Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-07-15

all over again. But she had learned
fortitude from her earlier griefs, and
her feeling was not, as before, that she
was entirely desolate.
The day after the mothers funeral
Shultz found voice before Roberts
widow, though he began his talk as
aw<wardly as of old, and in almost the
same words he had used before.
MY mother said to me more than
once" he began, hooking and unhook-
ing his index fingers, that you would
be good wife for me"
She stopped him with flash from
her eyes.
'sBut your mother is dead,' she cried.
".and you are not a child to talk of mar
riage because your mother advised it.
Why do you not, just once, speak for
yourself? Why
And then she checked herself, remem-
bering she was Roberts widow. But
she had loosed the mans tongue, and.
| speaking in German, as his mother had
always done when her emotions were
reused, he poured forth such torrent
of passionate protest of love, of supph-
cation. that she was positively fright.
ened. She had not dreamed that this
slow, awkward man was capable OF
intense feeling; he had always seemed
to her to think only of his drugs and
the money they sold for. She had
/ thought the entrance of herself, a third
person, into his little home, had always
been distasteful to him. Yet here he
was, making most passionate declara.
| ton of love. But she hesitated Could
she, Roberts widow, marry this drug.
| Sf Su6 oh oh
him, and had loved him for long
| time.
And so, after an interval, they were
married and life was happily begun
again for her who had been Roberts
widow. Her happiness was not ex.
actly like the happiness she had felt
as Roberts wife, yet it was real, and
Shultz knew it and rejoiced.
But the little girl still remained with
the kind sisters, and this was just a lit
tie mote in the sunshine for the mother
Every Sunday she visited the child, just
as before, though this was never men,
toned in the fat over the drugstore
But one Sunday when the mother wen
away Shultz looked very serious, anC
when he was alone he began walking
up ana down the nOOr.
Il shall be back soon, DEAR she hao
= said with a smile on her lips, on leav
ing; but there had been tear in he1
eye. and perhaps that was what made
him impatient and caused his index
fingers to hook and unlock themselve:
in the old way, automatically, as il
they were parts of an unthinkinse piece
of machinery. After time he put or
his hat with determined air, and went
Il heavily down the stairs, muttering un
der his breath:
Yes, yes! 1t is better that she should
make no more Sunday visits to the Sis
ters' home, and 1 will see to that. OH
1 will see to that. Yes. yes!"
On the car which he boarded he con
tinued to talk below his breath, to the
establishment of his fellow passengers
His wife was bidding goodLby to the
little one when he entered the visitors
room of the home; and mother anC
daughter were too absorbed in one an
other to note his approach, in spite OF
his heavy tread. He was thinking how
like the mother was the child when his
wife saw him, and his look was so in
tense as to startle her as she had before
been startled by him.
mol" he said in German: ''Thot
shouldst not say good-by! The child
shall no more be left in this place
Come to me, little one; come to oul
home. Come! there is room enough fol-
three, and thou shalt not longer be
separated from thy mother!"
And after that there were no mote:
in the sunshine for her whs had beer
Roberts widow.