The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-07-11

us was a-wishing we wore back II
camp, twas so mighty uncOmtOrtaDl'
a-hearing that kid asking for some on'
ter hear her prayers.
Sudden, she came further Into thu
room and looked all round ter us mon
and yer never seen such q pretty sign
in ali YER life as she made there. Hel
big blue ewes were filled with tears
and her cheeks were pretty and pink
and her golden hair was all frowzied
and her little pink feet peeped ou
below her white gown, like May
flowers when they shine through 8
snowdrift on q warm day. Everything
was SO black around she looked like q
little. white flower growing all alone
in clump er black stumps aud some.
how l wished all O. sudden that |
Want such rough old chap. Thought
it must have been nice ter had q kid
like that real friendly with me when
come home nights.
"SeemeG as if she must have known
what | was thinking about, cause she
came up ter mo, real confiding like,
and put her little hand onter my knee,
| and said:
You'll hear me say my prayers
won't you p
81 tell you that room was awful
still. and | didn't dare look round ter
sec the fellers a-griuning at the
Thought of me a-hearing her say her
prayers. Hadn't said my own for nigh
onter twenty years.
BIT she stood expectant like, and
tell yer, boys, just couldn't say no.
l'd "a ruther had 'em all u-laughing at
me forever than "a hurt that poor kid.
Strange what fools men are sometimes,
amt it?
".Well, says I, go ahead; I'll liston.'
"ThenUshe dropped down onter her
and waited fer her ter begin.
"Iou must fold your hands, too, :
she said, and get down on your knees
side o me-
"'Oh, this'll do said. 4 can
hear you just as well this way, and
amt very much used ter praying "
"But she insisted, and SO just cause
didn't know what else ter do, | got
down on the floor, too.
I" can't seem ter remember very
much what she said, only ! know it
ended God bless everybody'; and
then when she said amen, she didn't
got up, but kinder waited.
looked round ter see what was
up, and, il you'll believe me, three of
them men were down on their knees,
,'"c' s'''" "iiS vi Sii "ho SiylllS like "
baby.
"'Yer must say what she told yer
to- whispered Ben.
Then | kinder recollected what
she had said, and managed, with his
helping, to say: God bless you, darl-
ing, and keep you, and as | said it
meant it, too.
"She seemed satisfied then, and got
up and shook hands with me; then
when Bill held out his, shc shook all
round, and went off a-smiln' as happy
as could be.
"That's all there is ter it," and
Sam glanced deiiantly ut his audience.
. But it's true, every word, and Pm
proud er it, too. Taint' very often we
kind er folks get chance ter see
angels, and yer don't never want ter
miss it if yer do"
There was Il silence for q moment,
then Sam got up and pushed back his
stool and Shui1led from the room.
THAT was q good yarn of his"
said one, as the door closed and the
others prepared to take their depar-
ture also.
"But yer never would er thought it
of him, would yer, now?' gueried an
other.
One by one they filed out, and the
landlord. barring the door behind
them, stood looking vacantly at the
empty chairs.
"That was Il good yarn" he mused.
New York Independent.