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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
Vol. XXV II.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, MAY 13, 1898.
No. 81
My gray-beard frloncl slmll bo no longer lanio;
Ho inoro old wounds shall gull his soul of llamo;
For yesterday it passed to whence- it came:
Tho crutcli h was nt last compelled to wear
Stands in tlio corner near his yellow chair.
His brave old tales I can remember well
Of some with cheers and some with rebel yell
Who smiled and died mid screaming shot and sholh-
Whon I was six, astride his willing kneo,
I ofton rode u ith Sherman to the Sea.
When I was twelve, ho grimly smiled and tried
To stand erect; but could not fully hide
Tho evergrowing stoop and limping stride:
One noon the sun beat hot upon his head
And his Aniietam lung-wound slowly bled
When 1 was Iwentv one, his old eyes lent
His all but conquered t-tiidoa feigned content;
For still they laughed, biimful of merriment;
Hut vhon ho bought tho crutch, he bowed Ills head
'1 he eyes that would not smile went dim instead.
When yesterday I hold his dying hand,
A ray that flashed from out the shadow land
Lit up his eyes: I could not undei stand;
I only saw tho rapture in his smile
And felt his hand thrill warm a little while.
J. A. Sakoent.
When I decided to teach in Elmore- for tho
Summer term, I made up my mind that I
would hoard with a minister if I could. Min
isters have- seen hooks heforo in their lives
and have conveniences and charity for one
that wants to write.
On tho wity to the little town that day,
after J had looked over all tho passengers in
tho car, I fell to wondering what kind of a
minister I should find and what kind of a
wife ho would have. If tho wife was sensible
I could got along with any kind of a husband.
Then I wondered what kind of a place Elmore
was and looked out tho window.
Cornfields. It must bo corn, but it was
small, short, almost dried up. with now and
then a patch a little taller and greener than
tho rcstjWhero there was a little hollow in tho
ground. Tho next field was corn-fodder,
still' and brown, and then came moro corn
and barbed-wire fences and brown pastures
and more corn. Tho air was fairly brown
with dust and a strong wind was blowing, I
could tell by tho way tho corn bent.
At last we came to Elmore, a little, dusty,
dark red station with a broad platform, a few
teams tied to a fence, some men leaning
against t'.io side of tho station and two or
three women with dust piled in tho folds of
their skirts and on tho band boxes thoy
carried.
I was met by one of tho school committee.
As wo waded through tho dust down tho road
'to his buggy, I asked if there was a minister
in town and if I could board at his house.
"Well, I'd sort 'o got a place for you at
Mis' Simmon's, but I guess if you know tho
minister you can go there. Thoy don't have
much, and his wife's sick most of tho time,
and can't got around spry with her work.
Thoy don't keep boarders as a regular thing."
Discouraging!
"Will you show mo his house, it surely
won't do any harm to enquire."
Wo climbed into tho buggy and tho bony
horses moved off. I had to hold my hand
kerchief up to keep from choking. By tho
time wo reached tho minister's house tho
folds of my skirt were piled up with dust.
Tho committee man loft mo at tho door of a
low, porchless houso that needed a coat of
paint. I shook oil' some of tho dust and then
knocked at tho door. A pale, thin little girl
of about ten opened the door and ushered mo
into tho parlor. I looked around while- sho
went to call her mother. In ono corner was
a crayon portrait of a young man, in an elab
orate frame. Over ono corner of this was
draped a "throw" of cotton batting. A yel
low and brown ingrain carpet on the floor, a
small tablo with a biblo on it in tho middle
of tho room, a hanging lamp without any
shade, coarse lace curtains at tho windows
Cam eras Dry Plates Films Cards-
-Printing Paper at
LINCOLN PHOTO SUPPLY CO. 181 So 11th street.
