The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-12-30

~S oAS~S SAPAN1AVA NV "A AA NA~ ~~~
mine" Evening Telegram! all about
the great explosion" and they had halt
ed now just in the blaze of the great
plate glass window filed with the bray
cry Of Christmas goods; a grand har-
mony of light and color. And poor
though he was only q little "newsy,"
and fairly revelled in all this wealth
and beauty. He would have gone with
out his dinner any day to feast his eyes
on the beautiful, however unattainable.
"Oh, yes" answered his companion,
Its just grand, but who cares for dolls
and gauze angels and silver stars and
such truck? Tomorrow up at the
lunch rooms we are going to have just
loads Of turkey and mince pie, lots Of
good things. I think they are awful
good. I'd rather have them than all
the shine in that big window.
oh, yes, they are kind up there,
and the faces Of some of the women
are lovelier than any I have seen since
mother died." But it's for us all.
That's all right, but don't you ever
wish there was somebody to care for
you special? Not just because you was
one Of that great hall full Of hungry
boys they are such. good friends to,
but because you are Ben Saunders,
and they have an interest In Ben Saun-
ders; special, you know.
l know, Ben, you hain't never had
1obody, no folks, I mean. and I s'pose
you don't think so much about it.
Now, you see, I can remember when
father was alive. Father was a brick
Layer, he was, but he was sick lots Of
the time and we were awful poor, but
he was good, and I tell you he never
groaned half 80 much about his pain
as he did because he couldn't do for
us as he wanted to.
1t seemed to hurt him so about moth.
and n say: s' afoor '1 Elsie! poor little moth,
er; I wish I could make 1t easy and
bright for you" BY and by the fever
got thick round where we lived and one
morning father couldn't get up, and
they said he had the fever.
Wen, he got worse and worse, and
when I vent up to the bed to see him.
he didn't know me at oil, but just look
ed at me, oh, SO wild, and said: There
We're SO many boys there, and they
all looked ragged and hungry, he could
not take care Of them all, but, mother"
says he, do the best you can for little
Jack. Jack would make q man II he
only had the chance. I've tried, I've
tried, God knows" and then he shut
his eyes and looked tired, and never
said anything about me again. Next
morning he was dead. Oh, dear, Ben;
you don't know; you can't know.
/ had two little sisters, Lefty and Su-
sic, and I had the loveliest mother,
Handsome? No not like some Of these
grand ones that are all dazzle till they
fairly make a fellows eyes blink, but
just lovely. Why everybody loved
mother. I never loved nothing nor no.
body as I loved mother and I guess up
in Heaven the angels love her too.
Well, after father died there was
something In her eyes that I had new
er seen there before. Kinder deep and
sorry as II she was looking way OF for
something she couldn't find here.
Well, / went to selling papers, and
mother, she Just did splendid she work
ed and worked and seemed to love us
more than ever, but all the while there
on pretty well and when Christmas
came she tried to make It just as it
had always been. :,
AVN AAAAn kAAOAS q ~ l1uCu luEs
key and mince pie as there will be up
yonder tomorrow, but then you see it
was for us, special because she loved
US. IN #s
/ saved a little money and got Lefty
and Susie some dolls. They weren't
much dolls side Of some you see in
there, but oh you ought to have seen
how glad they were and how their eyes
shone. Why I do believe they were
just as glad as II they had had one of
them In there, with real Gully hair and
all silk and spangles.
But father was not there and we
couldn't be real glad, nobody but Lefty
and Susie. who were such little things.
BY and bye the diphtherla came and
Lefty was sick, and they sent me ND to
the lodging house, and when I went
back they were both gone; both nv
sisters. The house looked SO empty
and mother was there all alone, and
that look you know I told you about in
her eyes, only worse, she stretched out
her arms and I laid my head In her lap
and we both cried together a long time.
Then she said Well Jack, I will try
to put 1t away and not pile the clouds
any thicker on your young head" You
see she forgot herself and thought spec
ial OF me IN the midst OF that awful
trouble.
But somehow she could not forget 1t
much, though she did try. Her eyes
grew bright but that look that came
when father died never went away,
and her face grew thin and by and bye
she could not 20 about any more.
They took her to the hospital, and
the Sisters said she was SO patient and
good that It wasn't any trouble to take
care OF her.
I used to so and see her every day.
and she grew thinner and thinner ana
weaker and weaker, and she used to
talk to me and hold my hand In hers.
that was so thin and hot.
One morning they sent for me early.
There was q light In her eyes lust as
Il the mornlng that was Just q beamin9