The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-22

delicately curved. The gentleman look
] ed thoughtful. as trying to remember.
Eyes. and a rosebud tinge in the
cheeks. hands like lilies and perfectly
seraphic SMILE"
''That Is she! That Is shew cried
Gregory.
Who else could 1t be? He asked
where she had gone To. The gentle
man most thoughtfully stroked his
beard. He would try to remember,
Were not her ears Here such a vio-
lent fit Of coughing seized him that
he ran away into the house. An i'll fed
clerk and dirty barman standing in
the doorway laughed aloud. Gregory
wondered If they could be laughing at
the gentleman's cough, and then he
heard some one laughing in the room
into which the gentleman had gone.
He must follow him and try to learn
more, but he soon found that there
was nothing more to be learned there.
Poor Gregory!
One day, coming to a little town, his
J horses knocked up, he resolved to rest
! them there. The little hotel of the
town was a bright and sunny place,
! like the jovial face of the clean little
woman who kept 1t and who trotted
about talking always; talking to the
customers in the taproom and to the
maids in the kitchen and to the pass
ersby when she could hail them from
the windows; talking, as good natured
women with large mouths and small
No lxr,ox n IN nd
There was little front parlor in the
hotel. kept for strangers who wanted
to be alone. Gregory sat there to eat
his breakfast, and the landlady busted
| the room and talked of the great finds
at the diamond fields and the badness
of maidservants and the shameful con-
duct of the Dutch parson in that town
to the English inhabitants. Gregory
ate his breakfast and listened to moth
ing He had asked his one question,
| had had his answer. Now she might
| talk on.
Presently a door in the corner open
| ed, and woman came Out-a MOzam-
biquer. with red handkerchief twist
ed round her head. She carried in her
hand a tray with slice Of toast crum-
bled fine and half filled cup of coffee
and an egg broken open, but not eaten.
Her ebony face grinned complacently
as she shut the door softly and said,
Good morning"
The landlady began to talk to her.
"You are not going to leave her real
ly, Ayah, are you?" she said. 1.-THE
maids say SO, but I'm sure you
wouldn't do such a thing"
The Mozambiquer grinned.
Husband says must go home"
"But she hasn't got any one else and
won't have any one else. Come. now"
said the landlady. 1--WE no time to
be sitting always in a sickroom, not if
l was paid anything for it."
The Mozambiquer only showed her
white teeth good naturally for an
swer and went out. and the landlady
followed her.
Gregory, glad to be alone. watched
the sunshine as it came over the
fuchsias in the window and ran up and
down on the paneled door in the COR
ner. The Mozambiquer had closed it
loosely behind her, and presently
something touched it inside. 1t NOV
ed little. Then it was STILL then NOV
ed again. Then through the gap a
small nose appeared and a yellow ear
overlapping one eye. Then the whole
head obtruded, placing itself critically
on one side, wrinkled it's nose disap-
provingly at Gregory and withdrew.
Through the half open door came a
fair. scent of vinegar, and the room
was dark and still.
Presently the landlady came back.
LEFT the door open." she said, bus
thing to shut it, ''but a darky will be a
darby and never carries head on his
shoulders like other folks. Not ill, l
hope, sir?" she said, looking at Greg
DRY when she had shut the bedroom
door.
"Who," asked Gregory. ais in that
roomw
Glad to have little innocent piece of
gossip to relate and some one willing
to hear it, the landlady made the most
Of little story as she cleared the ia
ble Six months before a lady had
come alone to the hotel in wagon,
with only q colored leader and driv-
err Eight days after a little baby had
been born. If Gregory stood up and
looked out at the window, he would
see blue gum tree in the graveyard.
Close by it was little grave. The ba-
by was buried there, tiny thing, only
lived two hours, and the mother her.
self almost went with it. After awhile
she was better. but one day she got up
out of bed, dressed herself without
haying a word to any one and went
Put. 1t was a drizzly day. A little
time after some one saw her sitting on
the wet ground under the blue gum
tree, with the rain dripping from her
hat and shawl. They went to fetch
her. but she would not come until she
chose When she did, she had gone to
bed and had not risen again from it;
never " ould, the doctor said.
She was very patient, poor thing!
When you went in to ask her how she
was. she said always Better" or
Nearly well" and lay still in the dark
ened roon1 and never troubled any one.
The Mozambiquer took care Of her,