Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-03
/ EASTER AT GUGGINS' GULCH.

SERUM Fort x. to willow Greek
III was fifteen miles; so said the map
y at the adjutant's. From Willow
Greek to Gnggins' Gulch was twenty
miles, us the crow flies. At one end of
Z the line were gay women and gallant
!, men, soft speech and gentle courtesies of
well-bred people. Brightness and beauty
moved to the strains of military music
: and the jingle of accoutraments. Easter
was near at hand and great preparations
) We're being made for the post-Lenten
hop. AT the other end of the trail, the
further end, up in the mountains, an out
cast was Lying.
Alone? She might better have been,
her sister at the fort would have said.
She was no Trilby, but simply Meg,
whom some one had called, in derision,
The Angel" Poor Meg, who had known
no companionship better than that of the
rough men swho had given her shelter
and such care MS they could when she
needed it.
Meg had come into the world 1900
years too late to be forgiven; who turned
her face to the wall and wept in secret,
remembering, that Easter was at hand
Tie cabin ut Guggins' Had two rooms.
There was the common quarters of the
men and near-at hand poor makcshift
Of chamber for the sick girl. 1t had a
chimney of its own and fire in it,
I. though thesweatlier was getting warmer.
Though the boys worked hard all day
ut the claim, Mike found chance to run
over now and then just to see that Meg
was NIL. right. Dummy had no gift of
language. Sometimes he stirred the fire,
added fresh log and brought the brok-
en-nosed pitcher with water to the bed
side without word, then hurried back
to the diggings. But somehow he did
those things in way that expressed de-
votion. tess
Dummy Mike idolized Meg. Strange,
was it not? That sick girl, who had no
other virtue than that she was thankful
for kindness Shown her and patient un-
der the pain that rackcd her, was hero
inc to Mike. He was hungry for some
one to worship and so he worshiped Meg.
There were curtains-heaven forbid a
description OF thenl-oyer the one win.
dow; on the floor lay n bear skin. IL. 8
To make 1t more cheerful and home
like, when evening came the boys gather
ed in the theodore, - as Diggs called her
room. They dried their wet boots at her
fire and filled the air with unutterable
luulco VI lODlSCu atIltt ueT every
night, with cheerful mendacity, that she
was pickin' mp. Dummy could not pay
her compliments, as his companions did,
to keep her spirits up, but he shifted her
pillows when she was feyerish and saved
the choicest of their coarse fare as It'd
I bits for her and remembered little things
that the others forgot--things that
woman recollecis.
HEro vii Ia hare n two ,lovc bova -
The "boys" turned around in amaze
ment. Was AIeg's mind wandering?
Easter. Why, they hardly knew when
SInday came and never observed it, ex-
ccpt, perhaps, by lying abed alitte long
i'm the morning and giving the frying
pan an extra load of responsibility.
Il wish l could hear some music just
once more and see some flowers.
Very common clay was Meg. A wom-
: an from whom other women had been
wont to draw aside their skirts; yet by
one of those strange contradictions that
make even our own selves enigmas to us
she loved music. loved flowers, and pined
for them in that rude camp.
.Whnt's up. MegY asked Jimmy.
''What put Easter into your head? 2"
She held up an almanac, sole literary
: treasure OF the cabin. 1t had been pack
ed over with supplies from the station.
II see it's the day after tomorrow, and
thought thought I'd like to hear
some music and see some flowers onec
more before-bef6re-" She turned her
face to the wall and the boys" pulled
yiciously at their pipes. Jimmy pres
entity got up, not looking at the others
nor at Meg, who was shaking a little
under the old blue blanket that covered
her, and stumped out of the room, with.
his face twitching. Mike crossed over
and sat down on the edge of the bunk,
smoothing the girls hair and not saying
. word.
Aftar 9 little while abe controlled her.