Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-30

Her husband came mp the slope.
"Hello. there, Jay hawkcr, tho boy called
out, ''look at me shove THIS shoverl''
Charlie with bis legs apart, his checks
red, his eyes shining, drove the churn-
handle furiously.
The pale face under the sunbonnet was
so eager that the. man coming up the
slope would hardly have recognized IL.
lie smiled In spite of himself at the
little figure nc the churn. When had his
wife seen him smile beforcg
She came forward with the empty pan,
the eagerness schooled out OF face and
voice. She told what she knew about
the boy, and added, perhaps he can
work.
A CLEAN came into her husbands eyes.
He was beginning to feel his constant
labor. His head had ached lately. and
his back ached, and he felt stiff in the
mornings.
He tried the muscle in thu boys
proudly extended arm, and felt his legs.
"We'll keep him." he said, briefly;
che can do sight OF chores"
That night, when that psle-faced
little woman could hear the sound of
the little fellows breathing over there
in his quilt in the corner. and could hear
him turn in his sleep aud mutter some
thing now and then, her heart beat fast,
and all the sounds of the night went to
the music OF "Love is the greatest thing
in the world"
So the boy stayed, and for time
there was peace.
you're looking so spry, Malviny, and
put more heft into your homework.
Kansas agrees with you better'n with
me-" said her husband, one day.
She did feel q difference. The time
she could take to sew button on
Charles little ragged clothes, the mo-
ments when she could bind up one OF
the little dirty, stubby, cut fingers, the
time che could spend knitting little
stockings for cold weather, or making
coarse little shirts, or cutting down
Isaac's WORKOUT overalls, the times
when she could steal out of bed in the
dark night, and kneel down by his quilt,
and kiss the soft little check, and pray
with her whole soul that God would
bless him and help her love him well,
were a very elixir of life to her.
At first Charlie thought the chores
some new sort of play, but that did not
last long. BY the time he was ten years
old he was known by oil the neighbors
as that good for-nothing boy of Hollis.
lie was "bad boy"
"Charlie, have you fed the calves 2"
Isaac would say in the morning.
"Yep," came very glibly. And at
night, "Charlie, now feed the calves, p"
with the same reply. But perhaps by
the time the milking was done Charlie
would say, 81 amt fed the calves to-
dayw
"You said you had !"
"I was thinking had, but hain't fed
'em nor watered EN-"
Then Isaac, with kick at the boy.
which was skillfClly evaded, would
tramp YEARLY out into the darkness to
do the neglected work.
Charlie would take horse at four
o'clock in the afternoon to go for the
cattle off on the prairie, and would drive
the cows galloping home long after dark.
with his horse foaming with long and
heavy riding. He would disappear for q
whole day, and when he came home,
Isaac, worn out with rage, would try to
whip him; but even if the boy were
soundly thrashed. in some way he still
seemed to have the best of it.
When Isaac would vow, as he often
did, that Charlie shonld never stay under
his roof another night, the boy would
suddenly work so well, doing almost q
mans work, that Isaac's wrath was sure
to cool. For Charlie was really skillful
with the cattle, and so strong that Isaac
never could make up his mind to do
without him.
There was one person, asd only one.
who never said he was bad boy. At
night he had more than once walked up
to catch a glimpse of white face, quite
near him in the moonlight, and to feel
hot tears drop on his face. Usually he
sound asleep: once he choked, and put
his arms around her neck, and gave her
great boyish hug and kiss that she
never forgot.
But the next day he was worse than
he had ever been before, and was
whipped three times by Isaac.
Meantime Isaac was failing. ''I'm
breaking Malviny," he said one after
noon, coming in earlier than usual. He
sat by the table, his head in his arms,
never needing milking time, never look
ing up to growl at Charlie when he en-
tered.
In the morning he started out to milk.
but came back and sat again with his
head in his arms; aud then, not know
ing that she could do SO. but with love
and pity in her heart that must find ex-
preston, his wife coaxed him in timid
words to go to bed; and when he was
there, the womanly instincts cane up
permost, and she tidied the room, and
darkened it, and moved quietly and
smoothed Isaac's forehead, though 1t al
most frightened her to do it.
She tried to encourage him, and as she
walked around she sang in low voice
her only song, "Love is the greatest
thing in the world"
He heard the words, and roIsed him
self to listen.
"Come here, Malviny," he said. AS
she sat beside him he took her small,
bony, twisted. ard-worked hand in his
large one, and said brokenly:
I'm sorry amt been lovin'or to you.
Malviny. No man ever had so good
wife as I've he'd"
There was a long pause, while the
chickens could be heard scratching out
side the door
1--WE amt made much of iife," he
went on. This day, lying here,
watching you and your quiet ways, and
feeling your hand, is the sweetest day
ever he'd, Malviny."
He said no more. He held her hand,