The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-12-26

actin like that when all to once he
whirled round an come back to US
lookin' the soberest an solemnest I
ever see a Teller look in all my life.
BY gosh, stranger. you may not believe
It, but I'd almost swear they was tears
in old Jim's eyes, an l knew when he
spoke to us his voice was all a-trem-
BILE like his feelin's was too much for
him.
lit was a good bit before Jim said
o word, an all the time he jest set
thar on a inverted bucket nussin' his
head in his hands an actin like he
was dreadful cut up. We stood round
and looked at him. a-wonderin' what
it meant, but after awhile l ventureo
to speak to him. sayin':
What's ailin' you. Jim|
Then he raised his head sorter slow
like, an in a tone so sad an different
from what his allus was, that l didn't
recognize it. he said:
Boys, I'm jis' completely upset
by what l heard over thar. an l feel
80 blame sneakin' mean that I've q
great notion to shoot myself, l never
knowed before how cussed onery l am
Course we was all s'prised at that
sort O. talk from Jim, cause he was
SO blamed tough we didn't s'pose moth
in 'ud tech his heart. an we was
anxious to know what he'd heard over
to the wagon. an 50 we axed him.
"'Wal, he said. L went over thar
to shoot that settler. an l was slippin'
up to the wagon to git the drap OF
him. when all at once. Iheard a voice
the meekest. pitifulest little voice I
ever hear in my life. an l knowed in
q minute it was the voice of a leetle
gall
'.Jim's voice choked up so he
couldn't say nothin' m IRE, SO he waited
a moment an then went on:
":Fellers.' he said, that voice jest
went through me like a knife, an l
never felt SO quaire since l vas born.
1t was SO weak, an so pitiful, an so
helpless like. I heard it say:
(" is the land pretty, pa? Is it green
with grass like the old home back
east?
Yes, it Is very beautiful. darling,'
a man replied like he was cryin.' It's
very pretty, and you'll find the green
prairie almost as nice as the big
meadow back at the old home. When
you get we'll you can romp " the
plain and gather flowers and be very
happy
I" i amt never goin' to be we'll any
more. pa, the little voice said. and
l won't gather no sunflowers nor romp
over the prairie; but I'm glad it's
pretty, cause when I'm in heaven
where the angels are, an where every
thing is so beautiful an bright, l want
to know that you an ma have a nice
home like the old one we lost. I won't
be with you very long now, pa. cause
l a hear the angels singin'. an l
know they're comm to take me away.
Don't cry. dear ma an pa, cause l
amt sorry to go--only l don't like to
leave you. I'm so glad you're goin'
to have IL beautiful home where the
grass an flowers grow; an sometimes.
maybe. I'll come back 20 see you.'
Wal, Big Jim. he told v 81 all
what the leetle gal said, an l never
see anybody what talked so gentle an
kind as he did.
Fellows he said in conclusion. i
never felt SO awful as i did standin'
there ~listenin' to them words o. that
child. Feared like every n of 'em
was a knife, an that she was stabbin'
'em into my cussed, wicked heart; an
though they hurt terrible 1 wanted 'em
to stab deeper; cause l knowed l de-
served it. Thar l was sneaking up
thar like a low down onery thief, in
tendln' to shoot that Teller fer tryin' to
git a home. while he was in Their nuss-
in his dyin' child an her a talkin'
bout the grass an the flowers, an the
old home back east, an the angels on
Heaven. Boys. I'd a been glad if a
streak o. ljghtin' had struck me right
then and ther.'
'.Wal, sir. we never heard nothin'
more bout keepin; settlers off en- the
valley, an we never tried to hold none
of it 'cept what the law Titled US to
hold. Big Jim an all the rest of us
helped the settler ever way we could
and when the angels came fer his lee
tie gal an took her spirit away, we
made agrave on the prairie an buried
her whar the grass growed and whar
Big Jim planted a tree an some flow
ers. l never see old Jim cry before,
stranger. but he shed tears over that
grave like the leetle gal was his own.
and from that day he was a different
man, an as kind an gentle as a WON
an."-Detroit Free Press.