The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-01-11

mis- race. He drew back his left arm
quickly and then pressed his right hand
upon his breast.
"Ah. the sudden pang again" he
said.
His face was white, but 1t quickly re-
gained its color. Then the old man
busted himself in putting everything
right
II will leave 1t neat. They shall not
say did not leave 1t neat" he said.
Even the little bags of seeds on the
mantelpiece he put in rows and busted.
Then he undressed and got into bed.
Under his pillow was little story
book. He drew 1t forth. To the old
German a story was no story. Its
events were as real and as important
to himself as the matters Of his own
life. He could not go away without
knowing whether that wicked earl re.
Tented and whether the baron married
Emilina. So he adjusted his spectacies
and began to read. Occasionally, as
his feelings became too strongly NOV
ed. he. CALCULATED: "Ah. thought so!
That was rogue. saw 1t before. !
knew it from the beginning" More
than half an hour had passed when he
looked up to the silver watch at the
top Of his bed.
"The march is long tomorrow. This
will not do" he said. taking of his
spectacles and putting them carefully
into the book to mark the place. This
will be good reading as walk along
tomorrow" he added as he stuffed the
book into the pocket Of the greatcoat,
"very good reading" He nodded his
head and lay down. He thought lit
tie Of his own troubles, good deal of
the two little girls he was leaving, Of
the earl, of Emilina, of the baron, but
he was soon asleep, sleeping as peace
fully as a little child upon whose inno-
cent soul sorrow and care cannot rest.
1t was very quiet in the room. The
Goals in the fireplace threw a dull red
light across the floor upon the red
lions on the quilt. Eleven o'clock
came, and the room was very still. One
o'clock came. The glimmer had died
out, though the ashes were still warm,
and the room was very dark. The gray
mouse which had it's hole under the
tool box came out and sat on the sacks
in the corner. Then, growing holder,
the room was so dark. it climbed the
chair at the bedside, nibbled at the
rooster cake, took one bite quickly at
the candle and then sat on it's haunch-
a, icfn nd hrn
ing Of the old man and the steps Of the
hungry Kafir dog going his last round
in search Of a bone or a skin that had
been forgotten, and it heard the white
hen call out &s the wildcat ran away
with one Of her brood, and it heard the
chicken cry. Then the gray mouse
went back to it's hole under the tool
box, and the room was quiet. And 2
o'clock came. By that time the night
was grown dull and cloudy. The wild
cat had gone to it's home on the "kop-
je." The Kaffir dog had found a bone
and lay gnawing it.
An intense quiet reigned everywhere.
Only in her room the Boer woman toss
ed her great arms in her sleep, for she
dreamed that dark shadow with out
stretched wings fed slowly over her
house, and she moaned and shivered.
And the night was very still.
But, quiet rs all places were, there
was a quite pGuliar quiet in the Ger
mans room. Though you strained
your ear most carefully, you caught
no sound of breathing.
He was not gone, for the old coat
still hung on the chair, the coat that
was to be put on when he met any
one, and the bundle and stick were
ready for tomorrow's long march. The
old German himself lay there, his wavy
black hair just touched with gray
thrown back upon the pillow. The old
face was lying there alone in the dark,
smiling like a little child's-oh, so
peacefully! There is a stranger whose
coming, they say, is worse than all the
ills of life, from whose presence we
fee away trembling, but he comes
very tenderly sometimes, and it seem
ed almost as though death had known
and loved the old man, so gently it
touched him. And how could it deal
hardly with him-the loving, simple,
childlike old man?
So 1t smoothed out the wrinkles that
were in the old forehead and fixed the
passing smile and sealed the eyes that
they might not weep again, and then
the short sleep Of time was melted into
the long, long sleep Of eternity.
"How has he grown so young in this
one nightT they said when they found
him in the morning.
Yes, dear old man, to such as you
time brings no age. You die with the
purity and innocence Of your child
hood upon you, though you die in your
gray hairs.
CHAPTER TX.
HE SEES GHOST