The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-09-23
and dropped on her bare, Drowned fore

and dropped on her bare, Drowned fore
arms.
Another year rolled by, and then
another. At intervals their childless
condition had been mentioned by John,
but as the subject seemed to cause
Martha much distress he rarely alluded
to it. And gradually gloomy silence
hal taken the place of their heretofore
companionable hours.
Then one day John had to make a
business trip to great city and when
he returned he brought the little hunch-
back girl with him. A little misshapen
piece of humanity waif cast up and
deserted on iife's dreariest shores. John
had found her in the Orphans Home
of the great city, where he had gone
thinking perhaps he might pick up a
sturdy youngster to brighten their.
childless home. But when he looked
into the starry depths of those great
brown eyes and read the longing, low
ing eagerness of the little soul peeping
through them he forgot all about sturdy
youngsters and misshapen bodies.
He grabbed the little hunchback up
in his arms and turning almost fiercely
on the grayhaired matron, said: ''This
one will do"
The stearnfeatured old woman, whose
sympathies had become deadened from
years of contact with human misery in
every conceivable form, laid her hand
on Johns arm and with hesitating
voice said: "For that I could almost
wish you were my son."
When John reached home he picked
the little one up and laid her carefully
in Martha's lap and before Martha full
ly realized what was happening two
little arms were around her neck and
little white face was sobbing on her
bosom.
For a while their interest in the little
stranger caused them to forget their
own discomfort, but after a short time
they commenced to drift apart again.
One day, three years after they had
taken the little waif into their house
hold. the inevitable disruption came.
Martha told John she wished he would
never speak to her again and John told
Martha her wish was granted. That
afternoon he gathered up all of his
personal effects and moved them out
to the room in the barn occupied by
the hired men. And as soon as pos.
sibIe thereafter he built the little one.
room frame house where he took up his
permanent abode, going to the house
only with the hired men for his meals
| 1t is peculiar wnat perversiy nature
sometimes shows in human affairs. A
few months after ] John and Martha haC
separated a child was born to them
When John re eived the glad tidings
; he hurried to the house, forgetting al
illwill, but when he was ushered into
the room wheI Q the mother and bab!
lay, Martha deliberately reached ou
her hand and covered up the baby
head with the bedspread and turned
her own face toward the wall. In
stantly Johns resentment flashed NJ
, again and he strobe from the room
, slamming the door after him, and eight
+ cen months had passed since that day
. Loyalty the little hunchback had sup
ported the cause of both; valiantly de
: Tending the cause of the absent one n
a matter which one she was talking with
: Every minute she could spare from he
, studies and other duties about tn
house she spent with one of then
n pleading the cause Of the other. Whe
4 she could not make headway by plai
. talking she would scatter sunshin
q along their gloomy paths.
But each day John and Martha drift
ed farther apart and John had abou
= made up his mind to turn all the proI
! erty over. to Martha except few hur
q dred dollars and with this he would 2
somewhere and make another start.
was burning his life out to live lik
q this.
\
sGod," muttered the man as b
II sprang to his feet with light in b
., eyes from which all day dreams ha
d vanished. Hastily grabbing up br'
ken shovel that happened to be lyin
al near. the door he started on a run fl
n the house, but the events in the TRACED
n that was to be enacted moved fastt