Year: 1875

felt as though it ought to have done so.
The faintness had gone 4; in its place was
that horror which we all know, and which
is different from any personal terror, and
far worse. She guessed what it was her
foot had touched.


She did not utter his name now. She
knelt down and stretched out her hands,
and felt about. The first thing that she
touched was cold, limp hand, that fell
inertly over hers as she lifted it. Then
felt upward from it, and touched face,
cold also. She gathered it up to her
breast. Dark as it was, she knew we'll
enough that it was the head that had
rested there so often ; her hand went
through his curls and little moan es-
capped her.


"Dead," she sobbed, "dead, dead,
dead" And then her voice came back
i'll wall that rang out upon the night
air and brought from the kitchen Madge,
" the help" and her beau, Ben,
who had been lingering over parting
there.


Ben, great stalwart fellow, lifted
the master in his arms and carried him
into the kitchen How Sara Fielding
got there she never knew, but as she
knelt by the long settee and wondered
whether, with all those babies up stairs,
it was right for her to pray to die too,
hope came back to her in word from
Ben.


Missus," he said, "boss amt dead
he amt no such thing ; he's stunned
like. No doubt he's hurt mighty bad,
but lor, no-not dead. / wouldn't say
so if warn't sure. I'll fetch him into
bed, missus and go for the doctor.
He'll come to-he'n come to ; tell you
he'll come to, nlissus."


Then it seemed to the Door woman
as if heaven had opened its gates and
given her a glimpse of glory.


She bent over him as he lay on his
pillow and heard the clatter of the
horses hoofs over the stony road, dulled
a while, and then sharper, though faint
er, on the highway leading downward.


How long would it be before the doc
tor came? she did not know. If he
were at home, why, soon. If some one
else had called him, who could tell
Meanwhile, she bathed the poor bleed
ing head, while Madge chafed the cold
hands, and with her white lips whispered
fond, cooling words as to babe. And
at last she saw, indeed, that he lived.
More color came back to his cheek. His
eyes opened but when she spoke
to him, he answered her only with
groans.


One of the children had been awak-
ened by the noise, and crept down
stairs-a little white ghost, with scared
face-and seeing what had happened,
had awakened the rest by her cries.


And, in the midst of this, the door
opened, and thank Heaven the doc
tor but, worse than that, Ben, with
horror In his eyes, and a hand pointing
over his shoulder toward the red glare
that flashed up toward the sky.


Madge saw and comprehended, and
quietly slipped out after him. The barn
was on fire; and while the poor wife with
in the shuttered room had one thought
only, "Will he L love better than the
world beside, live or die?" despite the
fruitless aid that came too late, though
it was freely offered, barn and stable, hay
and cattle, were licked up by the de-
vouring flames. And all the efforts of
the bewildered neighbors only availed
to save the little homestead and one poor
COW, dragged by Madge's faithful hands
into safety at the risk of her own life.


GA poor Thanksgiving for Mrs. Field
ing," said many kindly matron as she
heard the news next morning. Yet Sara
Fielding was at that very hour thanking
God for, as the doctor went away, he
had put out the good wrinkled hand that
had given her her first spoonful of medi-
cine when she was baby, and that had
held up her own babies for her to look
at in her new motherhood, and had patted
her on the head, and said


keep up your heart, Sara-keep up
your heart. Well get him through yet.
You'll not be q widow this time"


He would live, and what did she care
for barn or store Let all go, so that
she had him.


But there was a weary time before her
days of fever and delirium, days of
weak misery, when the strong man had
become like a fretful child. Sara's
round cheeks grew thin, and her hands
began to show their bones. Often she
wondered whether she could keep on
her feet much longer, but she did and
after three months illness Hiram got
about again, gaunt and sallow, and lame
too-though that would pass away in
month or so, the doctor said-and was
enough himself to make it necessary that
he should be told what had happened /:
that his barn wes burnt, his hay, his
corn, all his provisions nearly gone, and
his horses and oxen too-just the one
dun COW that gave them milk, tied in a
shed that Ben had knocked together,
that was oil.


"l suppose my lantern broke in the
hay, Sara," he said, when he could
speak. CT found the door open, and
went in, and there was O man there.
grappled him, and he struck me--that's s
all know. Either my lantern did it,
or the man was there to fire the barn.
However it was, it's all over now. It
will take-Sara, you took care of my
pocket book 2"


She came across the room and took
his hands.


Darling" she said, have patience.
Your pocket.book has not been found.
I've drawn my little savings to live on.
/ thought you might remember where"


CT always wore it in my vest" he
said. You know that. / kept my
coupon bonds in it. i kept all j had