The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-12
TWO BIG HEARTACHES.
AN UNFINISHED ROMANCR ON TIE
FRONTIER OF TEXAS.

From the NeJ0 York Herald.
AMARILLO, TEX, Sept. Jack Belton's
wife had gone home to Virginia. She had
taken old Jane, who had cooked for Jack
ever since the T-Anchor was a ranch. be-
cause she couldn't go all that way alone and
Jack couldn't leave to 90 With her, and old
Jane made an awkward but very effective
protectress and attendant.
The headquarters OF the T-Anchor had
never seemed so dreary and forlorn as now
in those bachelor days, before Jack had fol-
lowed pretty Louise Carpenter, who visited
some friends in Amarillo, to her
Virginia home and brought her
back his bride-it IS by COM
parison that we measure things. The silence
and neglect about the house, the mute
piano aud all the abandoned softness and
pretty retinements he had procured for her
with such loving pains were only q sort Of
visible expression of the desoIate ache that
had been growing in his neart for months
as be saw her shallow discomfort and rest
lessness, and knew that she was as lonely
beside him for life Of diversion to which she
was so wonted, as he by her finding that
the pretty body did not hold what he
headed aud hungered for and thought to
clasp in it; that his generous alteration was
accepted as matter OF course. His unselfish
devotion could never find In that small
nature any answering tenderness and faith
full love on which to rest.
One day Jack was sitting at dinner at the
hotel in Amarillo when the proprietor come
20 him and said: "Bolton, there's right
moe looking young woman here that's
wanting awfully to find something to do.
She's got a baby about or months old ;
her husbands a stckly sort OF Teller. and
she's willing to cook or do anything to help
earn q living. / thought you might want
her TO cook out at headquarters-the man
could help about the house, maybe. | think
they about starved out on a section down
here on Teepee creek. My idea is she won't
go home nor ask her folks for nothin' be-
cause she run away with this poor tridin'
Teller against their will"
They looked very poor, the young woman
and child; and Jack experienced little
shook of surprise when she raised to him a
delicate face out Of which looked eyes so
darkIy blue they appeared purple, and an
swered him In low voice, whose accents
were Enthusiastically those Of oulturs and in
telligence. He saw the man outside later
and arranged to send over from the ranch
for them as soon as he got back.
Once more the T-Anchor was the abode Of
comfort as in old James days. Again the
meals were good and regular, the rooms
clean and bright and inviting, the little
turkeys and chickens James especial pride
and care) we're fed and nursed and tended
the place seemed like home.
The baby was phenomenally good: her
little face was a chubbier repetition Of her
mothers, with the same big, deep blue
eyes. The boys all idolised her; she knew
no name but sweetheart, and her baby
presence, her laughter and cooling, cunning
ways were the source Of unending delight.
1t very promptly became evident that
Risky was Hardy's disease. He was quiz
city drunk as much of the time as he could
procure any means to be so, and though this
had always been sufficient cause for dis
charge on the T-Anohor, nothing was said
for poor Agnes sake.
But the child grew and thrived, cut tooth
after tooth. 10 the unspeakable delight and
admiration of 1.-THE boys" and was as happy
as a singing lark, and the girlish young
mother, housed aud fed and treated with
gentle consideration by all the masculine
household, was happy with her, despite the
hopeless thing she was tied TO. As young
aud delicately bred as his wife had been,
Jack used TO look at her about the work OF
manufacturing. sweeping, churning,
feeding the chickens and ohirrupinR to the
baby-and wonder at her contented hap
ptness in the crumbs that Louise despised.
He came in one day and found only Mrs.
Hardy and the baby at home, the lat
ter propped up in a chair growing
with delight while her mother PLAYED for
her gay little waltz on the piano. Then
finding among the music something 30 her
taste she played on and on to herself while
Sweetheart fell asleep Her heart seemed
revealing itself while Jack stood on the
porch and listened; love. hope. grief, dis
pair resignation, and. at the last gentle,
half plaintive hope again. A half formu-
lated thought clutched it suddenly. II only
I nyYian ~ IN rnUffa n1 AAE
there, ready to give him back steadfast love
for love. not TO neglect him and push him
aside and desert him what possibilities life
might hold Aud just then she began to
sing little song she had found about two
children, but the refrain only of which res
manned in jacks mind:
For the ways Of man are narrow:
But the gates of death are wide
AS she rose presently TO take the sleep
Ing baby Jack saw her eyes full of tears.
and he went away toward the corral with
a new pain IA his heart that yet was not
all pain. After that she used to play and
sing often-first at Jacks request-for the
baby, for him and for the boys who sat
on the porch and listened.
Louise had gone home in April. At
first she wrote quite regularly, but soon
her letters became very infrequent, and
finally almost ceased.
Late in August all hands were over at
the Windmill camp, where cattle we're
being gathered for shipment Hardy was
left with his wife at headquarters. None
of the outfit had been there for three
days. The baby was ailing with some child
isn complaint when they left, and when
on the third day a bitter norther blew UP,
Jack, feeling uneasy about them, left the
Windmill camp and started for head
quarters. The norther blew fearfully,
carrying clouds Of sand and dust along the
road, and he finally reached the house in a
fierce storm OF ice, singing wind and bail.
He got his poor frightened pony under
shelter and went into the house. The
silence struck upon him with premonition
At last, in the kitchen, beside he stove, in
which was little fire, he found wat he
seemed to have confidently expected for the
last hour, Agnes sitting with the BE- by lying
across her knees In sort OF stuL or, her
agon1zed eyes on its little face.
where is Hardy7n asked Jack.
"In the ROOM" she replied, ''he-he went
to Amarillo yesterday"
Jack could not leave her alone with her
anguish and the dying baby, to bring some
woman to her even If it had been likely he
could get any woman to try the journey In
that storm. He made her as comfortable as
he could, then built more fire, prepared some
coffee and food and taking the baby from
her in his own arms told her that she must
eat aud drink And she obeyed him with a
look half nftaOls half Qrateful