Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-08-21

ored streak.
Agnes would look through the
glass at what, to her in
experienced eyes, seemed "A more or
binary stone than any she had seen,
and yet all the time feel the tuygings |
OF hope within her-hope that she |
disapproved Of Her sad heart was
IKE unto obstinate ears that wish
not to hear, still cannot close them !
selves against the sound OF sweet
music. And now the weary woman
felt that the west was so full of little
graves OF hopes that, look which way
she would, something called Tor her
tears.
They had sold the blacksmith shop
and the pretty little home in Maine.
and their price. together with some
money saved, had brought them
west, and was supporting them while
Mr.. Hale dug in the hills for gold to
take its place.
lie had "prospected" the hills over
for months after his arrival. leaving
the wife and the little 3-yenr-old girl
in the rough mining camp among
strangers. Now, however. he had
found his ''mine' in IL cliff on the
mountain side, not tar above shell
tered canyon. Below it, in ii grove
of unbending frs, he had built il log
cabin, and there Agnes and baby
Bess now dwelt, hardly more lonely
than in the strange camp ten miles
away.
The cabin contained one room,
with dirt floor, a fire place in one
corner. II bunk-bed in another, and
table and two or three chairs b..
sides. A mountain creek ran near
the house, from which the family Sc
cured n supply OF water: but the
country about was bleak and bare
of verdure, beyond cedars and noun
tain bushes. The altitude was too
high for flowers and garden things
dear to New England heart Some.
times Bessie would climb up on the
rocks and gather Il big, blue colum-
bine, or cluster OF delicate ferns,
which graced the most austere places,
aud the chld's heart was gladdened
tor hours. But when the mother
tried to transplant their roots to the
cabin yard they always died.
| To poor Agnes, there seemed no
way of Frightening the house, and
she oIen shuddered to realize how
the family substance was fast dimin-
ishing. Her work was not hard to
do. How could it have been?-no
floor to keep clean, no pantry to put
in order, few dishes to wash, and Il
bed which only required spreading
up"
1t was now several weeks since she
had begun to be uneasy about Bes-
sic. Not that the child was really
sick. She was out and in at the cabin
door like sunbeam; now patterne
over the stones to the creek, with hel
unsteady, baby feet; and now chat
tering to the noddng columbines il
a language all her own.
But, day after day, it grew oftene1
that she would sit down and rest hel
little face in her hands, or say, plain
lively:
Mamma, I'm ti'ed,' and ask t.
be he'd.
Agnes began to be haunted by ,
terribl, dread, from the fact that sh'
was not so heavy to lift as she hat
been, and her cheeks less pink. Blu
when the child was at play again
she would say to herself:
81 fear am growing tanciful. Per
haps Frank is right, and this home
sickness is going to my head. II
only had work to do, something tt
sew, something to read! To live en-
trely in ones self like this is to wea
out, like an old house untenanted-
wear out heart and body"
She leaned her troubled face agains
the door-post, and looked away VI
to the barren rocks and the unbend
ing fir trees that sheltered the can
yon. She seemed unable any longe
to see, even with spiritual eyes, fal
Their upward than these prison walls
Her husband came down in tn
evening more tired than usual. A
day long he had worked, with no en-
enlargement beyond getting deepe
in the side of the mountain.
"Of course" he said, as he sat dow
\ at the rough. uncovered table to tn
: evening meal always a late one o
!, his account), ''these 'pay-streak'
n don't lay out on the open grount
Every foot l go in is SO much gained
and any day l may come upon
body of mineral which will set us wa
up. So am never discouraged S
long as / am following the veip."
i Nevertheless, he was more silel
than usual after supper. He forge
II even to take Bessie on his knee, m
y sat by the fireplace and smoked
$ deep reflection.
? BY and by his wife, thinking tn
II might be a favorable time, sal
IT pleadingly:
ooh, Frank, let us go back! v
d would have little left if we we
70 now, and that little would he bett
], than this dreadful uncertainty"
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