Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-01-09
There's work to be

and one of them, a smart little French
Canadian, exclaimed:
"Ah. guess ah know were dat bebby
come from, me. Dat mans leev in lum-
Der shanty on Coon Hill; he gone, an
heez oil hooman have tree, four, five
bebby-prob'ly two. All bet dat mans
left dat bebby, seh!'
Il shouldn't wonder" replied Nathan
Drew. 'Shiftless cuss. Camping down
on my property. without even asking
permission, and using my lumber shan
ty, stove and woodI I'm glad he's gone,
but l wish he'd taken his hull dern
brood with him. The young un1l prob'ly
grow up jest like the rest Of 'em, lazy
and wuthlessr
Il heard say" continued the little
Frenchman, dat mans Hinglishman,
good family, but not YER strong for
work. Los heez health an 'bliged to
take to de woods. No money-no
health-big family. All guess ah'll do
bout same ting as him, Dah gosh, if ah
get too much bebbyr'
Don't doubt it, Alphonse," rejoined
the farmer. That's jest the sort of a
fellow you be, and yer hull Canuck
tribe"
Alphone grinned appreciatively and
took no offense. Then silence fell upon
the three men until the last drop of
their monday lunch had disappeared.
Abigail tenderly laid the baby down
In the grass, while she gathered to-
gether the dishes and napkins and re-
packed them in the basket. Her broth
er stood over her. watching. He was a
spare, hard faced, iron gray man, who
showed by every line and feature the
absence of sentiment in his makeup
The woman's hands trembled as she
worked. She knew he was about to say
something concerning the child. Pres
emily he spoke:
"You kin keep that young un jest two
days, Abigail. Then, If there don't no.
body come to claim it, l am going to
take it to the Founding Hospital"
Having thus delivered himself, he
shouldered his pitchfork and walked
determinedly away.
Tears obscured the homeward path
of the little woman as she struggled
through the shimmering sunlight with
the infant on her arm. She knew that
her brother would be turned from his
purpose neither by argument nor by en-
treaty. He had spoken, and that was
an end of 1.-THE infiexible ultimatum
of that old Puritan bred tyranny that
survives in so many heads of New En-
gland households.
But though the path was blurred, it
took her home-the only home she had
ever known, the roof under which she
had been born and reared, and which
had descended toher elder brother when
their parents died. Fastening to the
pantry she took milk and warmed it for
the babe, half stupefied by starvation
Then clumsily, yet with a wOman's in
stinct, she sparingly fed the child with
spoon, few drops at time. AS life
came back to the little body with nour-
ishment, the baby cried weakly, and
Abigail strained it to her bosom, while
tears of mingled joy and pity rained
down upon the little head. What a
pretty child it was, despite suffering
What clear white skin; what blue
blue eyes; what breadth of forehead
and fullness Of temple; what dainty
little hands; what soft, sweet NECK
for nesting a mothers lips!
For two days Abigail Drew lived in
the awful joy of one who drains the
nectar from a cup which, when emp
tied, must be dashed to earth She
tried to put away the thought that she
and that little baby girl must part. She
tried to make those two precious days
heaven enough for all of life. She
tried, with all the dutifulness and rev.
erence Of her nature, to bow to her
brothers will and be content. But
every hour the whisper in her heart
grew stronger and more insistent:
"Cleave to the child! Keep her, cher
ish her. She is yours, a gift of God,
the answer to your life long prayer"
At last she went to her brother and
poured out her heart with an intensity
Of passion he had never suspected in
that quiet, reserved, meekly subservi-
ent sister of his. But, although sur
prised and disturbed, Nathan Drew
was not moved. His heart remained
obdurate. To him, the thought of
founding child in the house was unen-
durable. Never lover of children. al
ways convinced in his own heart that
childlessness was the more blessed
state, how could he be expected to look
with favor upon an adopted baby, a
child concerning whose antecedents
and propensities one knew absolutely
nothing? No! he would not hear to it.
To the Founding Hospital at Mayfield
the little waif must 60.
Toward evening of the last day Of
her probation, Abigail Drew began to
gather together certain little treasures
of her own-heirlooms. Her mothers
Bible; the laces left her by her Aunt
Judith; an old-fashioned watch and
chain; six silver spoons worn thin as
paper-these and a few other things
she wrapped in bundle and then, TAX
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