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On The Wide Prairie

On The Wide Prairie image
Parent Issue
Day
22
Month
March
Year
1893
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Oii.ihe dreatAnees ut the prariel How vot it was ; ncvcr endtng it sreniod loCJaiie. aa abe ïtood In Hm doorway Of ilwir abode rnitaire and jjazed sail]y off toward norHiwest where e herd of sheep could be Heen. 'How CAS thiej' live 083 the dry graU, and how ian Cliarlit even pretend to like it, Hie borrlMe, tonely life in bucU lesoitton and Isolatlon ! Hush : baby deer, I un oómiOB : how the mosquitoes wwl flies do tease and torment luim, ixor little wltbering Mobbobi- tor even lie ]ias feit tho blight." TTie gun rose lniílier, the wind blew toardfr and in srenn-d to have a touch of firr. "I wonder wiiy iwiiiy's cheflka are BOred ; can he be serionsly ill ? Papa ■won'tbe h until eveninir, darllng, but mamma will do tliv beat nhe can." CSwirJle Dean wondered why no wife ivas viLsble as he approached home ; wondered wiiy no smoke iseued from Ihie ofaftnpejr ns waa usual at supperMnt. Hald iiiivt'hinir hjiniMllfd. lie ■wöndered, lia.steiiius his nsually siow iteps. The scène tüiat mei lii naz' as lie entered bis home was ono ever to txs forgoften. Hís wííe, liis ]iet.ly, little, glrilall ■vjfe ta liad brouglit froiu her city home, lüi.v bttck in tihe. woodeii rocker wMte and etJll, while the baby, the Uttle six niontlus old Walter, wil mo laonless wttUn her arme, and the uweet face vrore a look tJic horrified fatihier uiwJerstood. "Clare ! Clare!" he cried, brokenly. "Baby- ali, my loved aoes !" The.n Clare opened lier arms and perindtted him to place the child in its eradle- a eradle lie liad made out of a wooöen box. In a vafee be scareely recognized RhO sadíd : "You knew the l'ife I -vvae to Bhare out bere, why 1 you not tell me ?" "But he seemcd wcll thiis morning- ■vell as hO has been latcly, I mean. Oh, I never expected tbk ! Tlie ramch Ss no lonlier tlnaii liundreds of others. I never tlioiiglit- " "No, but you have had to think aiow. He diel an lDour ago. lcould not teten htim to seck you- it did not matter afber th;it. I'll never forigve yon for bringúig me out to this !" 1 lire ! You knew I owned ttie nncb. You know I Avas poor." "I novcr gqceaed wliítt it would be, espts-lnlly in a cuse like tbia," pointing to her cliild. "I l it t le i-ealzr.i uiiat ii wtm ti be a woman." After that Charile Dean wae a mm1 man. He feit cross and unan BOd found tiiie oold creature lie called ■vvife Imt a rlivcrful oonipandon. "Let ber sulk," be saW ; "slie enjoys it. Aiyway. Til find O tier fríends." And lie did. I ! ■ -ciui-il the services of a boy in whose care He left the sheep, and went off alinost daily to a 1 i 1 1 le town ; a pleaeant ride for lh;m of oiily about fifteen railes. AVhon tJwrc, lus place of kufiLtng can ly be gaiessed. "Ifs ("lare's doings," be mused ; ■'women liko to send moii to the doiis." If Ciare kw anyt1iiLg more than ncrpal she remaïned silent. Sometimos, ivUien li wam ehome alniost too stupid to talk, he camght a. glimpse of rontempt in the cold eye of hls vite. Her silence wiae fairly maddening. "Why don't sdie howl and storm Kke otüiier women ?" he nmttored. "Sh never even wept ovor the baby. Vd grre a K(wl deal to roc hor cry just once." The slimmer liad glose and winter liadcom?; aa nana] otiSatard&y mornMig Charlle haxl riddeai awny In the direction of ttu town, without a word tf farewell. "Two years aigo," sa.i Clare, Wtterly, "h sougüit mO 5ji that cozy home of my aunt's, with its soft cárpete, i-te lovinjx frieods, and he pcrHuiaded m to marry liúm and come out to tMs dreary place, where he lias even forgotten to be lniman." Thien gl'Aiicmg towavd the northwest she eaw a mass of black clouds lyihg ; a tihTeatning aspect growSmg over all tlhe sky. "There'8 a etorm comhifr and I'm Klad ; one of tibe freaks in my make np is tlwit I like Btorms, particularly now. Had I Txn a tiiiiid lass I woutd toog Bttaoe died of frigivt. I have feit tJiat BomfitUnc even a iar comihitr in at Om door wonld be a i ham;v." an.i riarr Bmtled sadly, as taie xnmmem ót black clouds tacreaeed and Om wind bore annnd the üttle mud rainiii iviiii frlhtful violeoce. "Don't .leía ii me, boye, i maat Bro Ihomie I" ■IinpossiUhï in gucfa a storm as this. You'd be dead in lese than au Jiour. Tak.' ihings ooolly, Cliarlie. AVhy. bfc'B the flrt time I saw you anxïoias. Your wife's all it ■s MH.wrd in a few days flon't Kurprise folks in these parta." "But slhie'g out of flour ; she made biueuite thie mornmfjr, and there were only eiioug'h'- and slic- " "Oh, ho, Klie's got other thlngs, trust a woman for that ; tliere's oaoñed trost, ditod corn, there'a iwans and- no dajiger of her euffering. way yon cnn't help ler ; in army coiUil not torce it wey over tboM miles." ((id foiir;vt me I" ttoought Charlle Dean, hCe ia in lus bands, "and (ol hielp her, tor i know how preoloaa littli' Hm BmaU bouse contatos. I've BMn her bunttng anxmg the weedi for ometfUng green to help out the salt pork and bread. I know how - 1 1 ii'd to cook wc could cat wiien I brmig-lit lier bomt? almost nothlng. 8he may have some1I1 " ii ir for dinner- atter thiit- Oh, heavOhb, boys ! 1 must so home !" he crii'd, al.oul. ■Vou'U not go ft quarter of a mile before you'Il be dead. and then your wWe Avill have no help from you. and by and by the expense of burying you - if tüie wolves ilon't find you." Sutíh a storm had not been known tor years, even in Vhat country where frifili tfu) storms were comruon. Foor days fixjin tlie time Charlie Dean liiad left home. he slowly and l)'iistcnt]y ioired lijn v:iy back, tbrongb heavy BaOW Urifts. iintil, witJi Dogen, lie raised the lflttvh of his door nml ontered. BMnded by the buow, he rouiii eee notlitaig at ftntb, luit by and by he berame consciiius of tHie cold liearth. tii awfui aBenoe and ih.it the llttle house ww -in]iiy. it did not eren hold a corpse. Ilhe Tveaiied ni.ui füuik down upon a cliair and gazed abowt him blankly. despairinely. Thie bed was ncatly made. tho floor Bwept, evfiythiiiiír was pfcced h) it.s ÜMially onlei-ly fasHi.ion, and lier drem upoii Uie wall near him- the old brown calleo slie had wom the last time h had seeu her. "Gone," hie said, daz'dly, "gone." Just theii one oí tlie boy, wlio )iad f'lt strange misigivliiig.s and liad lowed Mm. entered. 'Vlhat tijd you say, Charlie ? Is slie gone ? AYhy, thnt eouldn't be, eaue'd never be eoicli a fooi as to venture out in tJuat Btonn. If she lid- poor fellow, he's faint-ed !" It was Biome time before Cüiarlic Dean revíved ; he was very weary, nnd tlie awfulness of what had been, throaigh his neiglect, (jnite overpoweTel )liim. '"nicrc, you"re betteT now." said Jiis friend. "Whnt do you. thhik eoold Ivave ccuwed lier to lBavo the hoBfle, and wtuere d alte o ?" "I don't know, mlee to tllie stable. I liad ieft a littlc corn tlicrc." ■(-jieu-lie !" n;iid liis iricnd, slcrnly. ■yon liever leít yonr wlfe in siu-h a oiulit ion ?" i'.ut flimHe oni.v nodded. 'I expected to ie home, yon know -Hut ílon't look at me Hke tluit, I'm inmislH'd enoimli. She'fl lead sometere ander the boow, my ixor ]tUe Clare !" TJiiey faited to find lier ; no com mu Miissitijf, t is trae, Imt they íound iu;iinií io wi iinuli ;is polnt the way WltitlK'r slie liad BOM. EmK Denn W8 ;i duingea man once more. To liis lxon companions be Bfldd gOOd bye, and many of tliem never lorot tttt BUBOt pain n liis eye. oiKi tne ,-uig-uMi that his whote face expressed. "Ifs m,t gotoy t Ui 11 liiin," said tflie friviul Miio had been watching hém 1o eee that lie 1W r;ish. "No, ifs goJng to make suth, a man out of Mm ais wc ncvcr di-camed of ; Wie oiie thling lliat now lias possessto of him is wcn-k, in ofder that he may iOTget. Tfs a gJOOd uitHlkiiif. I Hihik I'll try tioniü myself." 'l'lij-ee years later, well-to-do, with to spare, for none of it was Mjoandered now, C'Jiarlie Dean once more sougtit the far away iity where he bod first met and won nis wife. A &trang longing carne over him to once more eee tli-at place, and travel stafaed and bronzed, he walked by the house, alruost expecting to bear lier tnucta upan the piano, and the Koumd of her eweet voico. IJewildered, amazed, half Ix-lieving hinuself out ol liis liead, he did bear her xvWc once more. ■■'Piicrc's a man drunk, leanlug on tbe 'iciivc," lic heard a Btrange volee exetaim. Thentlhe i)l:iyiiiü cim.miI. and a voice t'lwit alniiOst cansfd liim to r.-iint a secoiid time, repeled : "Dnniki n uien are i.niy boocommon. Le1 liim Bflane mom pólice win be EtitoDg preeeotly." Thrn tin. iniivi gtrnck ap agatti, this tini(' Intxj a wïid gaUop u f ttie playrl's ' wen running away witb lier. "Bot in-v Mili there," eontloned the strenge vojoe. "He's peculiar íookktg : do look out, cían-, i declare, I Teel nerv CamriteBtood ap squarely aow.pueH. ed bda bat backsUshtly and looked full -ir,-i;.nht, into ttué ttyee ol Ma wite. Bbe Teil back wttb a cry, the place was empty, and Bcarcejy knowing I he (U1 Chavlie was away lien somO one come down those steps, and- and, yes, had her bandín ble, and in a tearfui voicc was saynm-: ■( harlic, oh ! Charlie 1 You lmve fomu at last !" "I want to know," he sajl, w-hen in the cozy partor, Kt 11 elinging to her hand, "I want to know how you got away from the raneta ilm-ing that awful Btorm." Qere fius'iH-d bul awwwed unhesi tatingly : "I WO) a gOOtl walker. I fel 110 feair of tflw tftonu. Tob liad left me iiiniost notiiinii td ';it. .-iiiii I reall; titfaOUgbi I slioulcl 1s in.v mild if 1 ivni.a':lied t'heiv iii.-iii more 'lays al aalone." "I took the Kttle nioncy I -till pos sr-sni. and started bumi after yon lul orïiy I went in ra oppartte directlon I luwl sfnrccly readied tlif niain trai wiien a two horse wagon carne rïnsh iiijr up. ttw man, a ertranger, but (01 Mess luim, for he sa ved niy life- juni])M out anl snatchied m up before I could BetJ iy yanc leavc.' and away we tare like mia]. The liorses were vcry siiinii; and swiíi. and we seemed to ontirWe tQie Btonn. W reached ter at last. just before jts fury brofce and I tUianked hum ae best I_ could tlK'n, iïImi the roads were clear, I Btiarted tor my oid home, but I hac to stop and work awhiile before I got here. Aunit ïuam iicvcr beard all th st,ory ; I couldn't talk of some tiiünBB." "I thought jon dead," s.iid Charlie. "I- if you couM knoxv wha I have suffiTi'd. Oh, Clare, I don't suppose you could forjii.ve." "I fornavt' you loiig ago. I waa -nini' to blame. I ougfit to have trled to ImtO le?-n happier ; I wrote to your o'ld Ivoine. but they told me you btvd gOD6 away." 'Shall ve begim over, Clare- for w-hen yon were gome I found liow I loved iyou." "Ob, ye.s. and wjbererer you gfo, 111 tiy 10 nunke that home happy." "And ril see tJiat &t is a home in vvhU-h to be happy," answered Charlie

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier