The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1912-11-16
mary Eta bad not had to do a. much

to do her washing aud ironing and
serubbing. And yet Mary Eth look
cd very tired this fall. Indeed. there
was a faded look about her usually
blooming fnce that Ben did not un-
derstand and secretly worried about.
And yet his anxiety was not 10 great
as his pride. He could support bis
wife. but he would do 1t in his own
way. They would board all winter In
the city where he could get fine wages.
and In the spring they would return to
the farm.
Once In the city streets he did NOT
know which way to turn to look FOL
work. BY the time he had bought
morning newspaper and hunted Its col
umns In vain for advertisements re
quiring the especial services be had
to offer he was ravenously hungry
When he had appeased his healthy ap
petite he was troubled at the lnroada
made upon his little store Of money,
and this money had been a sum that
Mary Eth had produced from some
secret hiding place. for their money In
the savings bank had been drawn upon
to meet necessary expenses.
Mary Eth was wonderful man
ager he thought as he left the eating
place nnd walked aimlessly down the
street. She had planned and contrived
all through the autumn months while
the dread OF going back to the bench
still hung like dark cloud over him.
He paused In front Of gaudily
painted doorway and read the posters
of moving picture show. In few
moments he had yielded to the temp
tatIon to enter and found himself seat
ed well down In front in the long. nnr-
row tkeater. At the moment there
were being produced the pictures Of \
thrilling rescue from flames as a tall
tenement house burned.
Ben watched breathlessly and cheer
ed us heartily as the rest when the
last picture faded away. He did not
look at the card announcing the next
production. The theater was warm.
and he was removing his overcoat.
When he looked up he heard the
family familiar sounds of mn organ re-
produced from a large monograph on
the stage. and there flashed into view
on the curtain a scene that took his
breath away and left him sitting In
stunned silence while 1t lasted.
Before him was the interior Of the
village church at home. rows and rows
Of familiar heads, while mp in the pull
pit the thin. angular form of the new
minister sat stifily on the red velvet
sofa. while the choir grouped on his
left were singing.
He saw his own grave face beside
young Harry Fray. the tenor. He saw
Mrs. Phillips. the pastors wife, and
Mary Eta. Mary Eta. looking very
sweet and glrlish. was singing, and
the others should have been joining in
the refrain, for their mouths were
opened. But II WINS only Mary, Eta
who sang. her sweet. high voice rising
Ike that Of an angel to the very roof
Of the church even now asst was re-
produced from the photograph and
fioated above the heads Of the mixed
audience. who hung breathlessly upon
every word she sang. Now and then
there was strangled sob M the mean
ing OF the song was borne to the
hearts Of tho hearers and touched
some tender chord.
Ben listened. seeming to hear the
broken triIl of a robin from the church
yard outside. as had happened the last
time Mary Eta had sung that old
Scotch hymn "My Ain Countrie:''
am far frae my hame. an I'm weary
nftenwhlles
For the Hanged for hame bringing an my
sptt hGrsu N-o1N npyna Rpy,ttA a
An Ill ne'er be flu content until mine sen
do see
The gowden gates o. heay'n an my ala
countrie.
When the last note had died away
amid a silence that wns more eloquent
thnn the noisiest applause hen found
his way to the management of the the
tier and was sent to the people from
whom the picture films had been pur.
chased. There. after many explana-
tons and some delay. he WINS informed
that the pastor had granted permission
for the picture to be taken from the
back gallery the spring before and that
Mary Eta had been approached and
asked to sing the song into a phono-
graph. This she had at first refused
to do. and then. tempted by the money
offered. she had consented and had
made several trips to the city to sing
many other well known songs to be
reproduced for the entertainment Of
the public.
That explained to Ben Madison how
1t was that In spite of the scant re-
turns from the farm that summer there
had ALWAYS been plenty on his tnhlo