Year: 1874




grief about her made her love all the
more tender


She was the one idea of his life. The
only absorbing feeling he had ever known
was for her. He had liked her mother
we'll enough, hut it had been an ordinary,
commonplace regard, until she died and
left this tender, blue eyed blossom, which
be was afraid to touch. The child con-
secrated the mothers memory, and he
cared for her dead more than he ever
cared for her living. But it was little
Eunice that filed his heart full, and sat
on her throne queen regent forevermore.
de had her nursed carefully, and he
cheerfully gave up every hour of his
life to the task of being father and moth
er to her, both in one When she was
old enough to sit in little wheeled chair
in which to trundle herself about the
room, his delight knew no bounds. In
summer she was always at the open door
to meet him, and in winter her CHEEKY
lamp burned always at the cottage win
dow.


When she was twelve years old, she
herself proposed to keep house for him.
There we're three rooms in their little
cottage, all on the same floor, besides the
unfinished garret overhead. From room
to room of these three she would trundle
around. She contrived to do great
many household tasks: and with a
neighbor hired to come and help each
day, she managed nicely, and was the
proudest of little housewives. OF late,
however, she had been growing weaker,
and her father insisted that she should
not be left alone at ALL So the neighbor
who had helped her stayed all day now,
but went home at night when Dan came
for he was not ready to give up the plea
sure of having his darling quite to him
self in the long evenings.


Now, as he entered the yard, his steps
grew quicker. All that was shuffiing
and uncertain passed out of his manner,
and he walked with the strong, firm
tread of one sure of his welcome. Draw
ing near, he saw her face at the window
which the light illumined, face of al
most ideal beauty. Not the features SO
much; when you analyzed them they
were far from regular, and bore curl
GUS likness to his own. But the great
blue eyes we're full of light, the color
came and went on her cheeks in faint
pink hushes, and the skin was transpar.
ent as the most delicate crystal. Around
this wistful, loving, waiting face foated
a mass of soft golden hair, like the ha-
los you see sometimes in old pictures
around the brows of saints. As she saw
him the blue eyes kindled, the face dis
appeared from the window, and when he
opened the door there she was in front
of it, with her lips uplifted for kiss.
The neighbor stood by, her things on
ready to go, and it struck Dan that there
was look of pity ON her face.


"You' d better not go too near the child
with those wet things" she said kindly.
ashes but a weak little thing, and she
must n t take cold"


He started back remorsefully, and did
not go up to the girl again until he had
taken all his wet things off in his own
room and made himself dry and tidy,
| BY this time the neighbor was gone, and
he and Eunice sat down together to the
supper which waited. He had the keen
hungry appetite of workingman, but it
did not keep him from noticing presently
that the food on his child's plate re-
mained untouched. He laid down his
knife and fork and looked at her anx-
iously.


"Ain't you going to keep father com.
pany a little, dearyP You amt never
hearty, | know, but l want to see you
eat something"


She smiled family.


You know you don't let me work
any more, father, and can't get hungry
like you that are busy all day, working
for me-"


Yes, lamb, for you," he repeated, as
if the words gave him pleasure. "God
knows it's all for you, and he knows
how thankful am to have you to work
for. Folks talk about my lot bein' hard
but that's all they know. So long as he
leaves me you, I'll never doubt that God
loves me-"


The girl sighed and a look of white
pain quivered moment about her lips.


"Take me up, father" she said hall
an hour after, as they sat before tn G
bright fire together. No mothers touch
could have been more tender than that
rough mans as he lifted the little twisted
form into his arms and laid the little
sunny head carefully against his bosom.
She rested there for a while silently,