The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-01-27
BY AMELIE RIVES.

/ me buried for-him. If they wonder about
me, never mind. The other would kill dad.
That's all Goodbye, dear Eden"
She put one soft arm about his black
neck, drew down his Loyal old woolly pate,
| and kissed him twice. Their she=went, and
left MN sobbing as though his heart would
| break.
II was a soundless gallop over the new
| fallen snow, past so many familiar places
and objects. Now came the old mill. now
the barn, now the spot where she and
| Boughton had climbed the straw-stacks
that other December day. Now the leap
| over the nillstream. She noticed th2t the
marshmallows seemed abloom again, with
their brown cups full of snow.
| Suddenly there was flash to one side. A
saber lying on the snow. There was blood
| on it. An! the one Dick had thrown away,
| of course She dismounted and took it
into her hand, and got up again. The blood
was stiff with the keen air, and did not
! come of when she grasped the hilt. On
and on. Nearer and even nearer that sharp,
lncessant sound. She had ridden as often
on mans saddle in her childish days as On
any other, and she had hight, beautiful
seat in her boys clothes.
! All, yesl there they were. How the
smoke hung in the still air. Some crows
actually few cawing away, as she rode
under the dead sycamore tree where they
had their nest. Nearer, nearer, nearer.
That was what Hautboy's hoofs, as they
suddenly struck the frozen road, seemed to
say to her.
Then all at once came something close by
her ear. The sound of wasp alighting to
sting. Another and another. Then she re-
allied what it was. she was within range
of the rifles. A bullet stung Hautboy's ear
and he reared little.
Suddenly he swerved sharply aside. They
| had nearly ridden over something that lay
on the ground. Something huddled, and
dark, and small looking in a gray uniform.
A sort of horror got hold on her; she looked
| back at it again and again as she rode on.
Then came another and yet another.
Then some lying in this way and that, and
across one another, and then, somehow, she
| was in Whirl of smoke, and of noise, and
| of leaping blades, and Philip was beside her
And he, too, had lost his cap, and there was
a great ugly cash all across his cheek, and
! he was saying:
"Dicki You? Thank God thank God
I thought you were killed. Come on-this
once will finish 'em,'' and then she was
rushing on with Philip, and on, and on, and
on
And then it was red as though blood had
| been poured into her eyes, and she could
| see it. And then golden as though with
| great sunset And then came darkness I'M
| ICActDlOs anu OuO I4OISC do VI a GLAyAoShAAO
rivers about, and above, and underneath
| her.
When Boughton rode up to Carylon with
! Dick, as he thought, on the saddle in front
of him, old Eden was the first who met
him, and in spite of all his agony (for he
thought the boy was dead) Philip couldn't
| help noticing, with dull sort of wonder,
how the old man had aged since yesterday.
| He shook in every limb, as he followed
| them up stars, and then, when Boughton
| had laid down his burden on the bed in
Dick S room, turned and shut the door, and
went and fell on his knees beside the bed,
and got hold of the coverlet with both
hands, painting rather than sobbing, like
one who has run a long way.
Boughton stood it as long as he could,
walked up and down the room, forgetful of
| exhaustion in his tremendous excitement,
then he came and sat down on the edge of
the bed, and put one hand on the old mans
| shoulder.
"Don't-don't, Eden,'' he said, unsteadiIy.
| HE died so gallantly-poor little chap-I
didn't know it was in him. he added, IN
| hushed voice.
Then cried the old man, lifting up his
shaking hands with certain uneouth ma
| jesty.
''Fo' Cord, sab, you mus know-you mus
| know. 1 cyarn stan tub heah yuh call huh
dat. Oh! my little miss oh! my honeyl
| Mars Phil, sab, she tole' me not tub tell, but
| yuh mus know, sab. Hits right-hlt's
right. OH Marse Phil, dat amt Marse
Dick, OATS Miss Judif herse'f-herse'f!'
"What!'' said Boughton.
| His blood stood still in his veins. There
was one instant of absolute nonentity for
| him. And before he could speak again there
rushed IN ana past MN a wild figure, and
| flung itself On the bed, and moaned and
wept and called the name of judith many
| - a1sa4 bod lin
| gray eyes, and the eyes of the figure on the
bed were closed. Also there was much blood
| i'll the red-brOwn curls.
And when at last the poor, repentant era
ven had swooned for very grief and horror,
| Boughton pushed him aside with his foot.
and calling him ''hound,'' added an ugly
! word back of his teeth.
| But when the women came to dress her
again as maiden, he was kneeling there
| beside her with his face upon her hand
and they thought that '.e, too, was dead.
So the days wore away, and it was Christ
| mas Eve again when the doctor, coming
| from Judith's room, said that for the first
| time he could tell them to "hope" On
Christmas morning she turned her sweet
face with recognition toward the half-cur-
| tain ed window, and said:
Don't 1 hear the bells, dadg''
He answered ''yes." 1t was all he could
say, the dear old Colonel. And then she
said: ''Why, it must be Christmas Day?''
Aud this time he could only nod. So she
asked them to draw the c rtaln, and lay
very peacefully for a little space, looking
out at the saffron glare of the weather glIm,
behind the network of the tulip trees just
outside her window. After awhile she
spoke again. Just one word this time:
tDickp'
Then when he came in, his poor, weak
features working piteously, she took him to
her soft breast and crooned over him, being
too weak for speech. And after many
words he whispered:
''Ohl Judith, darling, you have given me
something never had in my life until now"
| And she said:
!sWhat, dear boy2"
Whereat, bending his face in her pillow,
he sobbed out:
''Courage."
Then she reached for him with her thin,
little hand, and here is what she said:
''I am so glad, dear boy. 1t is the only
Christmas present that 1 can give you,"
and she smiled at him and kissed all of his
face that she could reach for the pillow.
And that evening she asked to see Philip.
He came and took her hand without say
ing any thing, but she could hear the