting, at Sunday-school, mt mis-
sionarv society. In what had she
come short2 herstarved soul demand
ell of its Maker Every duty great
and small, had been well finished
Mrs. Holmes was fifty-tiye wears OF
age, but she was used to speak OF
herself as near hergraye She twist
ed up her hair in wisp. and wore
the scuttle bonnets proper to old age.
Il VI.
ed for her and Daniel. They had
paid for the farm, so that when one
died the other was sure OF mainten-
auce; the farm and house werein per-
feet order, the cemetery lot was
bought The money Tor the monu-
ment was kind of frilling embroid-
cry on this perfected life the hand
some flourish TO the signature which
closed the deed.
As she sat pouring out the tea,
thinking those things over, her hus-
band ''reekoned'' again that
the squire's lumbago was bad,
and that the doctors daughter was
at home. Then he yawned drearily,
and fell asleep in his chair in the sun,
How much of his time he spent in
yawning and sleeping: Yet thirty
years ago Daniel Holmes was an en-
ger teacher, keeping well abreast
with the knowledge OF his time, living
in the world of books, newspapers,
music and pictures. She too had
been a live woman then. But they
had come out of town into this wi
lage and set themselves TO scrape
together money to buy this farm
What was this change that had come
to them? Had they been really spin
ming their grave-clothes out Of self
ishness?
Ann went to afternoon service: hut
she did not hear word OF Father
Langley's discourse. She was back
in town; longiorgotten voices sound
ed in her ears. There was Dams
brother Jack, poor fellowl she saw
him plainly in the crowd. A gay, al
fectionate lad who might have turn
ed out well ii hc had been guided
But he had married a ieather-headed
girl, and Ann, out Of patience, had
turned them both adrift
As they walked home that evening
she said to her. schoolmaster, How
long is it since We heard from John,
Danell?'
He did not reply at first, but when
he did it was with a strained, an
noyed voice.
''Twenty-siS year"
II wish | and Abby could have hit
it off together. am feared that it
was not right to shove him of, with
neither money nor religion for a
staff.
Daniel made no reply, but Ann IN
der-stood his silence as a more bitter
reproach than words.
The next morning she brought to
him small canvas bag.
4 There issome money havesaved
for buryin' expenses, DANIEL. she
said I'D like to take il instead for
us to spend week in Philadelphia. /"
What tomfooIery ! that?'
There's no poor folk in Amitv. N
maybe we might see some there as
+ we could giye-advice to- And you
could look up the libraries ard mu.
seums.
"NonsenseI"
But his eye paused, attentive.
And maybe we might meet John. !"
Here, put the money away; Ill
bank it, he growled.
But four days later Amity was
shaken to its centre by thu news that
the schoolmastcr and his wife had
gone for an outing in Philadelphia.
There's a queer customer" wills
pered one of the attendants in the
old Franklin Library to another a
week afterwards. "He comes every
day, and goes from shelf to shelf
breathless, as If he had not touched
book for years. Been buried in the
country, suppose.
And why should anybody who
could live out of doors and dig, want
to smell this musty leather2 grum-
bled the other lad. who was lean and
stopped, with an ugly cough.
He went up to Daniel, however,
and helped him in his explorations.
/ Our country pilgrims put up at an
old-fashioned inn in the lower part
of the city. Daniel came back to it
at night fairly painting with the
triumph5 Of his researches. He had
visited kiudergartens, industrial
schools and museums, where art and
science were taught without charge
to the poorest.
& a., T.