Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-10-20
ooFYMCnT eY mr. cE07N17Y c0

lue WOOuidn0, tney turned WIZ one
accord and looked back for the last
glimpse of the home. Blazing gold
red against the kitchen window famed
the afternoon sunlight.
Look "a thatl" Angy cried eagerly,
| as one who beholds a promise in the
skies. Jest see, father, we couldn't
a made out that winder this fur at
all eff the sun hadn't struck it jest so.
l declar' it seems almost as ef we
| could see the rocker, tew. It's tew bad,
Abe, that we had ter let yer old rocker
go. D. yew remember" she laid
her hand on his arm, and lifted her
gaze, growing clouded and wistful, to
his face. when we bought the chair,
we thought mebbe some day I'd be
rocking a leetle baby in 1t. Twas
then, yew ricollec', we sorter got in
the habit of calm each other father
an mother / wonder eff the young
'uns had come"
les hurry" interrupted Abe, al
most grufiy. Les hurry"
They stumbled forward with bowed
heads in silence, until Of a sudden
they were startled by a surprised hail
of recognition, and looked up 20 find
themselves confronted by bent and
gray old man, a village character, a
harmless, slightly demented public
charge known as ''Ishmael" or Gap
tain Rover"
'Whar yew goin', Cap'n Rose"
The old couple had drawn back at
the sight of the gentle vagabond, and
Angy clutched at her husbands arm,
her heart contracting at the thought
that he, too. had become a pauper.
I'm a-takin' my wife ter jine the
old ladies over thar ter the hum" Abe
answered, and would have passed on,
shrinking from the sight of himself
as reflected in poor Ishmael.
But the innocent" placed himself in
their path.
"Yew amt a-goin' ter jine EN- tew?"
he bantered.
Abe forced laugh to his lips in re-
sponse.
mo, no; I'm goin' over ter Yaphank
ter board on the county"
Again the couple would have passed
on, their faces flushed, their eyes low
cred, had not Ishmael flung out one
hand to detain them while he plunged
the other hurriedly into his pocket
Here" He drew out meager hand
full of nickels and pennies, his vacant
smile grown wistful Here, take it,
Cap'n Rose. It's all l got. l can't
count it myself, but yew can. Don't
yew think it's enough ter set yew up
in business, so yew won't have ter
go ter the poorhouse? The poorhouse
is bad place l was there last win
ter. I don't like the poorhouse.
He rambled on of the poorhouse.
Angy, painting for breath, one hand
against the smothering pain at her
heart, was trying, with the other, to
drag father" along. Father" was
shaking his head at Ishmael, at the
proffered nickels and pennies-shak-
| ing his head and choking. At length
| he found his voice, and was able to
smile at his would-be benefactor with
even the ghosS of twinkle in his eye.
Much obliged, Cap'n Rover; but
yew keep yer money for terbaccy. Il
amt so heightened as yew. I'll take
real comfort at the poorhouse. Slong;
thank yer. Slong."
Ishmael went on his way muttering
to himself, unhappily jingling his re-
| jected aims; while .Angy and Abe re-
sumed their journey.
AS they came to the gate of the Old
Ladies home Angy seized hold of her
husbands arm, and looking up into his
face pleaded earnestly:
Father, let's take the hunderd dol
lars fer family tombstun an go ter
the poorhouse tergetherl"
He shook her off almost roughly and
lifted the latch Of the gate.
Folks d say we was crazy, mother. .
There was no one in sight as he
down the handle. Before him was a
long, clean-swept path ending appar.
emily in a mass of shrubbery; to the
left was a field of sweet corn reaching
| to the hedge; to the right a strong and
sturdy growth of pole lima beans; and
just within the entrance, beneath the
sweeping plumes of weeping willow
tree, was a shabby but inviting green
bench.
Abe's glance wandered from the
bench to his wife's face. Angy could
not lift her eyes to him; with bowed
head she was latching and unlatching
the gate through which he must pass
He looked at the sun and thoughtfully
made reckon Of the time. There were
still two hours before he could take
the train which
Lets go set deown spell afore-'
he faltered-"afore we say good-by.'
She made no answer. She told her
self over and over that she must
simply must-stop that "all-of-a-trem
BILE" feeling which was going on inside
of her. She stepped from the gate to
the bench blindly, with Abe's hand on
her arm. though. still blindly, with
exaggerated care she placed his car
petbag on the grass beside her.
| He laid down his cane, took of his
high hat and wiped his brow He
looked at her anxiously. Still she
could not lift her blurred eyes. mol
could she check her trembling.
Seeing how she shook, he passed his
arm around her shoulder. He muir
INJURED something-what, neither he
nor she knew-but the love of his
youth spoke in the n-urmur. and again
fell the silence.
Angy's eyes cleared. She struggled
to speak, aghast at the thought that
life itself might be done before ever
they could have one hour together
again; but no words came. So much
so much 10 sayl She reached out hel
. / bond 70 xhera his restef uDon his