Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-02-03

head and saw his wife. A quick sob, and
he STROBE forward. erect, both hands
outstretched. "Harnah!" be cried,
brokenly; Hannah" 1t was the first
time he had spoken since the accident.
In pitiful attempt not TO understand
| the woman glared wildly from one grief
stricken face to another. all the youth
ad happy good humor of her own looks
blotted out. Finally her glance met
her husbands and rested there. The
terror of apprehension faded from her
! face. giving way before 4 compassion
that was divine in its self-forgetfuiness,
/ that transformed her from the plain
wife of common workingmar into the
very embodiment of tender, woman!y
! pity. To Willet she seemed by super
/ human intuition to have understood
/ everything. The only words that could
warm through the numbness around his
heart she spoke. The one phrase that
was ticking clock-wise in his brain she
/ repeated aloud for him, and so took
away half of its torture. "You had to
see him die" was what she said. 'Oh,
my poor man. my poor man! Little Jim
was drownded, and you couldn't save
| hint"
Give him to me-" she commanded
Connolly. holding out her arms for her
child. Let him lay here on my
breast, like he did whin slip of
baby. It'll make his fathers heart
easier to see him sou
She gathered the body to her bosom
and she folded Connolly's coat more
tightly around it and began softly to
rub the shock of damp hair on the cold
little head. 1t should be dry. dry entire
| ly, or il might do him hurt; his mother
wouldn't never let him stay cold like
that! No, she wouldn't never. Poor
Jim, poor Jim" she went en-, still keep
| ing up that instructive, mOtherly chat
| ing of the child in her arms. Poor
| Jim. You had the hardest, Jim!
couldn't ha' been there an not killed
myself. forgetful Of you. 1t was you as
brought him home. You came all that
| cruel way to bring him to me. Oh, Jim,
Jim darlin!"
Her voice was less unnatural now; it
had cropped to a note of human dis
tress that was fast bringing her TO a full
| realization of her pain. Tears, which
/ Willet was as yet unable to shed, rained
down her cheeks: but she was not con-
sciOus that she wept. The men began
! TO shuttle awkwardly away, muttering
| their clumsy words of consolation.
They need not have taken the slightest
precaution in the manner of their 60
| ing; neither Willet nor his wife re-
membered they had come. nor knew
when or how they left. Timidly Jim
drew n ear and laid reyereat fingers upon
Hannah's sleeve. It was good to touch
! her and feel that she was there. Under
her all-comprehending pity he was able
to speak and think once more. She
| human;zed him into himself.
Lay little Jim on his bed, Hannah,
darlin'," he said. gently. There
can't come no harm to him no more.
The rest of my days I'll have his call
a-rin gin in my ears. He was down by
the bridge. you know, where it's so
SMALLER an safe, an he a-splashin' an
a-,aughin'! Then he called; student.
sharp. He drownded afore l got TO
him. Oh. my God! afore I got to
him!"
The woman shook herself free of his
hand and stepped back.
''Afore you got to him?" she re-
peated, in a voice that was hushed in
very wonder. He drownded afore
you got to him, an'-an' little Jim
called-little Jim called" She paused
for breath, then went on with an effort,
as if the breathing hurt her: Il thought
first that you had to see him die while
you was tryin' to save him; but it wasn't
true. He was there in the water, an
he called, an you couldn't get to him"
She dropped her face q moment over
the dead child. When she raised it, it
was set, hard, pitiless. "A mothers
feet would ha' carried her" she whis-
pered only just above her breath; AN
he was mine the same as yours. You
let my boy die. l never gave you no
right to let my bog die
Slowly. deliberately, she turned and
entered the house. Willet stood where
she left him. motionless. staring straight
ahead, From the bridge at the foot of
the hill the men gaEed Upward, watch
ing. They saw Hannah move, and
Dougherty drew a long breath of salts
faction. Its we'll wild EN- now, poor
things" he announced, sagely. The
wust is over. They bore ii bravely, an
they stood by each other. Did We see
how Hannah took 10 comfortin' Jim
from the first? You've got to leave
throubles to time. anyways: but praise
be to all the saints an the angels of
glory! the wust is over whin folks is
lovin' an sympathizin' enough to keep
each other up.'-N. Y. Independent.