The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-10-15

/ Where you goin' now?" he asked.
ITO the cemetery" she replied.
Presently they reached the bleak
little country burying ground. The
| man got down from his seat and
swung open the iron gate. The woman
! drove through and up the path, her
husband following. She drew up be-
fore lot with q single new-made
grave on it.
Who's lots this?' he demanded.
Mime" she said 'I sold the spoons
mother left me to get it, an I had Jim
Bell dig the grave this afternoon while
| was gone''
She fumbled beneath the seat and
| found lantern. This she lighted and,
climbing from the wagon, set it on
the ground.
Take hold of one end of that box"
she commanded her. husband. 'Tn
take hold of the other end"
You can't" he objected.
Take hold as tell you,'' she re-
| peated. =.
The box was lifted slowly from the
wagon, the woman staggering beneath
its weight. They stumbled across the
lot to the side of the open grave.
Set it down now" she painted.
Careful, oh, CAREFUL"
Gently it rested on the earth. The
woman Strengthened up painfully,
gasping for breath. She stood silently
beside the man, her head bowed
will you offer a prayer" she said
at length.
| He hesitated.
You're glib enough at class-meet-
in" she taunted scornfully
Still he hesitated.
Then, if you won't, take off your
hat an kneel down."
She felt dull surprise that he again
obeyed her. Heretofore she had al.
ways done the obeying. Side by side
they knelt on the damp earth, and
the woman began the Lords prayer.
"Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name"
Her voice broke. She seemed about
to give way to paroxysm of grief, but
| after moment she controlled herself
| and went on bravely to the cid:
| For Thine is the kingdom and the
power and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen"
After time they rose together 81.
lently. The woman turned:
Jim said he'd leave a coil of rope
here" she said. See anything of it?"
| He fumbled about a moment.
Here 'tis," he said, and passed 1t to
her.
"Fasten it to the two ends of the
box she bade him. Well lower it
into the grave"
You can't" he said again, but
nevertheless he made the knots.
| Then slowly, carefully and, for the
woman, most painfully, the box was
| lowered. She knelt down again and
with her bare hands threw in the loose
gravel until the box was covered.
| The man stood by, watching duly.
| After a time she arose and turned
away.
The man backed the team and
beckoned. "Git in," he said.
| She shrank from him. Il amt goin'
with you," she said
'"Ain't goin'!" he repeated. why
not? Amt it enough for him to dis
grace an dishonor me without your
doin' it, too?"
She drew herself up with blazing
eyes.
| "'Twarn't his fault" she cried hotly.
you drove him to it. You worked
him to death an ground him down till
he run away. Then, when he wrote
you he was sick an in trouble, you
said, let him find his own way out
an when you heard he was goin'
wrong you never stretched out a hand
| to him. You turned your back on
him. l amt goin back with you!
There's blood on every acre of that
land of yours, an blood on everything
else you've got! He amt so bad as
you are, to my mind. He killed a
mans body, but you killed his soul
years ago! Oh, Tom! Oh, Tom! Oh,
my God! !"
He took a step towards her. You
come with me-" he said, but she
slipped past him and vanished into the
night, running on and on until her
breath was gone and her knees sank
beneath her.
The early morning train had just
left the Craigville station. 1t was
bowling across the marshlands which
stretched away bare and brown in the
mist.
In the rear car the conductor stop
ped before a woman who sat gazing
steadfastly out of window at a
dreary landscape.
Ticket, pleased" he suggested
mildly.
The woman made no movement, but
continued to stare vacantly at the
melancholy marshes. At sharp repe-
tition of the mans demand she slowly
turned face from which all sign Of
reason had fed, and muttered:
| 81 amt got no ticket"
Then I'll take your fare. Where
are you going?"
A strange light leaped to the weary
eyes, and the thin lips drew tensely,
as the answer came evenly:
I .T,z xuhn ic -