Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-01-25

against it, There on its old hook
Janet's mug was still hanging, her
name on it. With sudden stab Of
memory she thought of the night her
father had brought ii home to her from
the winter fair at Carbie, coming in
| from the wonderful darkness, with
| snowflakes on his coat to his little girl
by the great fire; how blithe hau Jeen
his dark eye, how CHEEKY and red the
| middle of his cheek She could still
feel his finger rough and cold beneath
her chin and the benediction of his
| eyes looking down at her, But now
all, Christ.
Mrs. Goudic had put away in the
| window sill her great Bible and her
heavy white trimmed spectacles atop
of it, Janet was still standing.
"St doun," said her mother care
| lessly.
Janet sat down on the edge of
| chair close to the door Rab, the eat
she had reared, was sitting near her in
a blank band of sunshine lying
| athwart the flags his legs propped in
| front of him like two furry little pill
lars, his gray golden Sits Of eyes fixed
on the window. Janet feeling the con-
| straint of the silence, put out her hand
and, not daring to speak aloud, said
| Rab,' in Il choking whisper Rab
| turned and looked ut her carelessly
| through his half shut eyes. Then he
| rose and walked, with lazy stretchings
of the hind legs, away over to the
| hearth. There he sat down and stared
| up at blue wisp of flame blinking in
| the CRATE The monotonous tick of the
| clock was the only sound in the wide
| kitchen.
| Mrs. Goudie stood with her hand on
| the back of a chair. At first her eyes
| gaZed before her with the wide look of
| n proud anger, and her mouth was
hard. The glow fell upon her withered
| face and revealed its dark and stern
| nobility. Presently her eyes narrowed
ana went away and she seemed to be
musing. Then strange smile that
was not pleasant to look at appeared
about the corners of her mouth. But
| she did not speak.
The light became more unearthly.
Il declare" said Mrs. Goudie sud
| denly, with a false shrillness Of voice
that made Janet vince; Il declare, it's
like the day o Judgment, this" The
| smile never left her lips.
Again was appalling silence. The
clock seemed to be ticking more and
| more loudly. AS Janet listened to its
| slow metallic beat her heart sank low
| er in her breast. Where could her ia
| ther be? He was so seldom out of the
kitchen at the gloaming. She turned
her head to see what o'clock it was.
| The old yellow dial was shining with
eerie vividness.
Al this time her mother had given
no sign either of pity or resentment.
| But
well" she said at last, always with
! that ironic edge on her voice; well, we
had better gang butt the hoose, dye no
think z"
Janet rose passiyely wllnu,., leak
| ing Now that her ordeal had come
| she was too feeble to be sharply afraid.
| She felt herself borne onward like
| creature in the clutch of fate. She
| was going to meet her father. bare
| lobby with whitewashed walls ran
| from the front door between the btch-
| en- and the parlor. A shaft of yellow
| light struck in through an oblong slit
| of glass above the door, falling straight
| upon a row Of pegs. On one of these
| was the farmers everyday hat, a
| square hard felt, green gilt at the sides
| with age. The level rays revealed
| thick coating of dust on it.
| The mother opened the room door,
| which fell to the right, and then stop
| ped. speaking over her shoulder.
! "We've made changes here" she said
| shrilly. as if showing alterations to a
| stranger. She pointed to bed, the
curtaned head Of which was close to
the door on the left. Janet had begun
| to tremble.
She followed her mother into the
room. At first she could see nothing
because of the invading glory
There's your fether" said Mrs.
Goudie.
Janet turned her eyes from the light,
and there lay her father in his shroud
beneath the full glow Of sunset.
The clock licked loudly in the
| kitchen.
A fringe of sandy whiskers stuck
out from the tight jaw bandage. There
were vivid hairs in it, redly cleaning
Janets knees were water below her
She sank by the bed.
"Fetherr' she painted, with open
mouth and unstrung lips. "Fether"
and then with a shrll scream of an
euish: "Oh. God; Ny fether! My fe-
tier. My fether!'
aA-hey." said her mother, that's
what We brocht your fether tlllF on
an April morning three and twenty
years ago this woman had felt thou
sand pulses leap and throb within her
when a feeble little cry told that from
her body a living soul had come into
the world-ah, mystic wonderful new
horn soul and from her body ana the
child Of the man she loved But that