Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-11-10
hi A G AR:
% r.
TIE STORY OF a SIN.
NY EL.E.N r. M8THERa.

= nave loved him BEST" she cried,
"give him to ntei"
4 thai Wild mother-cry, rent from a
bleeding heart, DOdy. opened his ewes
with Il start, and saw her. lie smiled
and stretched out his arms
"IIaVe 90 come back?" he said But
mummy'S been to sleep such long,
long while, me can't wake her, " he add
ed. shaking his head sorrowfuIy.
She dragged herself on her knees to
where Frank had moved. and prayed
HIM, for the love OF God. to let herhold
the child in her arms bat for one mo-
ment; hnt Dody took the matter out Of
his hands by struggling down, and
throwing his arms round her neck.
''Saep WIZ muMmy.n he sad, as his
head fell on tEaJ Soilnd and weary
bosom, to which, for the moment, he
he mad brought hack life and strength.
And Frank had not the COURAGE to
drag them apart, but stood aside, as she
sat down OH a low chair and rocked the
child III her arms. Only he could not
endure the Sight, ana with head sunk
IN his hands, threw himself down III q
distant parc Of the nursery, and before
LONG, worn out by the fatigues OF the
previous day and night, was betrayed
into a profound SlumDer.
Hester held her breath to hearkCn to
his until sure that lac silent: then with q
wild look around and upward, as one
who SEES help neither in God nor man,
lad her hagLard face down on the
child's mead, and through the Chill hours
OF the night watched him, till with
Weakening morn the fever and restless
ness in MIN grew; then as daylight look
cd i'll at the ,nnShuttnrpd windows. and
on the sill without a bird boldly shot
ringing note, q shadow darkened the lit
tie face on which the Watchers heart
hung, and for the last time on earth ha
opened his eyes.
MARY K!smus, mummy" he cried,
in clear. loud voice, us thinking that
1t was 4uie-tide, and he had sen early
80 wish her& happy one; and So, stretch
ing ont his "rms TO Hester, as though
Size were his mother, he went bat one
step alone. And Madcap was never
lonely any more, for Dolly had found
her.
When Fr1nk awakened out Of the
dredmIeSS Slumber into which he had
sunk, it was to hear HeSter'S voice talk
ing to what she held on her knees; and
as he started up, shaking The sleep from
his eyes, he thought, angrily. that she
must be mad TO disturb the child so.
Her eyes were dry, hervOice was hard
and uneven. She had uncovered his
feet. and held them in on" hand.
Little feet, :" she said, that will never
ache, or stumble, or trip on lIIe'S path
little heart that will never suffer, or
grow hard and cOld-alWayS young, al
ways loying-little hands that might
have done great work in the world, but
WIZ never fail now, nor SuCceed-little
lips that never said a cruel word, though
often and often they've prayed for
some little thing and been denied-and
Josephine was unkind to you till
brlbed her-as if a tender thing like
you had got chance against grown
perSOn-and the more cruel we are, the
Surer you are to come to us sooner or
later with the tears running down your
little cheeks, saying Me good now
We are SO strong and you are SO weak;
you can only fight us with your toys"
20 GOd!" she cried, breaking off sud
denly in her mOnOtOnOus talk, hes
dead-he's dead! And I've been talk
ING to him. forgetting that he couldn't
hear.
But long before the half-crazed wo-
man had ceased to babble, Frank, real
ling that his darling had set out on his
long, long Journey without one word or
kiss 10 HIM OF farewell. had fallen on
his knees beside that little lIfeless body.
moved to Il passion OF grief for the
child, that even the sight of his dead,
beloved Madcap had not been able to
rouse III his heart.