The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-23


that morning. They were the thoughts
Of the young, that run out to meet the
future and labor in the present. At
last he touched her arm.
What is it?"
II feared you had gone to sleep and
might be jolted out" he said. "You
sat so quietly" ~
mo; do not talk to me-. am not
asleep" But after time she said sud-
denly, "It must be terrible thing to
bring human being into the world
Waldo looked round; she sat drawn
into the corner, her blue cloud wound
tightly about her, and she still watch
ed the horses feet. Having no COM
ment to offer on her somewhat unex-
pected remark. he merely touched up
his horses.
81 have no conscience, none," she
added. "But would not like to bring
a soul into this world. When it sinned
and when it suffered, something like
dead hand would fall on me: You did
it, you; for your own pleasure you Gre
ated this thing! See your work! If it
lived to be 80, it would always hang
like milestone round my neck, have
the right to demand good from me and
curse me for it's sorrow. A parent is
only like to God-if his work turns out
bad, so much the worse for him; he
dare not wash his hands of it. Time
and years can never bring the day
when you can say to your child, Soul,
what have I to do with your"
Waldo said dreamily:
ut is a marvellous thing that one soul
should have power to cause another"
She heard the words as she heard the
beating of the horses hoofs; her
! thoughts ran on in their own line. !.
| "They say, God sends the little ba-
! bies.' OF all the dastardly revolving
lies men tell to suit themselves, hate
/ that most suppose my father said
! so when he knew he was dying Of con-
/ sumption, and my mother when she
knew she had nothing to support me
/ on. and they created me to feed like a
i dog from stranger hands. Men do not
j say God sends the books or the news
+: paper articles or the machines they
make, and then sigh and shrug their
! shoulders and say they can't help it.
!, Why do they say so about other
/ things? Liars! God sends the little
i babiesv" She struck her foot fret
/ fully against the splash board.
| ''The small children say so earnestly.
! They touch the little Stranger rever-
! emily who has just come from Gods
! far country, and they peep about the
! room to see If not one white feather
has dropped from the wing of the an
| gel that brought him. On their lips
the phrase means much; on all others
1t is a deliberate lie. Noticeable. too"
she said, dropping in an instant from
the passionate into low, hooking
tone, "wlien people are married, though
they should have 60 children. they
throw the whole onus on God. When
they are not, we hear nothing about
Gods having sent them. When there
has been no legal contract between the
parents, who sends the little children
then? The devil, perhapsy' She laugh
ed her little silvery. hooking laugh
'Odd that some men should come from
hell and some from heaven and yet all
look so much alike when they get
here"
]! Waldo wondered at her. He had not
the key to her thoughts and did not see
the string on which they were strung.
She drew her cloud tighter about her.
at must be very nice to believe in
the devil" she said. 81 wish did. If
it would be of any use, would pray
| three hours night and morning on my
bare knees, God, let me believe in
satan He is SO useful to those peo-
| pie who do. They may be as selfish
and as sensual as they please and, be-
| tween Gods will and the DEVILS ac-
I ton, always have some one to throw
their sin on. But we, wretched unbe-
levers, we bear our own burdens. We
must say: I myself did it, l. Not God
not satan; myself! That is the sting
that strikes deep. Waldo" she said
change of manner, II like you 80 much
love you" She rested her cheek soft
ly against his shoulder. "When 1 an
with you, never know that am q
woman and you are man. only
know that we are both things that
think. Other men, when / am with
them, whether love them or not, they
are mere bodies to me, but you are 9
spirit 1 like you. Look" she said
quickly, sinking back into her corner
4 what pretty pinkness there is on all
the hilltops! The sun will rise in q
moment"
| Waldo lifted his eyes to look round
over the circle Of golden hills, and the
horses, as the first sunbeams touched
them, shook their heads and champeG
their bright bits till the brass settings
In their harness glittered again.
1t was o'clock when they neare6
the farmhouse, a red brick building
with kraals to the right and small
orchard to the left Already there were
signs Of unusual life and hustle. One
cart, wagon and couple of saddles
against the wall betokened the arriva
of few early guests, whose numbers
! would soon be largely increased Tt
a Dutch oo11pfrv xyoddipo ry,,ocfe, n ~,