The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1893-01-28
A WESTERN STORY.

hr IN until evening. darling: mamma
will do the hest she can"
Charlie Dean wondered why no wife
was visible AS he approached home;
wondered more why no smoke issued
from the chimney. AZ was usual at sup
per time. Had a.ytiimg appened, he
wondered. fastening his naturally slow
steps
The scene that met is gaze as he EN-
tered his home was olle never to he for
gotten.
His wife-lis pretty little girlish wife
he had brought from her city home-lay
back in the wooden rocker white and
still. while the baby, the little six
nonths-old Walter. was motionlesS
within her arms. and the sweet face
wore look the holTified father under
stood.
Glare! Clare he cried brokenly.
"Baby--oh, my loved onesr'
Then Clare opened her eyes and per
mitted him to place tie child in its era
dle--a cradle he had made ont Of a
wooden box.
In a voice he scarcely recognized she
said:
"Gou knew thc life was to share out
here; why did yea not tell me-
But he seemed well this morning
well as he has been lately. | mean. Oh,
never expected this! The ranch is no
lonclier than hundreds of others. Ineyer
though"
mo, hut you have hal to think now.
Z H.. 1t,,l ~, ltnT4Ys .afr I ,4,tt11 1aaN-n
/ him TO seek yuu--it did not matter after
that. Iii never forgive you for bringing
me ont to this"
Glare! You knew | owned the ranch.
You lnew / was Jour."
II never guessed what it would De, es-
pecially in case like this, pointing to
her child. II little realized what it was
to be woman
Let her sull," he said, she enjoys it.
/ Anyway, I'll find other friends
And he did He secured the services
| of boy IN whose care he left the sheep,
and went oil almost daily to little
town, pleasant ride for him Of only fiji,
teen miles. When there, hi- place OF
lounging can he easily gucs ed.
Its Clares doings." he mu-rd; Two
men like TO saud men 10 the dogs"
If Glare saw anything mrn than usual
she remained silent. Sometimes When
he came homo almost roo rid to talk
he caught glimpse Of contempt in the
cold eyes Of lis wife. Her silence wa,
fairly maddeuiug.
why don't she howl and storm lik,
other women hc muttcred. SHE never
even wapt over the baby. I'D give {
good dead to sec her cry just once. D."
The summer had gone and winter haC
come: as usual on Saturday morning
Charlie had ridden away in the direction
of the Town without word of farewell.
Two years ago" said Clare bitterly
''he sought me in that coy home of m!
aunt. with its soft carpets its loving
friends, ard he persuaded me 10 MARI!
him and come out to this dreary place
where he has even forgotten to be hu
name
Then glanciGg toward the northwes
she saw a mass of clouds lying, threat
cning aspect growing over all the sky.
There's storm coming and I'm glad
One of the freaks in my makeup is that
like storms, particularly now. Had
been a timid lass / would long since hav
died If fright | have felt sometime
even q bcur coming in at the door woul
be change" aud Clare smiled sadly a
the masses of black clouds increased an
the wind tore around. the little mu
ranch with frishtful violence.
Don't detain me, boys. I must e
home!"
Impossible in such storm "a, thi
You'd be- dead in :ass thar an hour. TAX
things coolly Charlie. Why, its III
first time | ever SAW YOU anxious. You
wife's an right; being showed in "a fe'
days don't surprise folks in these parts
But--shos-0ut-of- -four; she mad
biscuits this morning, and there VIZ
only euough-and She
"Oh. no, she's got other things, trust
woman for that; there's canned frui
dried corn. there's beans and-no dang
Of her suffering Anyway YOU can't hel
her; an army could not force its wa
over thosn miles.
God forgive me thought Charl
Dean. his face in his hands, "md &c
help her. for / know how precious lit
the small house contains. I've seen h
hunting among the weeds for somethiI
green to help out he salt pork al
bread. | know how sAes tried TO COO
something we could cat when brougl
her home almost nothing. She ms
have something for liEncr-altor that
Oh, heavens, boys, ] ILust 20 home!" !
cried aloud
You'll not go q quarter Of a mile b
fore yuull bee dead, and then Nonr wi
viii have no help from You. and by al
by the expense of huIymg you-if Il
wolves don't find YOU.
Such a storm had NOT been known +
years even in that country where irigl
ful storms were common.
-Four days from the time Charlie De-
had left home he slowly and persistent
forced his way back through hea'
suowlIifi5 until with trembling huge
he raised the latch of his door and @
tered
Blinded by the SNOW, he could s
nothing at first, hut by and by he I
came conscious of tho cold hearth, I
NV iAA ~llfulF anu AhAA hilF NAAAN ANN
was empty II did not even hold
corpse
The wcaried man sank down upon
chair and gszed ahout him blank
despaiIingly.
The bed was neatly made. The flo
swept, everything was placed in
usual orderly fashion. and her DIR,
3 hung upon the wall near hhn-the {
. brown calico she had worn the last iii
. be had seen her.
$ Gone, he said dazedly; gone"
just then one of the hoys, who had I
strange misgivings and had followed hi
!. entered.
e "What did sou say, Charlie. Is
, gone, Why, that couldn't be; Sd
never be such a fool As to venture ont
that storm Il she did-poof fellow, q
faintsdg