Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-24

Is AoSos
lain side by side upon sand. But Lo.
bokin's heart was too kind to go away
and leave those two innocent children
there to starve. So he left them eacf
a weapon and food, and the poor fell
low even divided the v,.tcr he had ir
his canteen, when water was so pre-.
| cious
The next morning. they awoke, the
| boiling sun streaming down upor
them. They were frightened at theil
plight, but could do nothing, and pool
little Aboai .sobbed and cried, and al
though Ali felt a big lump coming III
in his throat, he tried to soothe- Ter
saying in shaky voice, Father
can go ba :. home" But it was moi
SO easy to go back home. and they
started in entirely the wrong direc-
ton. They wandered aimlessly around
and used their water very carefully
and often would go thirsty for hours
at time. After>wandering for da.
they stopped to rest and Ali looked al
around him, then suddenly cried
"Aboni, grille, look yonder, see that
speck. I do believe it's an oasis" HI
had clasped his sister in one arm ant
was pointing towards tie speck witt
the other.
Alboni said she truly hoped so anG
started out towards the tiny speck
{, but Ali told her to wait and rest g
bit, as it would soon be sun down and
by that time they would be rested
| They waited until shutdown and Their
proceeded toward the speck. Late the
! next afternoon they were almost to IT
AS they drew near it, Ali gave sigh
| OF disappointment, for instead Of g
| cool and shady Oasis al they had ex-
pected, they found but a tall pole
with a sort of a roof or what was left
| OF a roof on top. 1t was all badly
| warped by the sun, but it afforded g
| little shade for these hot and foot-sore
children.
! They rested all evening and spent
| the night there. Next morning they
| Were awakened by the hot sun beating
down upon them and they were ter
ribly thirsty. They peeped in the can.
teen but there was only few drops
and this Ali gave to his sister. But
soon she became thirsty agai. and
| began to cry for water. Ali was very
| that, he began to cry with her. But
All didn't cry very long for it wasn''
his nature to cry, but he just straight
ened UP and said he was not goine tc
cry any more, that it was babyish.
| Aboni's sobs grew less violent, but
| did not cease altogether. Finally
Albonfs auavering little noise broke
the silence. ALI" she said, "lets dig
a WE'LL
"A well, a WELL" said Ali. in scorn-
full tone. why Alboni,' I'd be asham.
ed, why you've been born and raised
right in desert and then expect to
| find water by merely digging in a
place like this
ooh, but Ali, maybe God would
make nice miracle and put water ir
the ground if we would just dig and
pray" Ali had plenty of faith in God
and His works, so he frightened W
and said, Alright, grille let's do dig
well and we can pray while we
work. So they set about digging q
well with the spear and dagger Lo-
bokin left them. AS you may believe
1t was slow work. They had dug
about two feet. when Ali struck
something hard with his spear. He
looked down and saw what he sup
posed was a rock. He reached dowr
and picked 1t UP. 1t was very heavy
for so small rock and he threw il
down upon the sand and went or
about his digging. Aloni dropped her
work and picked up the stone saying
ooh, Ali what pretty stone this is
Why don't you keep it?" Ali noticed
where a lump Of sand had fallen off
there was dull glfstening. He did
think it was pretty now and so put
1t in his pocket. Ali hadn't worked
long when all at once he gave a. sigh
and laid down.
Whats the matter. ALP" asked
Aboni. ooh nothing. grille" said All
closing his eyes. But Aboni knew he
was sick or something was the mat
ter. For sometime Ali lay as if in a
stuper, Aboni doing all that was in
her power to rouse him and to help
him. But she could not arouse him
nor get his attention anyway. Sud-
denly their appeared on the horizon a
spek. 1t was moving and was coming
toward the children. Alboni knew at
once what it was and said to Ali in
an excited voice, cali, brother wake up
caravan is coming"
The word caravan" seemed to lend
strength to Ali. He spr Ang to his feet
and looked around Yes, there it was
but if they did not go to meet it. they
would not get to it for it would not
pass the pole. So Ali, weak as he was,
took Aboni by the hand, picked up his
pretty stone and started to meet the
Caravan.
AS they drew near they saw a famil-
lar figure on camel. 1t was their
uncle. Of course they We're greeted
cordially and Ali was now so wea
from thirst and fatigue that he had
to be nursed all the way home, but he