Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-18

thai he hall baked his lace 9o3 huDoK&&
the wsaer 10 his eyes. saying usveen
work 20 any body.
On thu heels Of shks wAv shonad -
Old Mans evil destiny hsss saewuunnH
70 him 70 propose to Mizs Belle nou2 Z
can't s2y. and yea cunt Rank g.
peration. | seppese, snd the frnun1o
thought that she was gcipg s~uv a.
he might never zee her sgH1A AnY-
how. knew he nesn& - d. A, Ar Z
heard them when the pngsy - -
ding mp and snstias. reAay fr 80
ture- He had ssaaantly sxhRui hwn6 -,
might ride little way with her. = -
had something special - ssy tn-hnrs
aud heard bar reply: 'of oonus pen
can ride with me Il yea w~xa "a hn1
anything you have TO ssy can jzns .
we'll be said here and now. snd nvoh
over"
fancy he must have meptinneA. -
her the suspicien -ve all. hna. and ~
something 70 the efnect thzA ~ ~
hoped she cams down % tAe cnmnuuo-
pecially 10 bid him gDd-by hs1ossre&o
left: perhaps there had bcen so0o-
thing between them thstejusof6u4f1xn
in thinking so. Whaosser he hnd m
he had succeeded in making hser hanx-
ing mad. and beAsnssth cool insutsnes'
of that speech OF hers he TUNED avuy
heart-broken. saying;
IL guess yon don't care fr me -
ride with you. and what had th0agh1
20 say had better remain unsan1."
She looked after him. rs he went -
help the others with the sAdtiing. wig
regretfuiiy.
Aha, Mistress Pussy thuugAk
you clawed your mouke . lsttie sso
hard that time Anyhow" I ADDED.
virtuonsly, you know enough ah-osS
tie poor fellows devotion now. AID
you shant have the satisfaction OF re-
fnslag him in SO many words" Aud
myself rode with her as far as the cry
arroya. told the party 10 ride brisi<y.
as some of us thought there was =
norther coming. and was turning back
when Miss Belle stopped me. Her eyes
were large and frightened.
do you really thiniz there win hr =
Storm" she said. Il am such baby
about storms Greas. grown woman
as ] am. j always break for mamma
and hide my head in her lap when one
comes up at home. and out here on the
prairie / know il would scare me to
death"
l treasured her. told her that tie
squali. If il came at all. would hardly
strike before morning. and rode back
through the fiocks 10 the camp
That was Christmas picture noteo
be forgotten. The sleeping herdA
LaI f..ft ~
wonder OF a Texas moonlight night;
the sweep and swell of the low. grassy
hills and plain. very Hike. fancy. 90
that country where the shepherds
watched their fiocics AZ night nearly
two thousand years ago. when the
angel of the Lord awakened them and
sung TO their ravished ears the 6rxt
Christmas carol
] found the two boys very low IN
their minds We al had the feelin9 =
prisoner must have when the visitors
60 out and leave him alone again with
his four walls. and as we were ell dead
beat we prepared silently and expedl-
tiously to turn in.
That was the worst miscalcuiafiou
ever made on norther. We had barely
closed our eyes when IL was on VA: frrt
with a rafting dash of rain like cis-
charge OF musketry. then the wet tent
was yanked from above as by spite
full gust and dashed dripping upon the
campfire. and we were in pltchy black
ness, no hint of moon. and in the mid
die of a splitting, cla~ing norther.
Fortunately tho temperature fell ieSs
than in any such storm have ever ex-
perienced. aud we were not 30 dc6-
peratelv cold
Our first thought, Of course-or mina.
anyway-was for the sheep. These
worthless, who srwrndoubtedly at once
the most idiotic and obstinate of brute
beasts. always break for the open
when storm Genes on, there 60 wan
der about til their loug wool becomes
first sodden with moist1re and then
frozen to ice. when they lie down COM,
fortably and d.e--and a mans money
with them.
as we could gather ourselves together
and worked for an honr. more like
devils than men. driving them into the
fhicketa and lunches Of mcsqszitc and
keeping them punched
By that time the storm. which aftes
all was . small affair. was practically
over, the thunder muttcrzngo OF eoutb-
ward. and the moon leoking ont g1uri-
ously now and then.
After awhile | missed the Old MaA
| Though he lacks CORDS inches. and'1s
slighter. he is worth s.ny ten Of bin -
| turn out work. and. in such sn emefs
gency a. this round 1ozea- KeveP
complaining. never losing his herd NJ
his temper. and always right there. :
noticed. too. that some enc he'd Ne tho
campfire again. and rs the danger -
the sheep was passed. ] staggered ovsR
to IL as near done mp "a ever . mar
was What ] saw there. as the poo4
| has IL gave me pause"
There on the ground bes1ne THE <lra,
sat the Old Man holding Miss Belle -
| his arms. She was scbbsbg wildly
and he was soothing and bushier hsr
as a mother might her child IthouGho
OF what she had sais sboaf fleeing -
| her mother when storms onne upg
arms as tender. though they might b
| awkward. epccupsssed her now A~le.
ward. did I say The Cd Man h.n4Ieo
her a. IL be had been horn for ~ sn1
brec fo nothing else; be tended upon
her with q sort ri divine intuition and
| knew an her wishes before tyer wero
/ sr,olseni
came up WITH sonne unnecessxEy
noise. thinking 20 warn them 81 my
presence. but she merely turned her