Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-12-27

much as his prospects. Morgan was
supporting an invalid wife, three chill
dren, negro nanny" an egregious
folly of a female nurse and a scattered
Indebtedness of no one knew just how
many hundreds or thousands, all on a
first heutenant's pay, and that n.y.
pothecated. He loved his wife and
little ones; he was attached to his COM
rades and his profession, but every
month found him more dangerously in
vOlved. He had no relatives to help
him; she had some who might, but
didn't. He wore old clothes, stinted
himself in every way, yet saw no light
ahead, and, to make long story short,
would have thanked God for the
chance to end it all but for the
thought of those helpless little ones,
when at last the wife, not he, was
taken. She had been practically bed
ridden for two years, and it would
have been mercy to take her long be-
fore, but Morgan couldn't see that.
He wept sorely over the cold, ema-
ciated form, then reused himself,
gathered his children in his strong
arms and folded them to his heart.
You must be more than ever little
mother to them, now, Connie" said he,
as he kissed the white forehead of his
eldest. She was only fifteen that
spring, yet for two years had been
more woman than child, trying to help
mother, trying to be a comfort to
poor daddy" whose face took on deep
and deeper lines with every month,
trying to be a teacher and playmate
and mother all in one to Sister Lottie,
only eight, and to burly, brown-haired,
uproarious little Billy, the one member
of the household whose spirits were
uDquenchable. There were minister
ing hands and loving hearts at the
rude old frontier fort, and in poor Mrs.
Morgan's last days, far from her home
and kindred, there was no ''lack of
woman's nursing" no ''dearth of wom-
ans tears" Everybody seemed to go
in the solemn little procession when,
afoot, they followed the wasted form
to its bleak and lonely resting place in
the post cemetery out on the open
prairie.
MY GOdi to think of poor Carrie s
having to be buried in such a dreary
waste as this!'' moaned the widower
that evening as some of his comrades
strove to comfort him. He had written
to her relatives-she had brothers and
Il sister married and well to do-tell-
ing OF the inevitable end SO soon to
come, intimating that she longed to be
taken home and to lie by her mothers
side in the shaded church yard, but
that he actually had not cent. The
brothers were very sorry. Both in
their younger days had freely Dor
rowed the captains tens and twenties
and lived high with sister. Cad, to
whom the big-hearted dragon sent
each month four-ffths of his pay.
Pretty sister Lottic, too, made her
home with Caroline, ''who would
otherwise be so lonesome" much of the
four years Morgan served at the front.
His pay was the main support of the
family, in fact, for the boys were still
attending school, and the old MANS
business lang1ished as the war went
on. But all this was something they
rather wished to forget in the years
that followed. They didn't want to
grow up into actively inimical rela,
tons with their elder sisters husband
yet having so long lived on his bounty
how could they, being ordinary NOR
tails, help learning to hate him unless