Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-03-21
BORN TO SERVE
By Charles n. Sheldon.
Author of ssIN HIS STEPS, ..JoHN KINGS
QUESTION GLASS; .sEDWARD
BLAKE Etc.
CHAPTER vI.-cosr1NuEp.
Copyright, 1900, by Charles u. shsldon.l

CHAPTER vI.-CoNTINUED.
"Mr. Ward has not been able to
get nurse yet, and-and-we have
not begun to-look around fora girl
-CarPs sudden illness"
I'll come back and help if you
want me to-" said Barbara, quietly.
All this time she had been holding
Carts hand. He chung to her with
feverish strength.
"And we'll have good times in the
other gingerbread man like Mr. Nor
ton, same's the one we made before
You know, Barbara?"
Eyes, yes, little man, I will do any
thing for you. Well have good times
together again.
And you'll stay always. won't you,
Barbara, a1ways?".
''I'm going to stay, dear. Don't talk
any more now," Barbara said gently.
And Carl seemed satisfied, dropping
into condition of stupor which the
doctor who called an hour later re-
garded with grave attention.
While the doctor was attending to
Carl and Mrs. Ward was anxiously
standing by him, Barbara slipped
down into the dining-room, and found
matters in confusion as she had ex-
pected. The breakfast dishes were
still on the table, the kitchen fire
had gone out, and all the rooms
downstairs were in disorder. She
quickly set to work to restore order;
and, when the doctor had gone and
Mrs. Ward had come down, Barbara
had cleaned up the dishes and the
dining-room, and had begun to set
the kitchen to rights.
Mrs. Ward stepped out into the
Kitchen; and, as Barbara was NOV
ing into the dining-room for some
thing, she suddenly threw her arms
about her, and cried: "You don't
know what it, means to me to have
you back again. We have had three
miserable days. Carl is very sick
child. am all worn outi' She then
sat down and cried nervously.
Barbara felt embarrassed at first
in the role of comforter. But she was
quick to see how dependent Mrs.
Ward had become. 1t was, after all,
as woman to woman that they were
related now in their common anxiety
for Carl. And Barbara tried to cheer
the mother by every word of encour-
Agement she could think of while she
busted herself with the necessary de-
tails of the kitchen work.
In the afternoon she went over to
her mothers and told her what her
decision was. Mrs. Clark sadly con-
Eented, and did not make so strong
an objection as Barbara had feared.
So the little trunk was carried again
20 the ola room, and Barbara real
lied that her career had received a
new beginning in some sense, she
hardly knew how. One thing she felt
very strongly, however. And that was
that under the stress of need at the
Wards she was doing exactly the
right thing in going back to her life
of service there. Whatever the days
might have for her of opportunity
I'm the future for large service in the
greater problem, it was to her mind
very clear that her immediate duty
lay within the circle of this one fam
lily that needed her.
She realized this more and more
strongly as the next few DAYS
brought to her and the family a new
and sad experience. AS CARTS con-
dition grew worse, she spent more
and more of her time with him. Mrs.
Ward secured a good nurse, but Carl
cried in his delirium for Barbara, and
she sat with him many hours of every
day. She was with him when the
end came which they had all come to
know was inevitable. 1t will always
be one of the comforting thoughts, of
Barbara's life that she won and held
the love of this child All that came
to her long after. But, as this little
Efe slowly breathed itself out in
the early gray of that morning, with
the weeping father and mother and
: the two boys as they gathered
around the bed, she felt a tender
sympathy for them all as if she, too,
had been one of the members of the
family. Carl had insisted to the very
Inst Gu clinging to his mother and to
Barba ra. Each woman held a hand
as the child's soul went out of the
fraii body to God who gave it.
Mr.: Morton, who had been a fire.
quent visitor at the house during the
trouble that had come upon it, was
lifting by Mr.. Ward that morning.
hhen the end finally came, he
tneeled down by Mr.. Wards side,
and Barbara was conscious that the
minister's strong, right hand was laid
compassion on the bereaved IA
Aer's hand IS he prayed for conso-
elton.