People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-02-21

feeble as she was, thrust her hands
straight out before her with great
force, her hands open and lifted up,
with the palms outward. The whole
action was of one violently repelling
another. She began TO talk wildly as
she had done before you were born,
but. though | seemed to hear and I'M
derstand it all the time, could not 70
call a word of it afterward. 1t was
as if | had listened TO it when half
asleep. / attempted TO SOOthe her, puT-
ting my arms around her, but she SEEM
cd quite unconscious Of my presence,
and my arms seemed pOwerlesS upon
the fixed muscles of hers. Not that !
tried TO cOnStrain her. for | knew that
a battle was going on of some kind or
other. and my interference might do
awful mischief. only tried to comfort
and encourage her. All the time l was
in a state of indeScribable cold and SUI
fcring. whether more bodily or mental
| could not tell. But at length | heard
yet again the clink of the shoe. A sud
den peace seemed to fall upon my mird
or was it a warm. OdOrOus wind thai
filled the room! Your mother dropped
her arms. and turned fcebly toward her
baby. She saw that he slept a blessed
sleep. She smiled like a glorifed spir-
it. and fell back exhausted on the pill
low. | went to the other side of the
room to get Il cordial. When | re-
turned to the bedside | saw at once
that she was dead. Her face smiled
still, with an expression of the utter
most bliss
Nurse ceased. trembling as overcome
by the recollection: and | was too much
moved and awcd to speak. At length.
reSuming the conversation she said:
You see it is no wonder, Duncan, MY
dear. if after all this | should find. when
| wanted to fix the date of your birth.
that | could not determine the day or
the hour when it took place. All was
confusion in my poor brain. But it was
strange that no one else could. any
more than l. One carried you across
the room to lay you down, for as.
sisted at your birth. | happened to
| look up to the window. Then | saw
what | did not forget, although | did
not think of it again till many days
after-a bright star was shining on taC
very tip of the thin crescent moon"
"Oh. then" said /, lit is possible ia
determine the day and the very hour
when my birth took place
See the good of bOok-learning" r.
piled she. when you work it out, JUS
let me know, my dear, that | may re
member il"
THAT | will"
Absorbed in the story had heard,
took my way, as | thought hOmeward
The whole country was well known II
me. l should have said, before thai
night. that | could have gone homo
blindfOld. Whether the lightning be
wildered me and made me take falls,
turn, | cannot tell; for the hardeS
thing to understand, in intellect as wei
as moral mistakes. is-hOw we camt
to 20 wrong. But after wandering fOl
some time plunged in meditation, an(
with no warning whatever OF the pres
ence of inimical powers. brillia i
lightning fash showed me that at leaS
was not near home. The light wa:
prolonged for 4 second or two by ;
slight electric pulSatiOn, and by that
distinguished Il wide space Of black
ness on the ground in front of me
Once more wrapped in the folds of ;
thick darkness. | dared not move. Sud
denly it occurred TO me what the black
ness was, and whittier | had wandered
1t was a huge quarry Of great depth
long diSuSed and half filled with wa
ter. knew the place perfectly. A few
more steps would have carried me owe
the brink. | stood still, waiting -
the next flash. that might be quit
sure of the way | was about to TAX
before | ventured to move. While
stood | fancied | heard a single hOl
low plunge in the black water far be
low. When the lightning came,
turned, and took my path in another III
rectiOn.
After for walking for some tim
across the heath, | fell. The fall be
came a roll, and down a steep decliyit.
! went, over and over, arriving at tn
bottom uninjured.
Another fash showed me where
was-in the hollow valley, within
couple of hundred yards from nurse
cottage. | made my way towards il
There was no light in it, except tn
feeblest glow from the embers of he
peat fire. "She is in bed" | said t
myself, "and l will not disturb her
Yet something drew me toward the lii
tie window. | looked in. At first
could see nothing At length as | kel)
gazing, saw something indistinct Il
the darkness, like an outstretched hu
man form.
By this time the storm had lulled
The moon had been up for some timC
but had been quite concealed by TEN
peStuOus clouds. Now, however, thes
had begun to break up; and, while
stood looking into the cottage, the,
scattered away from the face of tn
MOON and faint, vapOry CLEAN of he
light, entering the cottage through
window opposite that at which l stood
fell directly on the face of my oil,
nurse, as she lay on her back, out
stretched upon chairs, pale as dealt
and with her eyes closed. The ligh
fell nowhere but on her face. A strang
er to her habits would have though
she was dead; but she had so much u
the appearance she had had on a for
mer occasion, that | concluded at one
that she was in one of her frances. Blu
having often heard that persons il
such a condition ought not TO be dis
turbed, and feeling quite sure sh
knew best how to manage herself,
turned. though reluctantly. and lcf
the lone cottage behind me In tn
night. with the deathlike woman lyin,
mOtionlesS in the midst of it.