The National tribune., 1911-04-27

at Wheeler's corner. He was excited
and eager
Say BOYS. I've got it. You renaem-
Der Scotch ike?"
Yes; quit sheep herdin' and went
c'yes to South Pass to work his claim,
Bob Stedman answered listlessly.
Well. YOU know, he left the old
woman-his- mother--behind. Too
freezing cold over there. She lives
out here five miles. BY the creek"
Yes, saw her in town last month
getting grub. How is that going to
help this layout
! Jim shouted in his cxhilaration OF
! spirit:
why, she's pious. don't you sec?
Got Il Bible-a big one. Saw her
reading it in the door last Summer
She can 10 the praying racket"
! Bobs composure had been out
wardly undisturbed during those days
of dire strain: but there and then the
hero Of five Indian fights whitened,
muttered Thank Cod and tainted.
BY the time he was resuscitatcd
( half Logan had heard the good It'd
ings. Bob and Bill, Tom and Jim
| We're the committee. Mrs. Marvin
came while they were getting their
horses. The news had reached her,
and there was gleam of reason in
her wild eyes.
she can't go" said Jim.
II will she walled; they are going
TO pray over my baby. Let me go"
She shall go. Hitch up, MarYin!"
Bob spoke as having authority aud
no man demurrcd
The Scotch grandame sat in her
doorway, rocking to and fro in the
late Spring sunshine. She was short
and slender, with "a scanned face and
faded blue eyes, shaded by square
bowed spectacies. Her shabby black
print gown brought out her slight
figure in sharp relief. The men hung
back; not so the mother. Her black
hair had loosened in the wind. and
hung about her in an unkempt, tan
gled mass. as she ran forward. She
dropped on her knees in front OF the
old nlatron, laid the sbawl-wra pped
child on her hap and reiterated the
plsintive appeal:
pray over my baby; for God sake,
pray over my baby-'
Scotch Ike's mother looked puzzled. |
The men came forward and explained,
Joe Marvin referring brokenly to his
wife's disturbed mental condition. AS
they talked the older woman cried
softly and stroked the mothers hair.
"PaiE lass. Puir, dear lassie.' she
quavered. "All ye hae. Yer first
born.''
She kissed and carcssed the half
tIdHSu creature pdDpiills On III hsi
soothing way. After awhile she spoke
gently to the men:
But / couldna do that, ye ken.
1t wadna be ricbt I'm CovenanteI.
and the dominies said: Let the
women keep silence
Mrs. Marvin looked up at the wrin-
lled. tear-stained face with sane, anx-
ious yearning:
II don't care what the ministers
cIn
man. You've had children. Perhaps
YOU have buried some. Would you
want them put underground like dogs, /
without anybody praying over them
never prayed. Nobody taught me. /
Ny mother'-she sobbed. and her
voice broke-"my mother died when
was little. You pray Won't YOU"
for Gods sake, won't you pray over /
my baby, as somebody prayed over
yours?'' i
Memories of three bonnie yellow |
heads sleeping in the far-away kirk |
yard stirred the old mother. Her lips
qu;vered and shook: the tears came |
in quick shower before her broken
answer:
pGir, simple body. . IF it be |
wrong. may God forgive me.
But l wadna, / wadna lae wanted
them to be buried without bit o
prayer and Scripture. III !
gae wi We"
In town the funeral preparations
were soon made. The little coffin, |
painted white by Bo5s loving fingers,
was ready for its tenant Out of the |
souls the women who were sinners |
had fashioned a dainty robe. sweet
ened with perfume and purified with .
tears. While Mrs. Marvin and Fay
were being robed men went about an
nouncing the services. and at , O'Clock
the molly procession started for the
cemetery on the brow of the hill.
The preacher first, with corpse"
Wheeler commanded: l''then the FAM
lily and mourning friends
So at the head went the small
Scotch woman, with her big Bible on
her arm, and tall Bob Stedman, with
the little white coffin on his shoulder.
Behind the father and mother came
the crowd. two and two. in orderly
rank. None had STAYED away.
After the people had inassed them
selves at the grave there was an awk
ward pause
The ordinary methods of procedure
Was: Dump him in. Now blaze
away, BOYS Plainly, that was out
Of order, and Bob held the coffin with
an air Of embarrassed defiance.
w h'eltT j whisper TcileNeO INC Sill
lence:
Lay her in. Bob: then Mrs. Muir
can read the Bible"
Logan had never known an ortho-
doN funeral service. Hence there was
no expectations of the customary
Scripture. and no surprise when the
thin. high pitched voice began: Thy
daughter is dead, why troubiest thou
the Master and read Marks tender.
dramatic story of the little daughter
of Jairus, to whom the Nazarene said:
"Talitha. cumi'' C"ATy little darling.
come TO me-. She stumbled over
the Arsmaic words. them went on
evenly to the end of the chapter.
She closed the book. folded it within
her arm and faltered timidly:
WI hae the bit o. prayer"
The crowd stood with wide-open
eyes, alert-~ilushed. eXpectant. !
20 Lord, God Of our fathers. who
has taken this wee lamkin''-she
stopped-frightened. perhaps.
at her own audacity; only the Spring
wind RULED the stiffness. After a mo- I
lnents silence she started again, in a
voice shaken with sobs: Our Father.
which art in Heaven" and finished
the old, old petition without break or