The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-02
CHAPTER TX.
HE SEES A GHOST.


HE SEES A GHOST.
Bonaparte stood on the ash heap He
espied across the plain a moving speclS,
and he chuclled his coattails up and
down in expectancy Of scene.
The wagon came on slowly. Waldo
lay curled among the sacks at the back
of the wagon, the hand in his breast
resting on the sheep shearing machine.
1t was finished now. The right thought
had struck him the day before rs he
sat, half asleep, watching the water
go over the mill wheel. He muttercd
to himself, with half closed eyes:
Tomorrow smooth the cogs, tighten
the screws little show it to them"
Then after pause, cover the whole
world, the whole world-mine, that I
have nader He pressed the little
wheels and pulleys in his pocket till
they cracked. Presently his muttering
became louder, "And Io0-a black hat
for my dadda, for Lyndall blue silk.
very light, and one purple, like the
earth bells, and white Shoes" He mlr
tered on: "a box full, full of books.
They shall tell me ALL all, all" he add
ed, moving his fingers desirinyly-
why the crystals grow in such beauti-
full shapes why lightning runs to the
iron, why black people are black, why
the sunlight makes things warm.
shall read, read. read" he muttercd
slowly. Then came over him suddenly
what he called 1.-The presence of Cod
a sense of a good, strong something
folding him round. He smiled through
his half shut eyes. "Ah, Father, my
own Father, it is so sweet to feel You,
like the warm sunshine. The Bibles
and books cannot tell of you and ali |
feel you. They are mixed with men,;
words, but YOU
His muttering sank into inaudible
confusion till, opening his eyes wide.
it struck him that the brown plain lie
looked at was the old home farm For
half an hour they had been riding in it,
and he had not known it, He reused
the leader, who sat nodding on the
front of the wagon in the early morn
ing sunlight. They We're within half a
mile of the homestead. 1t seemed to
him that he had been gone from them
all a year. He fancied he could see
Lyndall standing on the brick wall to
watch for him, his father, passing from
one house to the other, stopping to
look
He called aloud to the oxen. For
each one at home he had brought
something his father piece of to-
bacco, bought at the shop by the mill:
for En- thimble, for Lyndall a beau
tiful flower dug out by the roots at Il
place where they had "outspanned. !"
for Tant' Sanniea handkerchief. When
they drew near the house, he threw.
the whip to the Kaffir leader and
sprang from the side Of the wagon u
run on. Bonaparte stopped him as he
rau past the ash heap.
"Good morning, my dear boy Where
arc you running to so fast with your
rosy cheeks?''
The DO. looked up at him. glad even
to see Bonapnrte.
81 am going to the cabin" he said,
out of breath.
"You won't find them in just now
not your good old father" said Bona
parte.
where is he?" asked the lad.
'There, beyond the camps" said
Boraparte, waving his hand oratorical-
ly toward the stone walled ostrich
camps.
"What is he doing there?" asked the
boy.
Bonaparte patted him on the cheek
kindly.
eve could not keep him any more.
1t was too hot. We've buried him,
my boy" said Bonaparte, touching
with his finger the boys cheek. "We
couldn't keep him any more. He he.
he.' laughed Bonaparte as the boy fled
furtively, as one in fear.
AT 5 o'clock Bonaparte knelt before
a box in the Germans room. He was
busily unpac!sing it.
1t had been agreed upon between
Tant' Sannie and himself that now the
German was gone he Bonaparte) was
to be no longer schoolmaster, but over
seer of the farm. In return for his
past scholastic labors he had express
ed himself willing to take possession
Of the dead mans goods and room.
Tant' Sannie hardly liked the arrange
menl. She had a great deal more re-
spect for the German dead than the
German living and would rather his
goods had been allowed to descend
peacefully to his son, for she was Il
firm believer in the chinks in the world
above, where not only ears but eyes
might be applied to see low things
went on in this world below. She new
er felt sure how far the spirit world
might overlap this world of sense and
as rule, prudently abstained from
doing anything which might offend I'M
seen auditors. For this reason she lb-
stained from Ill using the dead Eng
lislman's daughter and niece, and fol
this reason she would rather the boy
had had his fathers goods. But it was
hard to refuse Bonaparte anything
when she and he sat so haDply torpth.