New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-31

She stood at her low window. with its uneven.
A little snow had fallen-not much, only enough 10
add sense Of desolaIion to the bOundiess plain. the
log hut. The log hut was Ike tiny boat moored in
some vast, tGeless. impossible The immensely
OF the prairie had crushed her in the carrier years
OK her married life; but gradually see had become
almost part OF il The gray had come early 10 her
tllcA hllr certain nXlty 70 the quiet coCrSge @
this evening as she stood watching for her hus-
bands return for the first distant speCk OF him
where the cart rut vanished into The plain, sense
dusk was It because the nrSt snow had f aleni
All me! How much it meant! II was as significant
tof heT as the gray paI!or that ta1iS on a sIcA H
face 1t meant The endless winter the greater $50
hand and foot in that all enveIOping STROUD
the struggle not for existence with him beside hsr
Tor her sske1 but for life in anv but ts narroVest
long months these would be almost entirely denied
OF life flooded her SOU, touching to nonentary
isa6 @ 9E n9yeent many thqss URs fne
beyond his hwater mark. that cannot exist between
against the wishes Of her family she or the south
busy city life she knew and clave to her hus-
Da, ton9%ng MN over the nm OF IN, me "o[ f as
with she superior TO her husband In birth,
cultivation, refinement but she hao never regretted
what she had done. The regrets were his for her,
Tor The poverty TO which he had brought her ana and
had only one regret Of such thin strip OF
word regret be used to describe her pas
prairie)-because she had child Perhaps II they
waste might have closed In on them less Tigidly.
1t might have become more OF home -,
Her mind had taken it's old mechanical bent the
trend OF long habit as she looked out from that
low o6y wen might h bav RSd cSd
and now by sheer force of habit she thought II yet
Of her whole being mounted. mounted till she
leaned against the window sill faint with Joy. she
believe it at first. but as time had gone on vague
To suspense suspense had aIternated with the fierce
despair that precedes certainty. Certainty had come
moiu "a w. q c1tId Ho+LIg b1It stem toward low
The world was all broken up, and made new The
prairie its great loneliness us deatn4ag 5ifj
in the spring. She had not dared 70 tell her nus
band till she was sure. But she WOULD zen MN Us
evening. when they were sitting together over Ihs
She stood rnotionIess in the deepening dusk, try
ing-to be calm, And at last In the rar elsIaaGs,
she saw speck arise as Il were GU. q q f 5
o the 9ye hg Gadfe Of times she had Seen him
appear over the En o. the w0d 54s 6t +, n Ne
window. she blew the log fire 70 blaze Inc
hrelights danced on the wooden waIS SEoGg TlC
types that reminded her she too had brothers and
sisters and kin Of her own far away In one %: o.
those Southern cities where the war was still
s s1 sIlband took his horse round and stalled
him Presently he came in, They stood inoInent
together in silence as Inelr his sboMder Then
She busted herself with his supper. and he sat
09Th ad voa any difculty this time IN getting the
money together" she asked
Her husband was rent collector. -
None p" ne said abstractedly. AT least. yes-a
little. But I have II al. ana inc arrears d "0--
1t makes q large sum. . .,.4-- .1sa
she did not speak again. She saw his MIND was
troubled. -, ,,,-,., - -,t5 az
last which I don't like II had heard IN time;
and IL I could have borrowed a rreSn morse, WCtl1
have ridden straight on to But II was 700 -
IN he dav TO be safe. and you would nave Dv+.t
~ joT,s 9vbat had become OF me IL had been our
All night with all this money on me. shaI 80 To-
morrow as soon II Is nEht -, - -.
They discussed the business wnlcn zoos nm n ~. ~
The nearest town. thirty miles away Wnere tIlelr
s,Ii sa1-inrs were Notwithstanding precarlous-
" as it turned out. What was SAFE WnQ We
..Sofs willis the Invisible war between North ana
South smouIdered on and on? 1t had not come cone
1Ssr them. but "a an earthquake which Is eIsuIL-
ING cities in one part OF Europe VIII rattle Le4eup
without overseeing It on cottage sheI ntlL
coItiTrnr away, so the Civil War had reached
them at last. $50, =. Ia. b,,4 1t. Fe~A
&c overcast II don't see why We shou1d lose
the little we have. It has been haTd enous1 ts 20
soV,,a ~ toEether Pror1ptitude and JOINT acJlon
Win Reynolds viii probably save IL But must