Year: 1874

they were piloted by a neighbor to
the lonely house. They made known
their errand, and in the course of
half an hour the officers and their
prisoner were out in the storm on
their way to the distant city OF Mon
treal.


1t was many days before the wO-
man saw her son again. For four
months John was imprisoned, await
ing his trial before the Canadian
courts. Doubtless those four months
seemed long TO the solitary woman.
She had not much opportunity to in
dulge in melancholy fancies; she
spent much of her time in pulling
brush and breaking it up with an ak,
so as to adapt it to the size Of her
stove.


The neighbors tried to be kind,
and often took commissions from
her to the store and the grist-mih in
the valley; "But after all, . said Pete
Searless, one of Johns friends, in
speaking of the matter afterward,
what could neighbors amount to,
when the nearest of them lived a
mile away, and all of them we're
plain to say that they believed she
was the mother of a murderer


But the neighbors said the woman
did not seem to mind the solitude
and the rough work. Morning, noon
and night she was out in the snow
and the storm at the little hovel of a
barn at the back of the house, tax
ing care of two COWS and a few sheep
which were hers and Johns. At
other times travellers upon the viii
derness road would see her gaunt
figure clambering down arocky ridge
dragging poles to the house to be
cut up for fuel.


She received two letters from John
in the course of the winter. The
first told her he was imprisoned, and
awaiting his trial in Montreal, and
the next one said that his trial had
been set down for an early day in
March.


This correspondence was all the
information the mother had of her
son for the lake was frozen over
the winter so that the boats did not
run, and no news could come from
Canada by the boatmen.


When March came and passed a.
.Fay without intelligence from John,
'tt was taken by the dwellers on the
lake shore and along the wilderness
road as a sure indication he had
been convicted of the crime. A let
ter or newspaper announcing the
fact was confidently looked. for by
the peiehbors whenever they went
to bstoffce for their weekly
sails


a rch went out and spring
days and sunshine came, it, was
'Goticed that the face of Johns mo-
ther looKed sharp and white, but she
went about the same daily duties as
before, without seeming to feel i'll or
weak.


On a splashy April day full of sun
shine, sAe stood on the rocky ridge
back 81 the house, looking down up
on the lake. Although the snow
still fingered in patches upon the
highlands, the valley looked warm
below, and the first boats Of the sea-
son were dotting the wide, distant
mirror of "old Champlain." A man
came slowly up the muddy line ol
road, through the gate, and around
the house then, for the first, the
woman saw him. A slight spasm
passed over her face. There was 8
little pitiful culver of the muscles
about the mouth, and then she


walked slowly down the ridge tC


where the man stood. She strug


gled little with herself before she
lsaid, "Well, John, l am glad to set
lyou back"


John tried to be cool, also, but ma
ture was too much for him. He coul(


not raise his eyes TO hers, and hi


simple response, "Yes, mother" wa


chOkingly uttered,


The two walked into the house to


gether in the old familiar way. Th,
/ woman, without a word, began t,


spread the table, and the son wen
out and prepared fuel, and bringini
4 it in replenished the fire. Then h
sat down in his accustomed place b.
the stove, with a pleasant remarl
about how well the fire burned, an
how good it seemed to be home agai


And the woman spoke few kin
motherly words.


1t was the way they had alway
, done when John came back, butno'
/, there was great sadness IL it, for b
/, had come from prison. Jupite
: seemed fully to realize the situatio
He exhibited none of that friskines
! which characterized the welcome b
= had usually given; but when job
was seated the old dog came slOwl
: up to him, laid his fore paws and h
} head in his masters lap, and locke


sadly in his face.


AS they sat down to supper job
: began to tell of his fare in the jail I


Montreal, and to speak freely of h
. life there.


"WilI you have to go baek?' sal


the mother, with that quiver abol


the mouth again.


"No, mother" said John, cit is fl
ished, and / am discharged"
i After supper the story was to
. over. how well Johns counsel hi
y worked for him, and how the Jud!
i had said there was not sufficient el
Is dence to convict of so great a Grim
a John continued from this time {
ir through the spring to live at hon
o He allowed his slOop to float idly
a. the bay, while as he said, Of himsl
E. rested. The truth was he saw, VIII
s. lothers did not, that his mother b
,e carried a fearful weight, and nc
to that it was lifted by his return, th
IN the resources of her life were c
le lhausted. The change, not yet apI
* rent TO other eyes, was clear to L
ID vision. So it is that these silent s
is rits read each other.


.f- As the warm weather advanced t
lie strong woman became weak, and
th the June flowers began to bloom, S
ne ceased to move about much, and
IN the most of each day in chair
ty the open door. John managed