Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-10-14

done there was q minutes silence, "a
n the little one were assImilating tn
interesting points.
'Now tell bout 'nuther." was thu
cry.
Dorcas recalled herself from some
remote region of thought to relate ths
history of the three bears who lived IN
little white house In wood. This
was a delicate morsel in the story-tell-
ing bill of fare. The boys face suf-
fused with satisfaction.
That's good" he said slowly. snow
tell bout 'nuther."
Then Dorcas related the rather trag
ic adventure of the bean, straw and
coal that went out ito see the world
At the close there was call for
'nuther."
"You tell me one," said Dorcas.
The little fellow raised himself, and
seemed to be stretching his mental
power to cover the request.
"Yes," he said, nodding. There was
once great big grasshopper a-sittin'
on the barn floor, and a chickie, Ibis
voice rising to show surprise and
strengthen his climax-"runned into
the barn and swallered him down.
That's ALL"
YES" said Dorcas, naturally, #
the grasshopper was the hero of the
story. Now let's see who can keep
still longest"
Silence reigned for few moments,
broken once or twice by restless, whin-
ing demands for 'nuther;" then Dor
cas- heard the deep breathing that sig
nailed the youngsters departure to
dreamland. She lay resting, enjoying
the GOODNESS and quiet of the evening.
Suddenly there came the sound of n
step upon the porch. Dorcas rose and
went to the door. 1t was he surely,
and no other He was older, his dark
hair streaked with gray, paler, as IL the
red tide of blood did not rise so high
as once, and thinner, with the look Of
one who has not been surfeited with
happiness or ease
WELL" he said, half-shamedly, how
dye do?"
"All right" said Dorcas, cheerfully.
You're late tonight" speaking as il
he had only been gone since morning.
YES" he said, laying package on
the table, 1--WE brought the nails"
'Are-they-wire?" she faltered. Her
heart suddenly misgave her. She had
given up certain faiths and doctrines
that had seemed inalienable parts of
her mind, she had created for herself
a new heaven and a new earth of the
DRY, had put away and unlearned, de-
MED and renowned, some beliefs that
had been almost as dear to her as the
faces of those she loved; but she stood
helpless now before the nails. She
felt that this one thing she could not
bear; she could not bear to have him
set his will against hers in the matter
of the nails. They had never given
her a minutes thought, and now, be-
cause of them, her long hard labor of
study and self-repression seemed like
ly to come to naught.
Gomez" she cried eagerly, meaning
to put off the time of evil. You're
hungry"
mot very. had piece of pie down
home"
"Oh, you stopped there then. But
I've got some custard and cream
puffs."
YES" he said, his eyes downcas..,
they said you had"
He looked about the room in an
eager, embarrassed way.
my, but you're fixed up" lie said.
They told me all about it down home.
They said," he added, laughing. "Pd
better hire out to you, If you want a
man."
I've been lucky" she said. "My
things grow, and 1 don't raise bugs
mostly" laughing, yet with touch of
the old asperity.
Gomez" she said, brightly, leading
him into the dining room, I've per-
fected the cream puff-that's one thing
I've done since you've been gone"
Its good he said, later. Its got
a home flavor"
Then he went on to tell about his
wanderings-how he had loaded coal
in a mine in Pennsylvania, and then
worked at carpentering as he made his
way through the West; always goin'
farther on" he said, land bound some
how to keep agoin' till / got to San
and then / said to myself,
it's the Pacific Ocean now or old Con-
necticut;' so / came home"
Dorcas sat looking listlessly out of
the window. When he had finished his
story, she said, like one who has been
only half listening in her eagerness to
hear discourse of another subject, "Os-
car, are you for silver?"
"Yes!" he exclaimed; then with
sudden. miserably defiant air, pushed
back his chair and waited her attack.
She rested her cheek upon her hand
a minute and listened, as If the crick-
cts chirping held all the meaning OF
the world; quick, eager, dissenting
thoughts came pressing against the
flood gates of her speech. She set her
strength against them. She clasped
her hands upon the sill, and, after one
OF two attempts to speak, said at las.
with a little effort at articulation, Il
presume there's something to be said
on both sides"
Oscars face expressed intense re-
lief "Come!" he said. Lets go out
to see the farm"
They went into the sitting room.
There are the nails" remarked Os-
car, as he noticed the strangeness of
the package among the pretty table