Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-12-18
worry you, z cried the sick woman, 50,

q -
- Notsa thing except what worries
|. other people, answered Hattie. But
she knew that all the time she car.
ried beneath her songs and CHEEKY
{ wordssa heartache that was as hard
to bear as the young wife's own.
It was Mark for whom her heart
ached. A year ago she had thought
that by this time she and Mark would
be settled in pioneer cabin of their
own Her quilts were all quilted, her
store Of household goods was ready
But GOODNESS had come between
them, and Mark had gone away
back east where girls were plenty"
Since then she had been learning to
live without him and 1t was q bitter
lesson. True she did not speak of
1t. not even to her best friends. but
the ache was always there
Her work was done at last. She
had time to look at little Lille Stun.
bering in her low trundle-bed with
her stocking spread out trustingly on
the pillow beside her. Now was the
time for Santa Claus to come But
the sick mother was too i'll and broken
with anxiety to be bothered There
was nobody to fill that stocking but
Hattie. and nothing to fill it with ex.
cept what her girls wit might de-
wise
She was very tired. All day she
had been battling against storm and
sickness, doing a woman's work and
mans too. Now she must do Santa
Claus work Was ever Santa
Claus 50 sleepy? Oh, what would she
not give to throw herself on the bed.
dressed as she was, and sleep? But
there was no time for that. Santa
Claus must come to the waiting child
She knew that in a little while the
sick woman would rouse again and
need her. Softly and YEARLY she lift.
ed the one little drop-leaf table over
to the window farthest from the sick
mother and placed the lamp upon it.
Then she got out her precious, dimin-
ishing store of letter paper that had to
be brought to her from 6 miles away.
like the rest Of the supplies, and the
clumsy shears, and began to make
paper dolls.
Clip. clip, went the big shears That
and the rustic of the paper were the
only sounds to be heard. Gradually she
realized that the bowling of the wind
had ceased and the blizzard had gone
down
Lilies words kept repeating them
selves sleepily in her tired brain "A
light load Surely this Christmas
gift would be light enough for Santa
Claus to take anywhere. Clip, clip,
went the shears, and wonderful crea.
tons fell from Hatties hands. There
was a father with miniature news
paper spread out before him. There
was mother with a baby in her arms
and a1Other in a tiny paper cradle at
her feet. There were brothers and
sisters.
Snip-snip-Her hands went slower
and slower until the last of the paper
family trailed off into aimless cut
ting. Then Hatties weary head sank
down on the table and Hattie was
asleep. Asleep and dreaming of
Mark
In the daytime she could keep the
thought of him away from her with
fierce determination. In the night it
would come, She was dreaming and
she knew it. She had dreamed Of
him toe often not to know. And in
her dream the door burst open and
Mark stood before her. OF course it
could not be real. Or, rather, it was
dream of Marks ghost all deathly
white. But even Marks ghost was
welcome. There could not be any
harm in embracing a ghost in
dream She threw her arms around his
neck
But this was no dream It was too
solid and it was too cold. 1t was a
real man who stood before her, be-
numbed with cold, and covered with
snow from head to foot.
In flash she came out of her
dream. 1t was we'll for Mark that
she was just what she was. and that
she knew what to do. She brought
the great tub Of melting snow-water.
cut off the frozen footwear and nit
tens and plunged his feet and hands
in it. She rubbed his face with snow.
She made hot coffee-blessing the
fOrethought that had kept the kettle
filed with boiling water for the sick
woman's use-and forced him to drink
it. Little by little life and strength
came back to him and 1ncoherent
words.
"Started-with Craver. He wanted
TO see-his wife. l wanted-to see
you. Blizzard came up, Lost our
way. Dug a hole in the snow and
stayed two night Went long while
and came to Smiths farm Craver-
too badly frozen-to 60 on. Will be
all right after awhile but couldn't go
on then. Wanted to like fury Smith
had to hold him back. Good thing
He couldn't have come on his frozen
foot 1oe<