New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-12-30

Before they could go out to find
Mary. as dozen would have done, she
was at the threshold, alone She seem
ed to understand without wonder why
they were there, and with perfect nat
uralness she turned to them to share
her trouble.
y HE hasn't come" she said simply.
~ Her face was quite white, and, be-
cause they usually saw her with scarf
or shawl over her head, she looked al
most strange to them. for she wore
hat; also she had on an unfamiliar soft
col0red wrap that had been her moth
er's and was kept in tissues. She had
dressed carefully to go to meet the
child. 81 might as we'll dress up a lit
tle," she had thought, land guess
he'll like colors BEST
Almost before she spoke they put in
her hands the telegram. They were
pressing toward her, dreading, speech
less, trying to hear what should be
read. She stepped nearer to the light
of the candles on the little tree, read
and reread in the stiffness. When she
looked up her face was so illumined
that she was strange to them once
more.
''Oh,' she said. ''it's his train. 1t was
late for the local. They've put him on
the express, and it'll drop him at the
draw
The tense air crumpled into breath
ings. and a soft clamor filed the rooms
as they told one another and came to
tell her how glad they were. She pull
ed herself together and tried to slip
into her natural manner.
sit did give me turn" she confess
ed. 81 thought he'd been-he'd got''-
She went into the dining room, still
without great wonder that they were
all there. But when she saw the wom-
en- in white aprons and the table ar
rayed and on it Ellen Bourne's Christ
mas rose blooming she broke into a
little laugh.
"Oh." she said. ''you done this a-pur-
pose for him.
81 hope. Mary, you won't mind"
Mis- Mortimer Bates said formally,
lit being Christmas so. We'd have
'Oh," Mary said, "mindr'
They hardly knew her, she moved
among them so flushed and laughing
and cOnformable, praising. admiring,
thanking them.
Honestly, Mary" said Mis- Moran
- finally, well have you so you can't
tell Christmas from any other day
it'll be so nice!'
The express would be due at the
''draw" at S:30-S:33. After told her
when he came back washed up"
Htary watched the clock. She had not
MIXED or fed the COWS before she
- went because she had thought that
he would like to watch the milking
and it would be something for him to
do on that first evening. So when she
could she took her shawl and slipped
out to the shed for the pals and her
lantern and went alone to the stable.
Mary opened the door. and her Ian
tern made golden room of light with
in the borderlesS shadow. The hay
smell from the loft and the managers,
the even breathing of the cows. the
quiet safety Of the place, met her.
She hung her lantern in its accus-
Jmed place and went about her task.
Her mind turned back to the time
that had elapsed since the local came
in at the Old Trail Town station. She
had stood there with the children
about her. hardly breathing while the
two Trail Town men and Il solitary
travelling man had aighted There
had been no one else. In terror lest
the child should be carried past the
station. she had questioned the con-
ductOr, begged him 10 go IL and look
again. parleyed with him until he had
swung his lantern. Then she had
,yrned away with the children. utter
= unable to- formulate anything
There was no other train 10 stop at
Old Trail Town that night. 1t must
mean disaster - indetinaDle DISASTER
that had somehow engulfed him and
had not pointed the way that be had
gone. She recalled now that she had re-
fused Buff Miles invitation to ride. but
had suffered him to take the children.
Then she had set out to walk home.
. On that walk home she had unlived
her plans. Obscure speculations. STIR
ing i'll her fear, at first tormented her
and then gave place to the conclusion
hat John had changed his mind. had
seen perhaps that be could not after
al let the child 90 so far. had found
some one else to take him. and that
he morrow would bring letter to tell
Ter SO. In any case, she was not to
AVE him. The conclusion swept her
With the vigor of certainty. But in
;tead Of the relief for which she would
lave looked. that certainty gave her
thing but desolation. Cnti the mo-
nent when the expectation seemed to
lie she had not OWNED how it had
;rown into her days. as subtly as the
;rowtl of little cell and little cell
md now the weight upon her, instead
f lifting. soaring in the possibility
the return of her old freedom. lay