Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-01-22
FINDING A HEART.

1t was not the sort of a day ono
would look for in New England the
last week in December. The thermom-
eter stood at 50 degrees and the sun fell
warmly on the bare, wet earth, draw
ing up little breaths of vapor on the
sunny slopes. There was a look Of
WEAKNESS on the face of nature as if
the quiet were the coma Of exhaustion.
It certainly was reaction. For "a
hours the rain had fallen in torrents,
breaking up the ice and choking the
streams. The wind had been almost
gale, and field and highway were strewn
with evidences of the storms power.
At the gate Of a handsome house stood
it's owner, Mr.. Ambrose Winchester, ac-
counted one Of the wealthiest men in
the town. He seemed to be taking in
the magnitude Of the storm as his eye
swept over his well kept domain from
the thrifty orchards in the rear and the
woodland beyond to the smooth mead
ows in front, where miniature river
seemed to have sprung into existence.
A young man in buggy drove up
and stopped.
GOOD morning, Mr.. Winchester 7"
said he.
"Good morning. Hutton!" said the
other gruffly.
"I've driven over this morning, Mr..
Winchester, to ask you to extend the
time on that payment. I've done my
best to raise the money
lit doesn t matter, Hutton. I've made
up my mind to foreclose that property. "
Hutton grew pale.
''Surely, you wouldn't do that!'
There was entreaty in his voice and
eyes. "You know the factory shut down
to half time all summer. Even at that
I was saving toward the payment when
my wife's long illness began. Doctor
and nurse bills ate up what I'd saved
for you."
"Same old story A man has no right
to get married until he can support
family, Doctors bills and all. I've no
sympathy with such nonsense. People
marry on nothing and then expect other
people to support their families. Sooner
they find out it can't be done the bet
ter. Now, I take good care of my fam
lily without anybody else's help, and I
always expect to. If you can't do as
much, then it's your fault, not mine.
See? I shall foreclose, and now let us
have no more words about it. {"
With this the farmer strobe into the
house, the young man driving Oh slowly
with bowed head
The farmers little girls, Ruth and
Mabel, came dancing out, and their
mother followed them on to the porch.
Now, be sure and leave grandma's at
a O'Clock, SO as to get here before dark. "
Eyes, mamma, we will, A." they prom
ised glibly and started off on run.
Grandma Winchester lived about
mile away, Oh an unfrequented road,
but the children had made the trip Of
ten since they were quite small. So
now they chatted happily along the
familiar path, possessed with child
ish interest in everything around them,
even to the washouts the rain had made
in the road and CUTTERS But whom they
neared Blue creek they stood in sheer
surprise.
The little summer brook they had
sometimes waded across had grown to
an angry torrent and overfowed its
steep banks and was rushing madly
along, bearing ice, foam and branches
Of trees. In fact, tree had lodged
against the bridge, and it's limbs SO
nearly covered it that it was difficult
for our little travellers to get across.
"Oh, how the bridge trembles !" cried
little Mabel.
Its all this ice pushing against it, )"
said Ruth.
The wind began to rise, and the blue
gray clouds settled down, darkly obscur.
ing the sun, which had made the day !
seem SO fair. The children shivered in
unison with the change and quickened
their pace.
At O'Clock that afternoon the two
little girls stood appalled, at the Blue
creek crossing. The brook had swollen |
more and was now raging torrent.
The place spanned by the bridge was I
the narrowest, and the narrow planks,
with the frail side ratings, held to each
bank as il by thread.
.See, Mabel, we must hurry" said
Ruth, "or our bridge will be gone
Take my hand, and we'll run across
quick"
I'm awful 'fraid," said the child,
with quivering lips.
"Well, I'll 60 first, !" said her sister
encouragingly, land you'll see how
easy it'll be. Now, then, one-two-
threel" and clasping hands the two lit
tie girls started to run across the reel
ing bridge. Perhaps it was their weight,
perhaps it was at that very moment the
fastenings were ready to give way, but
certain II was that when they reached |
the middle of the bridge It snapped its
connections at each side, and with Light.
nipg velocity shot down the stream, The !