Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-01-24

to move forward to become a distinct
shape. Ana presently one could dis
Germ the rude outlines of a human fig
IRE bowed beneath q heavy burden.
Nearer and nearer it came and now
there could be no mistake. 1t was the
old negro with his backload of can
teens.
The boy waved his hand and tried
to shout. 1t seemed an eternity be-
fore the old man saw him and hurried
forward
Dat 20. Massa," he mumbled. Use
been a-lOokin' TO yo'. Pears lax
couldn' DIES recomember which uns
wuz 70, ennyhow. Heah's yo watah."
He fumbed among the canteens and
finally lowered one The boy drank
eagerly and while he was yet drinking
the negro moved on.
And now the star shine was the only
light on the battle field. The sweet
spring night had Sc tiled noiselessly
down and the wind blowing lightly
across the water brought faint, cool,
delicious odors from the fresh mead
ows beyond. The boy lay with face
upturned to the sky across which the
milky way trailed it's filmy length. He
had been trying to count the stars one
by one but the effort had made him
.drowsy and he now lay in gentle
languor that was neither sleeping nor
waking. {
The day with it's exciting scenes
had faded from his mind. He saw
| only the rugged mountains of Yer
mont. and the pretty white village
nesting in the valley through which
| the wild little river hurried on it's
way to the sea- Always splashing,
foaming, bubbling, and yet the boys
knew of many good swimming hole
| overhangng willows. And the long
quiet street where the old. men and
| children gathered in the cool OF the
day, and the brown school house with
| it's rosy-cheexed mistress and flock of
untidy lads and lasses And the
church with it's dim cool interior, and
the leaf shadows which the naples
cast through the blinds upon the floor;
| and his mothers house. with the orch
| ard and we'll sweep, and his mother
herself with her pure, pale face ana
silken brown hair lightly sprinkled
with gray. Poor mother, how lonely
she must be tonight without her boy
| He could see her as of old sitting in
her little low chair with the shaded
| lamp upon the table beside her and
the Bible open in her lap. And Edith,
his bright. tall sister whom he mad
always thought more beautiful than
any one he had ever seen, she would
be kneeling at the window with her
folded arms upon the low broad Sill
and her head upon her arms, gazing
out into the night and thinking of him.
Now the years swing suddenly back
ward and he was a little child again
| at home. The late northern spring
time filed all the river valley and
the orchards were laden with fragrant
bloom. Under the great apple tree by
| the Ola wen sweep uC was cSi'o Wv "AiS
by Edith. How delicious it all was
the sweet, liquid sunshine, the per-
fume of the apple blossoms, the
weightless white petals drifting down
upon his head, the free, swift motion
of the swing and his tall, strong sis
ter with her laughing brown eyes and
bright rebellious hair How green the
grass was-no, is, and the skies how
blue. Just look, Edith, there is never
the filmiest rag of cloud to mar their
perfectness! Now higher-higher--
higher still, straight up among the
boughs where the brown bees are hum
ming. All, he can go no higher. He
is sinking earthward slowly-slowly-
slowly He shuts his eyes. His Sis
ter's gay laugh rings in his ears.
"Edith!' he cried. Mother !....
And the star shine falls tenderly upon
his young dead face.