The Marshall republican., 1910-12-02

wonted doors, but enjoying the heat
from the big cookstove.
Mother Sluseer had the big, warm
room Il herself. Also she had her
own meditations, chiefly retrospective,
however. rather than prospective, for
which reason her hands rested now
and again on the edge of the wooden
%chopping bowl that amply covered her
lap.
ut can't be beat" she declared, her
eyes on the rough, pea-green paint
that covered the wall that just now
seemed glowing with pictures quite
invisible and wholly intangible to the
ordinary sight, ITS enough to drive
me crazy the way them precious ba.
bies poster me. II the good Lord saw
fit to take 'em away, let him keep EN-
with him, l say, where 1t is warm and
safe. Instead O. that, here they be,
cunnin' and pert as ever, comm and
vanishin' and teasing. Now there,
shinin' out at me in their white, fairy
dresses from the pea-green wall
most blue, 'tis-now here near by.
Here they clutter and there they clut-
ter, right under foot, or pressin'
against my knees, or else pullin' with
angel hands at my sleeve, or at my
heart-strings. Dear, dear. Four of
'em, or ive-I forget which twas
four, / guess-yes, four OF EN- he took
away to heaven and one, he left with
me. Four of 'em, my heart, do you
hear me? Four rascal babies to al
ways be slippin' out from 'tother side
of the lovely pearly gates and slidin'
into my kitchen where | am, those
little, little babies. One by one he
took 'em, and there vas not but Just
the n OF EN- big enough to walk or
talk. Four blessed babies always
here and coaxin' me to be Rugged and
rocked and put to sleep, all teasin' me
at once, Lord, they be- and couldn't
they be managed better? For I'm that
busy about my work that I don't know
what to do. And sometimes they do
put me to 1t, that's a fact, so that Pm
reel ~fiustered, and | do wish't the
bigger angels would shut them gates
a leetle mite more as IL they really
meant TO keep the babies from crowd
in through. | do get so tired of hav.
ing things go on in this way!"
Footsteps approached the door, the
weary, clumsy tread Of a tired man,
and presently Silas Slusser entered, q
stopping, gray figure, the fringe o,
hair on his chin just touching the blue
cotton shirt. and an air of thoughtful
discomfort shadowing his usually hu
morous face and eye
Silas lifted his soft felt hat with
its gray band of faded ribbon and
rubbed his head with two stubby fin
gers.
IL amt w~orryin'-that is, not much
mother he said, but Just the same
the spring down to the barn has gone
dry, plumb dry today, 1t is, Just as
suspicioned 1t would do, for its ben
getting lower and scantier for a week
past, and there's no signs Of it's flush
ing up agane. There must have ben q
vein of water that's broke loose under
ground, somewheres, that's tapped
that spring dry, so / was tryin' to And
out where in the dickens it could be.
He drew the witch hazel crotch from
his pocket and regarded IL with 4
wholesome reproach. 1T only inclined
once, ma, and that" he announced
was about ten rod from the ole
spring"
Mother paused, She wal never dead
sure when Silas was joking or when
he was serious, but she looked at him
now in genuine sympathy, an attitude
she was prone to assume In his mo
ments of distress or doubt. She fell
safer in her thoughts this way.
Land, Silas," she said, don't YOU
eve care for that. I presume to 81,
that when I'm setting here thinkins
about the children I don't ever pre-
tend to be partial about airy one
wheher It's Maurice. or Mary, Of
John, or little 81. I'm that interested
In 'em all that I couldn't be partial Il
hry one Of 'em II ] wanted to. / thinl
of 'em as all Twin in heaven. all Of
them together. a little band OF angels
mabbe playin' rlng-around-the.rosy. oI