News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-03-29

The animated bundle followed Thom-
as with her eyes. Turning to me, she
then said: I'm his mother-in-law.
He's stick-a perfect sticki' said she
decidedly. Yes" repeated she, "a
perfect stick! oh, that by keeping
Mumford before him-that by calling
Mumford up in his mind-I could get
him to show little Of the spirit of
Mumfordl"
In a moment Thomas came back and
said to me: "Nancy-that's my wife,
sir-wants to see you. She's a-lyin sick
in the wagon.
Nodding to the young girl, who was
holding the sick child at the front of
the vehicle, and placing hand on the
fiaxen locks of the little one by her side,
| looked into the interior of tho fam
lily mansion" just as a tall, thin, hOl-
low eyed woman was rising from some
quilts.
! Resting in sitting position by hold
seg on to the side of the wagon. the wo-
man gazed wistfully at me.
IL am told that you are i'll, good
woman" said |.
"Oh, yes, sir-very, siri I've noun
tain fever"
Now that / fully comprehended the
distressed condition of this poor, sick,
friendless, moneyless, shipwrecked fam
lily, | was so overcome that, as | stood
facing the wistful eyes of the sick wo-
man, | knew not how to speak in a way
to comfort her.
Nodding toward the young girl hold
ing the infant, the woman said: MARY
says she heerd you tell daddy-my hus-
band out thar-that some of the teams
goin back to Californy might help us.
Oh, sir, if they only would! When pore
ole Betty stopped, fell down and died,
everything for us stopped right thar. In
a mint every hope we had was gone. It
wur bad enough for daddy before, but
when he seed the ole mare drap dead he
jist let go all holts. Pore mani He's
clean discouraged"
| assured the woman that all had
said of the teams and teamsters was
true.
Are there many teams on the road
now, sir?" asked Mary.
"A great many-hundreds The bust
ness houses and the big mining COM
panies of the Comstock are now getting
in their winter goods and supplies.
Hundreds of teams are coming and go
ing across the mountains. We should
bee many of them were we few miles
farther On-were we where this road
falls into the one that leads over the
mountains"
'Oh, if l could see them, sirl'' cried
Mary. "If they could see mother
see us all-see the awful place we are
in, they would help us, sir. Yes, they
would help us to get away from hereW
Indeed they would" said l. "They
may look rough-their work is rough
but the majority are noble hearted fell
lows, and there is not a man among
them all SO mean that he would pass
you by"
"Oh, thank you, siri Thank you'll
oh, mother, do you hear?" And the kind
hearted girl began kissing the sick baby
to hide her tears.
Looking up presently, she said:
Mother has been sick so long, and now
bore little Kitty is sick, and we haven't
any money and hardly anything left
IInb . III N'Nh 80 -" -. 49, ~ ~.ses
what can we do yiIere i'm this desert but
die?"
: mo, you will not die. You are all
safe now, and you will soon all be well
and happy"
"Oh, mother, do you hear that2 The
stranger says we are all safe now!' and
again the worn young creature began
kissing Kitty, tears streaming down
her cheeks.
Look about you, Mary-look about |
at the desert and the dead beasts all |
about us, and you'll see how safe we |
air!" And thus speaking the sick and |
despondent mother groaned aloud.
BE of good cheer, child, and try to |
put some heart into the others, F." said
to Mary. Il still say you are all safe.
Our Comstock people have assisted hun
dreds of emigrants that have come in
here off the deserts in distress. You are |
but few miles away from Virginia
City. The people there will most GER
tainly take care of you and find way
for you to get to California.
"God bless them!" said Mary.
Twill you please call Thomas, my |
husband, sir, to get me some watery'
asked the sick woman, who had fallen
back on her couch and was trying to |
moisten her parched lips with her equal
ly dry and fevered tongue.
at once went to the husband, and |
giving him a shake to rouse him out of
his state of dreamy detection told him
what his wife required.
AS l was about to return to the wagon |
to tell Mary that would not lose 81 ght |
of them until they were hauled out Of |
the desert and safe, / felt a clutch at |
the skirt of my coat. Turning about, |
found the old woman gazing keenly, ]
eagerly, upon my face. This old wOm- |
an | now began to see had an eye and |
an ear open for all that was going on
about her, notwithstanding that at first |
sight she seemed a mere needless, i'm
beetle bundle.
THAT man," said she, lis a good |
enough husband to my darter, but, lai
he aim one of our kind-he amt Kahn
lucky stockl He amt like pore Mum
ford was-hain't got the stirl When
things went like this, Mumford he'd
git mad. La, you jest ought to see how
he'd tar roundi Swar? Why, he'd
swar terrible, Mumford would. But
he's at rest now, pore. man! On the
banks of the Green river he lies, under
the beautiful trees, where the birds
sing all the day long. Mumford, now,
he was a man, sir, as could do justice
to a sitervation sich as this. But he
dear soul-he has gone to his reward"
changing her tone, the old
lady laid a bony hand upon my arm:
Now, see here, You jist sec what you