Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-11-16

having seen his child almost roast ed
any man would have been angry, Grace
Poor little Chris, her arm will be all sore
tomorrow. He pressed the tiny hand
to his mouth, and that loving. reverential
light, that made them SO beautiful, came
up in his eyes again.
1t was not my fault, anyway, Reuben"
asserted Mrs. Verina. you know have
never been accustomed to caring for
children"
de did not make her any response. He
knew it he did it would but give her
fresh cause for complaint.
The pillows still wore q CLASSY look.
but the skv was Swallowed by few dark
clouds as the crimson sun sank in the
west
Reuben Verina needed not the change.
his arms tightening around the child,
and. as he softly sang, in his eyes there
was look of p lin, for the familiar song
brought back to him memory Of the little
Southern village through which, % . boy.
he had wandered barefooted and ragged
an orphan, homeless and penniless.
His parents had died Of yellow fever,
raging the first year Of their arrival South,
while he was an infant They had come
from Italy. Poetical, loving, dreaming
Italians, whose mad, unreasoning affec-
tion had prompted them 10 link poverty
to poverty, and to wed each other.
Wretchedly POOR in their own land. they
had parted from friends and kinspeople
to seek fortune in the new world; they
had found it in death but six months A.
ter their emigration.
anything concerning Reuben Verina, to
his knowledge, aud he tossed about with
the white trash" till he was almost ten
years of age: then. luckily, or unluckily.
an event changed his existence. He res
cued the daughter of wealthy planter
from drowning.
The two young people saw much of each
other during the years that followed.
keuben's lonely life had given him little
opportunity to study human nature. He
was romantic and credulous. The ont.
ward fairness of his companion was to
him but an emblem of inward purity.
. She was young and very pretty, and
the beauty-loving Southerner soon for
got her lack Of musical talent in studying
her fair face.
He found she was romantic, vain. shall
low; but her prettiness caused him to
overlook all defects In her character. He
was kind to her; he unconsciously show
ed her he admired her, and she flirted
with him boldly. He was too dreamy,
too absorbed in music, too unused to the
world, to understand this maiden.
Vainly he struggled to tell Miss Astange
his story. He had not been able to do so;
and the elopement, the hurried ceremony,
the wedding trip, the) return to her par
ents and brother, being spurned from
her home-all were like vision before
him as he lay there with her child in his
arms.
Mrs. Verina put down her paper-cov-
cred novel, pressed one plump, ieweled
hand over her mouth. and, resting her
hand on her chair, said, lazily:
The sea is very calm to-day, is it not?"
Yes; q storm is brewing; see how
black the clouds have grown. The cap
tain has been giving orders to his men to
keep we'll of from the coast for fear we
will be blown on land and wrecked" he
replied.
@Oh, dear me; I do hope there will not
be any danger, Reuben!" she exclaimed,
nervously.
Il am afraid there will be, "he gravely
stated. as he watched the sailors reefng
the sails, and putting everythingin order.
'Pshaw! I do declare. I have more
trouble than any one in the world. ]
never would have come if I had known
there was going to be storm. Oh, how
I do wish l never had married, but had
stayed home with my father instead OF
falling in love with penniless musician.
1t is just too dreadful"
Hush, Grace; you are waking the
baby. Poor little Chris; go to sleep,
dear"
Yes; 60 to sleep, dear. or your papa
men would think something about wife,
and not only of poor little Chris"
Mr.. Verina did not speak. and at this
moment the poor little girl opened her
eyes, and smiling up in his face, asked:
Papa. 'ou love little Kiss?"
More than any one in the world" he
said, but SO low his wife could not hear.
kiss love 'ou, tool oh, SO much!"
opening the baby arms wide. is at
nice? Kiss wants to be nice.
Poor little heart, already learning for
love, he muttered. will she suffer as l
have done from the worlds repulses?"
He gently kissed the soft cheek.
Chris is nice, and papa's darling" he
said.
And mamma s, too. Kiss yant ezeybody
to low her." declared the child, going to
her mother.
Everybody does, I am sure, child.
What little nuisance you are-there,
I don't want to kiss you now. You are
mussing my hair all up. I do wish
you would 60 away and let me be, Chris
tian."
Come to me, Chris" said her father;
and, with q panied light in her blue eyes,
the child obeyed, just as sailor came
up, and, touching his cap, said:
Would you kindly ask the lady to slip
into the cabin, sir? The wind has stiff
ened so the captain thinks this awning
must come down.
"Oh, DEAR" fretfuliy exclaimed Mrs.
verina, lust think of my having to go
down to that nasty little cabin, to stay I
don't know how long. 1t was bad
enough to travel with all the comforts, 1
thought, but to travel on a horrid
little sailing vessel, and then to have
storms and such things, declare it is
too bad"
The So lor saucily remarked, as he
st red in her handsome face:
We'll, now, see here. ma'am, if you
bankers to stay on deck, why. just stay;
and if you get washed overheard, why
'twon't be nobodys fault but your'n.
'Tain't no use a-callin other people,
property hard names; this little vessel
am very sturdy critter, and it is
NV opinion nc how moDv fo1kc 40 ia On