Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-02-07
q yellow aster.
BY 10TH

air Of possession into the t.r,td eyesg
Mrs. waring gave a soft far-away
little laugh, that made Ovens blood
turn In the CHASTITY listening silence.
II saw the other day a young
mother, a little creature, with blue
eyes and yellow hair and SO young
so young put her little babys fingers
into her mouth, and bite them softly
In play, and the baby Laughed and
kicked. Jubelte! Why does English
sometimes fall 50 short? All, Gwen.
wish You could have seen it, nothing
, IS like 1t, nothing"
Gwen stirred In anguish, her brain
was surging wildly, her whole heart
and soul were prostrate In one wild
prayer for help from the horrors that
were closing her in. There was no
idea Of God In the prayer, however.
Humphrey, Humphrey, Humphrey?
was the only thought that possessed
her, and tried to break aloud in sound
through her dry lips.
Then her mothers eyes closed again
and She murmured In her half sleep,
when she aroused herself after lew
minutes her gentle eyes were bright
and wild She caught Ovens dimpled
fingers and put them into her mouth
and she set TO bite them softly and
to kiss them with little ripples OF a
gIll's laughter, and her few wrinkles
smoothed themselves and the sweet
rosy color came again into the thin
checks, and she WAS a careless, happy
young mother playing with her first
child.
Mr. Warning had come softly into the
room some minutes before; he paused
and peered eagerly forward, and then
there leaped into his eyes binding
agony; he swayed, shiyerlng and drop
ped on his knees by the bed. But Of
this Gwen saw nothing.
As her mother kissed, and bit, and
mumbled over her hand, and half
sang little quaint snatches Of baby
songs, and took her pretty fingers one
by one and told them with low sill
very laughs this little llg went to
market and the other stayed at homer
and broke out into loud ripple as
''the little one cried queak" her own
baby 'leapt in her womb" and the
scales fell from her eyes and her heart
melted Within her. and the breast of
her dying mother was an open book
to her; She could read all the love
there and the remorse and the infinite
sorrow.
Ovens heart stopped and her breath
| refused TO come--shc would have died
then. Her soul lowered shuddering on
! the threshold of life, but her baby stir
red imperiously and pulled 1t back,
and then a torrent OF tears came to
her help and left her with soft moist
eyes, child by her mothers side.
mother, oh, motherv' the infinite
tenderness in her voice smote into her
heart and plade Mr. Warning rise
quickly and walt trembling with fear
and a great awe. mother, oh, my
darling speaktouch me-love ME,
your child Gwen--i
| II will hot let thee 20 unless thou
bless me The picture involuntarily
rose before Mr.. Warnings eyes as he
| murmured the words.
Speak to me once, mother-I know
/ everything now-everything do you
hear, darling?"
| Brtt the mother still kissed and
played with the trembling clinging
| fingers, and sang her soft old songs,
and her eyes looked UP full of sunny
/ irresponsible happinex and saw
things of which we ha not thought
In our philosophy
Mother, Oh my mother" still
! she babbled on, smiling.
! Mr., Waring came forward with bow
! ed head silent. In fearful reverence.
| Ii was not for him to speak or in
| terfere the ground whereon he stood
was holy ground.
/ Mother, mother mother"
The babbHng had now grown low
and drowsy, and Gwen had to bend
close to catch it, then 1t ceased, and
/ the mother lay very still, Gwen turned
! IN terror ana saw her father.
Help. help," she cried, "she must
/ speak oh, God, she must"
Her father took her hand, and bend.
/ Ing softly he took her mothers and
held the two in his, and one soft SHY
/ eriug moan broke from him; then
father and daughter stood in the pal
I plating silence and waited GREATNESS,
\ but the silence grew and spread like
a net around them, crushing hearts
aud the breathing Of the woman grew
+ less and less and her face whittier and
whittier then strong cry rent the veil
Of awful silence and Gwen fell for.
ward as one dead on her mothers
/ breast
CHAPTER NNNIN.