The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-12-29

NW&
"FoUND ZEN A-cRYIN By THE SIDE OF THB
BED"
and the hat did not have to make O SEQ.
ond trip to be comfortably filled. In
deed, as the last man threw in his con-
tribution it made q sun that guaranteed
"no SLOUGH Of or New Year." q Yank
Hawkins said. The man at the end Of
the line dropped In a Colt 46, and in
answer to a look Of surprised inquiry
waved his hand and said. Busted"
The 1.-TWO kids" had arrived In the
town q month before with their worn
out, weary and, as was easily to be seen,
dying mother. She was looking, she
said, for her husband, who had left her
nearly q year before to try to carve out
a better fortune han was the lot Of q
Methodist minister in q small eastern
town.
Whether he had stuck to his calling
or had tried his hand ut more secular
work she did not know, but she had
heard that he had started for Sluice City
and had come there to seek him. Life
away from him was nothing, she added.
The disappointment at not finding
her husband seemed to sap what little
strength che had left.
The morning after the arrival one Of
the denizens Of Sluice City, passing the
tumble down cabin in which she had in
stalled herself, heard the children cry.
ing. He stopped, listened, made as If he
would investigate, and then, mutteripg
cts q shamel' passed on. He had not
taken ten steps, though, until he sud
denly turned back, and, walking to tho
open door Of the cabin, peered in.
What he saw made him uncover his
head and stand staring ut the bed.
There the little woman lay. and 1t
needed no second glance to tell Pete
that she had passed beyond all earthly
sorrows.
The two little tots were standing by
the side Of the bed, crying and calling
for their mother to give them something
to eat. But that DRY failed to reach
her ears. They were past all mortal
sound.
A lump came in Pete's throat, he
swallowed hard two or three times, and
then, for want Of knowing what else TO
do, swore softly to himself.
Pete's experience with children had
been limited, and he gazed from the two
children TO that silent form and back to
the children again.
The contingent who were taking their
morning "eye openers at the bar gasp
T>ed in establishment as Pete stalked into
the room with q tear stained baby on
either arm.
"Startin a familyT'
"Yours2"
Didn't know you was a married
man."
"Was you ever o parson, Peter"
Concluded ter run up, hev your
"You fellers shet upl The little
woman's dead, and these yere two kids
is left all alone. Found EN- a-oryin by
the side Of the bed, an her a-layin there
stiff al Gold"
An awkward silence fell upon the
group at this, and Pete continued:
IA couple Of you fellere go out an dig
her o grave while I git these kids
somethin ter eat"
Pete set the two children on the bar
and with the help of the bartender, Wit
riol Jim, soon had them eating heartily
Of broad and milk, wholly forgetful OF
their bereavement. At 3 and 8 our
troubles are but summer clouds.
The camp buried the mother with all
the solemnity due the occasion and set
up a rough headboard which read: "a
Parsons Wife, She Has Gone Before to
Blaze the Trail"
Then Sluioe City adopted the two
orphans. Pete insisted that they should
be under his personal supervision, and
as what Pete said went" in Sluice
City the ~twoSohiidren slept or M side
Of his cabin and he on the other. The
swearing, drinking, shooting six footer
showed them all the care and gentleness
that any one not o woman could show.
He soon solved the little mysteries of
their clothes, and it was q sight to
bring moisture to the eyes to sec the fin.
gers which had been handler at O pistol
trigger or a whisky glass fumbling at
the buttons and strings while the object
Of his attentions seriously imperiled the
sight Of his eyes or attempted to deprive
him Of a little handful Of beard.
Many q night he had started up in his
sleep, grasping his revolver, ut q cry
from one Of his charges. He was jealous
Of the time he had to be away from
them, and Vitriol Jim, to whom they
were intrusted during tho day, was
threatened with dire and awful venge.
noe should any harm befall them.
zone Of you %fellers, " said Pete, "bas
got ter ride over ter Tucson with me ter
CIT tho hxin's an presents Ware a-ooin
ter do this thing in bang up style. While
we're gone the rest Of You kin git the
tree an green's an hev 'em ready by the
time we git back. Well start over this
afternoon or git back termorrer. I hate
ter leave 'em tibet long, but I amt a.goin
ter let no n else tend ter buyin the
things-thet Is, Of course, onless you
boys hev some objections ter me a-doin
it2"
No n had any objections to offer,
or, IL they had, they failed to mention
them. Objections, as q rule, were not