Year: 1877




"Be quiet, now, Willie, and you too,


Mary Sit down on your little stool


and be just as still as mice I've just


got the baby asleep, and l want him to


have a good long nap, for he isn't bit


we'll There. take your primers and
read your A B C's." And the mother
took from the upper drawer of the
bureau the carefully treasured books


''But I'm so tired of sitting still, /"
said the little boy "Mayn't we go out
doors, ma 2? Say yes, do Well only
go down to the barn. Say. mayn't we
60 see the two little bossies ?" And he
looked up pleadingly into her face.


Little Mary jumped up at the same
moment, and tossing her primer on to
the bed, Joined in with a-"Do, ma,
do-there's a good ma Cause the
bossies are SO cunning, l do love to see
them "


Eyes, go a little while-but mind
and be good children, and don't take
down the bars SO the calves can get in
the garden-do you hear ?"


They had been gone half an hour or
SO when they came rushing into the
cabin, exclaiming with one voice, MA,
ma, mayn't we have our little pals and
go strawberrying? There's a whole lot
of them right on the gopher mound,
'tother side of the barn, and they're
just as red and ripe as they can be. Do
let us go and get them There's enough
for nice shortcake, and pa loves them
so, and they will taste so good to him
when he comes home from the mill so
tired"


The indulgent mother took down the
little pals, and handing one to each,
and bidding them be careful and not
stain their clean aprons, watched them
until their little dancing feet had car
ried them to the place they spoke of


"How glad they are!" she said to
herself, as she turned from the door,
land how proud they will be to show
them to their father. l hope they'll
get their pals full" And she resumed
her patching


Tired she certainly was, and half
sick, though she would hardly have
owned that, and as she sat there now,
"plying her needle and thread ".she
was sensible of unusual fatigue, and in
spite of all her efforts. her patches set
awry, and her dnrning was uneven
There was a pleasant drowsiness in the
soft hush of the golden summer after
noon, and after a while she yielded to
it involuntarily, and closed her eyes
up ere she had hardly lost her.
self, she ran to the door, The two lit
tie ones sat side by side upon the gopher
and the echo of their CHEEKY
voices was the only sound that broke
The intense quiet of the prairie


They are SO busy, and the baby is
SO sound asleep. l believe I'll lie down
l little while, for my back aches terri
bly, and my head is just ready to split
with pain William says I ought to
AXE a nap every day after dinner, but
lear me. l wonder when the sewing
md mending would get done if l did y


As she spoke she drew a mosquito bar
,ver the cradle, and turning down the
leat patchwork quilt that covered the
Jed dropped off her shoes and stretched
Ter weary frame on the white sheets.
The weary woman unintentioHally slept
N, and did not wake until the cry Of
he hungry baby in the cradle reused
Ter up.


With a quick, nervous movement,
he sprang from the bed and drawing
t to her bosom, ran to the door. To {
Ter surprise it was almost sunset. Her
rst sorrow was. that she should be be- I
lted with her supper, aud the thought &
+ her tired husband coming home and
aving to wait moment for his meal s
1as not to be endured With the baby's s
ps still clinging to her bosom she hur- 1
led to the stove and took off the grid |
les and raked out the ashes Then /
utting the only half-satisfed child in s
IS cradle and giving it crust of bread
, bite on, she caught up her kindling
asket and ran to the chip pile. She a
lied it and loaded her arms with wood, s
hen she suddenly remembered she had t
OF seen cl heard the children yet She t
ooked anxiously toward the strawberry |
ed. Their little figures were not visi-
lie. For moment she was paralyzed |
18th fear Then she recovered herself '
nd saying, They must have got tired s
nd gone to sleep in the barn, as they t
id Saturday" she hurried back to the 7
lbin and built her FIRE Then draw a
lg some fresh water. she filed the ket-
e. ground the coffee, and cut down the t
aeon to fry. &