Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-04-21
EQSIer Of NhdyV1|e.
~N~~~~o~o~

It was Easter Sunday at little cabin,
sut on the prairies of western Kansas.
Old Pete GRIPPE and his wife had got
unto their OK wagon, and gone away to
spend the day in visiting with some
neighb0rs on Cheyenne creek about five
miles distant.
Title and Bonnie Lewis, who lived
with the Gripes, to whom they We're
distantly related, and because they had
mo other place to live, had been left
at home to take a general charge of
shings, till Pete and his wife returned
In the evening.
Dave Lewis and his fair young wife,
with their children, had lived in Missouri
. few years ago. The father had got
she gold fever in a very strong form,
and believed by going to the mining re-
gions of the Rockies he would make a
fortune, such as would enable his fam
lily to throw aside the toll and poverty
chat had been their portion in life.
Leaving his wife to keep house for
aer brother, who was a single man, Dave
Lewis set out for the mountains, full of
ambition and hope. a few letters had
passed between husband and wife, then
a long silence ensued. Several months
golled by during which time Mrs. Lewis
heart was filled with the direst appre-
tensions, then came a letter from
stranger, who wrote from some obscure
mining camp in Idaho saying that Dave
Lewis had left that place with a party
of venturesome prospectors, many weeks
ago. He went on to say that While
crossing the mountains, a fearful snow
storm had suddenly descended, binding
and confusing them so they had wan
dered from the trail, and not one had
escaped alive. Only a few bodies had
been found, and it was believed that
Lewis body with several of his COM
panions, was buried far under a snow
slide down the pass.
Mrs. Lewis never fully recovered from
4he shock, and soon after, her brother
Aaving married and gone to a ranch in
Texas, and having no other relations
60 go to, she took Title and Bonnie to
Kansas 10 live with old Pete GRIPPE,
who was her deceased fathers half
Brother
But she did not live long to trouble
ever her condition, and all too soon poor,
heart-broken Title and Bonnie found
themselves alone on those wild prairies.
1t was Mrs. Gripe's wish to have the
children taken to the poor house in the
adjoining county, declaring it would
take too much to keep two big eatin'
young-uns like them-uns. But Pete
mad declared against the poor house bust
ness, so Tillie and Bonnie had remained
En the GRIPPE household after their moth
er's death.
sad enough life it was, too, which
they led in the Gripe cabin, without
books, playthings, or loving words all of
which are dear to the heart of children.
On that Easter Sunday when they
were left alone, Tillie was ten and Ben
ME seven.
Title was using an old stub of a broom
60 sweep the uneven floor of the kitchen,
while Bonnie, with his chubby little
hands clasped behind him, watched her
energetic motions.
Say, TILL" he said suddenly, "wot's
Easter?'
"Oh, it's to stuff eggs. all they kin
hold, I reckon replied Tillie, pausing
with her sweeping, and trying to look
wise. Anyway it's mostly eggs for,
yer know, las Easter Mis- GRIPPE let me
so over an spend the day with Mary
an Emmy Curry. an they had fried eggs
an billed ones. Oh, it was nice.'
Such holidays were rare in the little
girls life. and the memory of that Eas-
ser passed with the Curry girls was a
very pleasant one. Bonnie, too, remem-
bered that Easter, and the heavy cold
which had made Mrs. GRIPPE forbid his
accompanying Title on her visit AL
though he had often gone over the de-
tails of that day with his sister, he al
ways found some fresh pleasure in dis
cusSing it anew.
An hadn't yer nothin' else? nothin'
but eggs!' he asked.
''Oh. yes Heaps an heaps more. We
Aad 'lasses, an biscuits an taters, an
aurnips An jist all the eggs we could
stuff But casters mostly stuf1in' eggs,
I reckon" she explained. resuming her
sask with the broom.
Say. Till" insisted the little fellow,
eggs is mighty good"
I'VE bet they air, Bennie," returned
lille, brushing the dust into the old
fireplace.
Wont Uncle Pete an Mis- GRIPPE
HtuH eggs though to-day, over to Jor-
&anSes':'
My Won't they. though.
Il wish we had some eggs. Till"
"Maybe we kin have some, Bonnie"
and the dark eyes of the little girl twin
Ned roguishly and meaningly.
How kin we, when Mis- GRIPPE made
Uncle Pete tote the las one down to
Windyyille last night? An we-uns
wouldn't dars't to tech one eff they was
bushels of 'em hyer, an she knows list
now many the hens lay every day." de-