Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-07-21
THE BABY THAT CRIED.

since she told me, two years before,
that she would be my wife. We had
been married q year then, and all Of
that time was spent in the dreary back
woods section. not far from Olden.
down in Howell county. | was inter-
ested in a small fruit ranch down there
in southern Missouri and on it | was
making q living and growing thin fig
uring on the brilliancy Of the future
All OF that year was spent dreary
enough. goodness knows Mary cook
ed our three meals a day, and l came
home to eat them. In the evenings
we sat about the fire together. when it
was cool, Or in the summer named the
consultations while out on the bit of Il
cleared place just in front OF the small
log house l had built
Our nearest neighbors were two
miles away across Il creek that was
unabridged and whose current was
deep and strong all spring and sum-
mer. There had been a house across
the ridge about stone's-throw dis
tant tor some time--sevcral years,
suppose-but since We had moved here
it had remained unoccupied.
''W'ho are they, Mary" asked.
Il don't know. l only saw some
household stuff going over there to-
day, and l suppose somebody must be
going to live there"
The next day the neighbors came.
There was a tall, mild-looking man
~ = hoh
The name was Bryant That after
noon l came home earlier than usual,
and when Mary was ready we went
over to be neighborly with the new
comec5. l learned from Bryant that
he had rented the piece of land that
joined mine half way between our
houses. and that he intended to look
after taetorchard on it. Byrant was
from the north-somewhere up in
Minnesota l 'think-and climate was
what he was after.
You'll find it mild enough here. y
said in our preliminary remarks
We seldom have very severe frost
and snow is a rarity"
Mrs Bryant was bright looking
young woman of %, with large eyes
| and brown hair. Her checks appeared
pinched a trihe and Mary and l
wondered if she had not seen some
very serious trouble. Their baby had
the big eyes Of its mother, and the
pinched cheeks. too, we thought but
it was sweet-looking baby. Before
We left the little thing set up cry
that the mother could not quell with
| trotting and baby talk. How the
youngster cried! 1t was too much for
| my nerves, SO that when we had re-
peated our welcomes in high-pitched
voices Mary and went away.
After we got home the baby kept up
its doleful yells, which came to us
clearly On the calm evening air. 1t
! was two Or three hours before quiet
| came again, and then the light in the
| window that we could see just across
the ridge went out.
In few days Bryant told me that
his wife was not we'll and Mary went
over to see her. The baby was crying
| when she got there and the young
| mother had far-away look in her big
eyes. She could not look at Mary as
the TWO women sat there, for every
time she tried to rest those eyes on
| anything in particular they would fill
with water. After few moments
Mrs. Bryant looked down at her fret
full baby. The little thing was crying
itself hoarse and tired. 1t was pitiful,
but the mother said nothing. She only
murmured Oh" and the tears came
| with sob after sob Mary comforted
her as she could and the woman spoke
il am not used to this life" she
said "but Mr.. Bryants health is so
sofa; but since we've been down here
where it's so warm. the baby's got bad,
too, and"
There she stopped in another food
of tears. Mary. like the woman she
is, cried little with her, and when
Bryant came home in the evening he
found his wife and Mary and the baby
all crying together.
Day after day we could hear the
yells Of the Byrant infant My mans
heart was not touched. for Mary had
not told me the young mothers grief.
l only wished that the youngster
would be in Halifax-any where but
in the little house across the ridge
His yells came in through our open
windows and kept us awake, and all
day long as we'll, it seemed to me, his
cries kept up.
Mary" l said one morning several
weeks after the Bryants moved in as
our neighbors, Il am going over to
see about that kid. If the Bryants
won't move we will"
"But"-here Mary's voice faltered
as she thought of the mother-'put
it off," she vent on. Anyway, the
baby hasn't cried this morning.
.:No" said ], land the reason is
that it kept as awake all last night
with it's yells. and now it's going to
sleep when everybody else is up. I'm
goins.2
Before Mary could soy another word