, 1890-09-25
HIGHWAY AND BYWAY,
Written for the Weekly Review by
Don McGilvray.l

"
but beneath it lay all that was NOR
tai of two precious babes. Beside IL
n woman, her face swollen and tear
stained, cultivating with n broken
knife few sickly looking plants,
watering them from pail NJ her
side, husbanding every drop that
the soil might be thorougly satur-
atcd.
Near her little girl with a
strangely serious face.
"They both died the same day
and were buried in the same collin,
the woman explained. 81 had only
Nellie here. She was nine years
old, and | thought there'd he no
more; / wasn't sorry, for my man :
one of the unlucky kind, always
losing his job. But when the twins
came, and both boys, he was so
pleased and there was such change
in him, | was glad, for ] thought
maybe he'd be steadier. Not that
my man drinks, or Is cross, or
anything but good to me, but
you see, sir, he can't keep his JOB,
he's always getting out for one thlng
or another; and then he gets dis
couraged and goes or somewhere
else TO look for work. So between
being idle 80 much and the moving
about, we were never forehanded.
But after the twins came he went to
work with will; was never idle IL
day; didn't seem to ever want holi-
day. And he didn't go out nights
like he used to, but would stay at
home, and all he seemed to care FOR
was to hold and tend the babies.
SO IL went for five months j didn't
get strong very fast, so we had to
| give them cows milk. Ono of our
neighbors had IA young COW, 80 We
/ had nice, fresh milk, and IL agreed
with them, and they grew and got
along as nice MS anyone could wish.
But our neighbor took a notion togo
out on a ranch. We wanted to buy
only for cash down, and we couldu I
raise the money. My man tried
| to make bargain with
! him, but he wouldn't hear
to anything but ready money. so
we had to get other milk, and 1t
did not agree with them, and they
got sick, and finally had cholera in
fantum and both died, one In the
morning and the other in the after
noon, and we buried them here.
! I've tried to make some flowers
grow, but this is such n poor place.
Nellie and | come here once and
sometimes twice n week and water
them, but they should be watered
every day. But it's long way out
here, and I'm not strong. | did
SO want II gravestone, but with doc
tor bills and all, | couldn't do it.
o, if | was only strong and well,
80 could work as | used to, I'd
work OF do anything to earn the
money so | could at least put up II
fence and plant some roses. These
flowers will die when IL comes cold
weather, aud we've got to go away,
for my mans been out of II job this
six weeks, 80 next spring there'll
be nobody to plant more. If | only
could get u white rose, it would
always be here, but to 90 away
and leave it like this, aud
nobody to do anything. Oh, |
can't bear it; if it wasn't for Nellie
I'd wish | was lying here too" \
passionate burst of tears chokcd hei
utterance. Poor little Nellie clung
to her mother with tender caresses
and wOrdless sympathy.
perhaps it's wicked for one t.
feel 50, but the wish will come some
times, and it's only the sore hear
knows that death means rest. Bui
| must live, for / don't know whal
my littlc g'rl would do without hel
MOTHER
And I looked over where out
young city lay in all its beauty,
with it, palaces, its glittering domci
and spires. There Is wealth. ther,
is luxury, there is revelry, there il
extravaganza and wantou waste
while one poor heart asks for broat
and receives II stone. "And the or,
gocth up continually, yet ther,
comcth no answer"
Sweet clover! The air Is full O
the delicate order. And it waken
that wonderful magician, memory
from long sleep. | see no NOR
the pine clad hills, the green vale,
} and shining river, but Il broad ex
panse of snowy fields, the fence
and leatless trees like penciled out
lines against its wilderness. In til
distance, n blue line of hills; at thei
feet the quiet village, while ia
away, bounded only by the horizon
stretches the ice-bound Ontario. ii
the wide. low-ceiled farm kitchen
my mother is molding the whit
loaves for the baking, while my sis
ter, Ann Eliza is busy about som
household duty. The Maltese ca
purrs contentedly on the cushions G
the Boston rocker, and 1, II small
, frail lad, am having frolic will
Bose, the huge inastih The doc
opens suddenly, admitting a gust q
frosty air, Il furry of snow, an,
, Martha Wrinkle, short, fat an,
breathless. so, Mis- McGilvray. I
she manages to articulate betwccl
/ gasps. Mis- SkiDner-wants you /
| come right over-'cause Lucindy'
l a dyin'. Ardilly's bin there--a
night, and mam's--jest come.
, Then she departs as unceremon
! ously as she came.
f "Ann Eliza" says7 my mother
! you'll have to finish this bread,
Q and she rubs the dough from he
+ hands, then washes them ut tin
sink, smooths her silvery side curl.
i, , adjusts her cap, and removing tn
i big Kitchen apron, replaces 1t wit
d 90 III 4