Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-03-23

near and yet SO far from her. Perhaps
when come back He mounted the
stairs and closed the door OF his room.
With sigh. his sister went back to
her embroidery.
In the meantime BERTHE. with quick
glance over his shoulder, Ind delibeI
ately turned his back on home and
long instilled obedience. If Mr.. Henry
was not going 10 share the pleasures of
tea. sponge cakes and new trousers.
what was the use of having them at
all? And over there, beyond the rail-
read track. lived a little boy who had
three big brothers and a jolly father
who smoked a pipe and whose mother
did not write letters and cry.
A minute later it came to Aunt
Helen, one sharp, shrill cry of boyish
terror. She sprang to her feet terri
fed and trying to figure the direction
from which it had come. When she
reached the street, Mrs. Johnson. white
of face, was leaning against a tree.
"Bertie-he's caught on the railroad
track! The express is backing down!
My heart-I can't rum
But Aunt Helen could run, and down
the street toward the track she sped
She could see the small dark blue fig
ure huddled in the middle of the
tracks. She could hear the warning
whistle of the express, backing from
the transfer depot to the local station.
and then something dreadful happened
BERTHE, BERTHE, I'm comingv she
cried and then FELL her dainty slipper
tangled In a mass of lace fripperies.
In vain she struggled to her feet. A
fresh ENHANCEMENT of lace threw her
back to the ground. She could hear
people screaming in every direction.
She heard the rush of hurrying feet
and then a strong voice called. Com
ingw Just as she got to her own feet
she saw Henry Strong slide down the
pillar Of his sisters porch He had
sprung through his window to the roof
of the porch and was not wasting
time on stairways. Straight ahead of
her he few like a streak, bounded over
the first track, bent over the boy and
then sOmeth ng came between her and
the two dark figures-something that
rumbled and Numbered away into a
horrible silence. Aunt Helen did not
open her eyes. She did not dare to-
When Mrs. Johnson came she found
her lying unconscious and white on the
edge Of the curb.
1t was Mr.. Henry who carried Aunt
Helen home to the dim sitting room,
and BERTHE limped soberly, for, like the
boy in the song, he had one shoe off
and one shoe on. Later when Aunt
Helen was quite herself Mrs. Johnson
brought In what was left of the miss
ing shoe when the express had passed
over it, and then Aunt Helen learned
how Mr.. Henry had ripped open the
shoe, which had caught in frog on
the track, and with BERTHE in his arms
had rolled down the bank to safety.
That night after BERTHE had eaten two
sponge cakes and had been tucked into
bed Mr.. Henry, who had forgotten that
dinner engagements ever existed, sat
in his old corner in Aunt Helen's sit
ting room, and Aunt Helen sat beside
him in her little wicker rocker.
Henry she said softly, II was
wrong, and you were right. BERTHE
needs you-and / need you. l have
missed you
He did not answer, and there was
troubled look in his eyes. She rose
suddenly and crossed to her desk.
"See, dear, it was not because of
what happened this afternoon. l was
writing to you when he ran away, poor
lonely laddie! He knew something was
wrong"
Henry Strong read the half finished
letter and kissed her.
"And now he knows it is all right
again. Let's go upstairs and make
sure he is not having bad dreams.
Poor chap! He had great scare"
And so BERTHE, waking from restless
slumber, saw the two faces dearest in
all the world bending over him. and,
reaching out for two protecting hands,
he fell into peaceful sleep.