The Winslow mail., 1901-02-21

SAOO<A III CfO1 y 4lh4Os G0G d4A
swered not word.
ga louder rap now at the door, anc
an oath or two.
Granny wrung her hands Ia ag
ony, for just then from the bed came
a low moan.
"'Broth!' cried the BARN; granny
broth!'
"Open the door, Sandy said gran
ny; open the door, and, taking the
little one in her arms, she stood, I'lze
a figure turned to stone, in the mid
die of the floor.
Jenny, hardly more than babe
clung weeping to my skirts as I knel1
in prayer by the fireless stove, asking
aid from One greater and richer than
the owners of the coal mines.
There was silence for a moment
when the door was opened; then one
of the men laughed.
Come he said; make ready to be
out of this by noon. You had your or
ders yesterday, Sandy, and we mean
to enforce 'em.'
"'But the BARN is near to dying,
answered Sandy, choking like, 'and
sure ye will not turn us out in the
storm?'
Well, if the brat be near dying,
said an officer, brutally, she may as
well die outside as in
"Then," continued the woman
shielding her eyes with one hand, 81
heard growl like as from a wild
beast, then a cry of mortal agony
and the" Her voice broke, and she
half arose from her chair and looked
with fixed, stony gaze straight be.
fore her.
"And then?" queried, after a pain,
full pause.
"And them" she resumed, with
white lips, "the man who had uttered
that cruel speech flung up his arms
swayed to and fro and fell at Sandy's
feet without life or motion. Then the
rest sprang upon Sandy, who stood
there dazed and horror-stricken, white
as the dead man at his feet.
"I did nae mean to kill him. he
said, solemnly, with uplifted hand;
God above knows I did nae mean tc
kill him. But the bairn is the light o
my eyes, and if any of ye be fathers
We maun know how-how-' He could
say no more, sir, for the tears which
choked him; tears wrung from his
great, loving heart-a heart as tender
as a woman's.
"'Come, said the dead mans
friends, savagely, come. We don't
want any more of your whining
You'll get halter for this days work
never fear
GA halter!' exclaimed granny
dazed like; "a halter for my Sandy!
Then she looked at the dead mans
face and laughed, such horrid laugh
sir, that it curdled the blood in oul
veins.
"The child no longer moaned, but
lay quiet within her arms. Sandy
shook off the hands which held him
and stopped to kiss the BARN.
"'She's dead he said, quietly; my
Jenny, our pretty BARN, is dead;' and
without another word turned and
went out the door, never to enter it
again"
Surely" stammered, she was not
not"-I could not bring myself to ut.
ter the horrible word.
mo, SIR" said she, quietly; "but he
was sent to prison for life"
''And you, and the boy, and gran.
ny?" inquired; what did you do?"
''The neighbors helped. us to move
here" she said, wearily, "and helped
to bury the child. Granny's reason
fled that dreadful day, and, as you
see, still she nurses the BARN, and
ever in her ear rings that mournful
cry: Broth! granny, broth!'"
The door opened suddenly at this
juncture, and in sprang Jenny, with
a look upon his face which brought us
both to our feet.
"He's comet" he gasped; she's
come! Granny was nae mad when she
said he's come the day."
"Who?" cried his mother, a wild
hope cleaning in her eye. "Quick,
Jenny, tell me. Who has Gomez"
"My boy, Sandy" crooned granny
aroused by the confusion; "'tis my
Sandy come back with broth for the
bairn."
CAY, mither," cried a rough, manly
voice at the door, ''God be thanked,
tits thy boy Sandy come back indeed!''
:. The wife stood like one turned to
stone.
"Escaped?" she gasped, with shud-
der, as her husband held out his arms;
"escaped?
"Nae, my lass" he cried; ''never
fear, it's not escaped I am, but par
doned, Jenny-pardoned."
That meeting was too sacred for a
strangers eye to witness, and so I
silently stole away and left them; the
strong man shaken with emotion, wife
and child sobbing upon his breast,
and granny with her "bairn" tenderly
clssped in her arms, smiling upon the
group in placid, sweet content.-Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.
o., IT, n