Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1902-01-04

money and lett hlln unable TO pay.
When the time came to account for
| the amount IN the treasury, a
friendly commissio warned him
of his impending arrest on charge
Of felony, and he had just time to
rise IN the night with his wife and
flee across the border into this ma
tive state, where he had remained
ever since.
On the night Of their flight he
and his wife had turned the cattle
out Of the first shed they had come
to il order to rest for the night,
and in that shed they had now lived
for tWenty -seyen years
From years end to years end
they never saw a white face except
one Of the few planters IN the val
ley, an official like myself, who
crossed the. border for a holiday, or
q stray globe trotter Here among
people distinct III color and alien
il speech and thought the cultiFat-
ed man and the delicately nurtuTed
woman had lived out their Life
alone.
Ia this fertile valley aie earth
produced all that was necessary to
sustain life. The natives gave them
Of their kind, and, like the natives,
they lived mostly upon grain, rice
and. other vegetable products De-
casionally a planter would send.
them a9barrefrof apples or a case Of
whisky Spencer would accept such
presents as he might have received
under happier circumstances, but
he never took money. The pride of
a gentleman still burned in him,
though it had no respect for dak
bungalow curtains.
Spencer had lined the mud walls
Of the cowshed with planks and
made a few rough tables and chairs.
Everything was scrupalously clean,
but the hut was almost as bare and
comfortless as it had been in its
original condition as barn. He
kept a diary in which he would note
the date on which the cuckoo was
first heard in the valley, how one
season the pear trees all burst into
bloom for the second time, an I'M
usual phenomenon, or how IN an
other year the water channels on
the hillsides all dried up because
there was so little snow to melt,
drought ensued and there was
scarcity in the land These were
now his life's interests.
Mrs Spencer when I knew her
was a little fat woman with round
cheeks which were now getting
weather beaten, but she had brave
gray eyes. 1t was only necessary
to see the tiT9 together to know
that through al years Of trial
that had passed OR them a perfect
comradeshipremained between them.
After all Spencer had his compen-
sation. Whatever troubles he may
have endured, he had the one great
blessing which SO many men lack
his life had not been left incom-
plete or manned by an unsympa-
thetic helpmate.
Once found myself looking at
my wife with alien eyes and won
dering if l were thus Joutcast by So
ciety, and I deserved it, whether
she would cleave to me through
good report and through evil re-
port as this old woman stood by
her husband.
Ny wife caught my eye and said:
"What is it, dear? What treason
are you thinking against me now ?"
l told her.
'"Traitor!!" she whispered as she
nestled her hand into mine,- and
then she sighed: S'Poor old things! |
l wish we could do something to
brighten their lives for them. Next |
Sunday is Michaelnas day. Let's |
ask them both here to dinner. It's |
not much, and even such as it is it
may only help to show them the
darkness of their ordinary lives to
remind them Of things that it would |
be better to forget"
The eventful day arrived and
brought with it Spencer in his sash
Of the "grand old scarlet, " while his
wife had a complete gown of the
same material. The excitement and.
the wine brought a flush to the old
Woman's cheeks which showed in
their red lines beneath the skin7
like cracks in very old china.
The dinner was over, and the
pair insisted on giving US a song in
return for our hospitality. They
stood up hand in hand, and the
song that they sang was "Auld
Lang Syne.
& II lhol,ad az M, yrifn ond bo, a1,ac