Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-07-17

boys expect plenty of music when VI
come here"
'T will" cheerfuNy, ''and I'll 60 i,
md start those pies right now. Tel
the boys to bring any poor fellow the.
know that's away from home and ha
no place to eat the Christmas dinner.
Tom rode away, and the last wort
from him, oddly enough as Mrs
Moore thought, was . faint hail SEN
back
'sMind-we-expect musicl"
Christmas morning Mrs. Moor
baked her pies. A goodly row. The
turkeys were in the oven, the Other
dishes baking, simmering or stewing
as best suited them, when the wind.
mill at the back of the ranch house
stopped pumping. That meant. since
the store was already low, a cutting
off of the water supply before night.
81 might as we'll fix it before ]
:hange my DRESS" she reflected, and
lcatching up heavy hammer she wen
out to the tower.
Forty feet seems a rather extraoI
iinary climb for q woman of her age,
the ladder, too, was wooden, old and
unsafe, as Tom Andrews had warned
Iher a week or two ago, but old Teofilo
was gone; she was as fearless as an
urchin, and up she went, laughing a
little. A tap from her big hammer
set things right, and the wheel began
revolving, but the first turn struck
the hammer out of her hand. and
down it fell, knocking off three rung
Of the rickety ladder as it went.
Well, she was finely caught.
Visions Of the Christmas dinner
burning mp while she was imprisoned
so fitted through her mind.
Looking about for aid she saw
pony and rider approaching the front
Of the house cautiously. 1t was Tom
Andrews; but how curiously he was
acting. He dismounted, tied his pony
in bunch of mesquite and came up
to the house almost on tiptoe, looked
in at every window, tried some of the
doors, and then, standing on the
porch, called her name very softly.
She laughed as she looked at him.
SO, she wouldn't answer. She'd
rather anybody but Tom Andrew.
should help her down = He had
seemed SO Mortified at the idea that
she should ever go up on windmills al
all when he had warned her Of the Nh
iafe ladder.
AS she looked he stole softly back l.
the little divide that hid the house
from the road, and waved his handker.
chief to some one she could not see.
An awful fear clutched at her heart
IS, in answer to the signal, a wagor
.ame in sight along the road. A
wagon with the ten young men she
had expected to dinner, some riding
in it, some walking beside 1t, and il
the body of it long box, covered wit
a cloth.
She knew what that meant as sool
SO her eye caught it. It was Wade
her boy, her baby, her only son
They were bringing him home to her.
Her tired arms nearly let go thei
hold.
They were driving up in front o.
he house now. They had gotten oui
silently and were carrying the long
oox in. She could hear the shufflinf
IF their feet.
ooh. Wade, my little son." sh.
noane,l, sis this your homecoming
Her mind went through all the tor.
nents we feel when our dear ones are
.aken from us-that all mothers know
.or their sons who go astrsy. Would
t have been different If she had beer
irmer, if she had been more lenient,
# she had followed him at once wher
she failed to hear-Oh, the tragedy o
those 'ifs."
She thought of dropping to the
;round and ending it all there, but
she longed to see the face of her boy
n the coffin.
Tom Andrews peeped cautiously ou,
II the back door, and she called softly
20 him.
"Why, Aunt Mat; why, Aun,
dattie." he cried-a name he kept for
state occasions of great excitement
How did you get up there?"
so, help me down, dear, lift M
Town." she mosned. 'I'd rather die ,
on the ground.
Tom ran and lifted her down in hil |
strong young arms, and set her on
bench against the windmill tower, and
rtood looking down at her.
II saw you," she gasped.
'Then you've been up there all tn. |
ime. The boys sent me on ahead to
py out the ground. They didn't
rant to bring it while you were |
N the house, and if you were shout, ]
was to get you away on some pro
text"
A shudder went over the pathetic
little figure before him. Poor Wade |
Already he was tito everybody bu'
her!
Tom was tanning her vigorously
with his big cowboy hat.
"Don't you feel better now-wen
enough to come in and see it, The
boys IL be cut up about your getting
sight of it before they were ready
but you had to see it sometime, o.
course"
Tho utter lack of sympathy in the
young voice quito broke his listeners
patient heart, 80, Wade, my son, my
son !" she cried, and burst into a storD
of sobs.
"Why, yes," said poor, bewildered
ON. W aue III rlSnt. ne D III
there with the others. 1t was him
driving, but he kept his hat pulled
down for fear you'd see him and know
him. Says he's been sick. and gave
the folks at the hospital the wrong adj
lress is the reason his letters didn't
get here, but he's all right now-why
what's the mstter?"
For she had risen and was gripping
ais arm hard with both hands. "I
Wade's all right, she whispered, husk
ily, "what-was-in- in-that-box?"
"A piano for you," said Tom. ga
piano that me and the rest of the boys
sent to Emerald City for, and haule'