| Show A HAPPY NEW YEARI It trmmt 10 oclock In two hours moro the cloCk would signal the tlosing hour fit the scar and twelve months would hao flown Bfnce John the husband 11 lbs repinIng wife lift his homo to kn livelihood for his nlfa and family In the ncUduatlierlnB ee > tlors of the Great West During all the time of Ills absence MarY Allen hid not henril from her hush hd rtia Know liothlns of his whereabouts nor wheLk C hence t ho would ever return Ilftd he perished on the gnat American desert des-ert or had ho drifted off with oll colllpaniolls Iud mol uldo Ihos whoul h hones loX cd Brf dedrlv nlKl for whom he hmsdAnrh trIDI taln a llvellliood Ilipivwere question which flashed > Uyldly aoiovs the mind of the dst ds-t d woman im she fit in her humble hum-ble cabin liitMiIng II > the ticklock of lAdy qmirI nl looldnc time pltic while hieti I me little ones nratled snugly lu I htli I > nOun cl inline of Now Ttlis which they Jmd heard their mother so often iiieiilc l alwut Toor woman Slid had tolled with all hut drudgery of which oho wna capable during the 3C3 duyg1 of the ycur just elating In odor to pioperly clotho mid food her little ones and so busy had Bhn bcpn that few nmluenU had given her the chance to Bit In her lowbnckcd clnlc sod ponle nSbhe woo rnuiw 105 Berlin Iew II mind o Indeed had she eietthought of her husband Lelns 1 un n 1 W tlttei to her or evenunmindful of the Charge that he hadsn om bo devoutly to cue for and prottit Did John still iherlfh In his heart Uhe love that once held sttny for nil wife and little one Whs ho the nAme devoted father he cone wus when he 1 mm puld sit by the open fireside and theip prattle with the children ax thuuph h owen s one of them or had he If lIving become haidened like the class of men he had set out to mingle with and forgot all Ira nil If home children fort wife The more Mrs mIles pondered ever Ihese thIng the more nenous she 10 canoe teelnl a she lid that all was not just right that John had cither met an untimely ending or he was not himself Why hill im never written since his departure I He had promised to for his last words to his wife us he fondli kissed her goodbye were Mary he cheerful I will return shortly short-ly he good to the children I will write Sun and tell you Just how I suiceed Had he forgotten his promise No no It could not be John hail too good a bract for that lIe was too devoted to his family circle to so e strange himself him-self He must have met with some un lookedfor calamity for In all his eagerness to seek out a livelihood for hIs dear ones he cOllld not no woUld oat henve such 11 burdell spas them Cue that of forcing them to drag along through a whole telemonth without with-out any tidings of the man they so much doted upon The children were now In a dep Bleep except that cverj now and then the wanderings of the mind would CIlIIS thorn to becom restless sad mak them mumble to themselv ords whIch were hat dintbootly alldl Ole to the food but frettul mother The hands of the old fashioned clock continued their Journey around their figured dial and only t short time remained re-mained until the bells In the church towers would hpgln I nugur the passIng pass-Ing of the old tho opening of the new What n vast difference In the environments environ-ments of Mrs Allen to those of two years before when the husband was a prosperous town merohallt and 111 sal Iclently good circumstances to sur itund his charges with everything that tended to mark the beginning of a new year with Joy and gladness These were conditions for rcllection These grated upon the poor woman incmoo and drove her to that state of irlnd wherein many are led to pronounce pro-nounce this life not Worth the living IJut such a sentiment however found not lodgment In Mrs Aliens heart Ihe was too broadmlndod for that too charitable too mindful of her little lit-tle ones and too hopeful that perhaps nIter nil John would some day return and surround her and the babies with all the hapjlness and Joy that hIs heart was prone to htllv upon them The hour of twelve arrived There ws 11 solemn silliness lucre uding the neighborhood of the Allen household The mothtl wept In her deep reflection but she had not given up hope despite the thoufchts that In two hours had flitted through her memory with lIght nlngllke rapidity She retired Just alb a-lb church bells began to toll and In their Jingle a solemn prayer went up In which the Fall rend as petitioned to giant unto that famIly the knowledge knowl-edge whether pr not theIr malnbtay John Allen had met with an untimely endlll hud torsakn thoo whom he once loved or ha4 been placed In such circumstances as to make It Impossible Impossi-ble for him to communicate with them That petltloll was 11 Ceneot one sod < aped from tho lips of Mrs Alien with a quIvering earnestness tOot be tokencd slnrerlly ot the deeIest Iype O gracious and most merciful Father said she grant unto us this nlht Thy Ijoly Spirit We are desirous of knowing know-ing what has become of pno who once loved us so dcitrly John Allen but who left his family circle I bIts scar nto to seek for them a livelihood In I Ihe mining sections of the Great West Has ho perlhid rather Has It been Thy will to thus depilvu us of our iralnstaj our earthly provider It BO grant 0 Lord that Thou wilt make known unto us that such Is the case at the same time giving us the power mid rod ne sen to will mIter 01 tho tryIng try-Ing ordeal If ho has not been thus moved grant us 0 rather the iDtvledge of his whereabouts thit Incur In-cur sorrowln hours we may IIn1 con litlon In knowlllg that he still lives lhat ho Is still true to us albeit that nv i have not heard from him since his d cam lUre The conclusion of this prayer brought resignation 10 that faithful oman II counlenance beamed with hallplnes ns she IIltered IInwaed Amell ant a1lloug she poke not another and It Or atclean It evIdent that her humble petition had fallen on tenUe ellrs amId that n nrsponsc thowiliperhaps inaudble had came us nil nh tnerrven before the Ira yer was finished That night Mrs Allen slept well and In the morning the slime hcamlnlt rauntet ama that beltS I ames mw hen I more5es had Closed In sleep Was tIll In evIdence snd as Mary Johnnie and Katie lifted out of bed each received a loving kiss from a happy mohfr as she assured them rl hrd oerX that papa vvonld caaeneturn The first of January nImety seven brought happiness to a fireside where sorrow and he tenn of bitter part itij marked a contrary Btato a scar before be-fore John Alltn the lost the unheard of the prayed for returned noel as he clanpid a lovlnj I und devoted wife and look la 11 arms Iho younlJ anee ho coal 80 moth to leave he 1 OltNI to Vary Allen a tale of eitremi hardship Kientcr eihap than Ihat which the mother at home hnd had to bear tell tog her how he had drifted Into the frozen lnoknn regions bov he had boon Isolatl an cut CUT from tlio rest of the civilized world for nearly ten months all tho while lIking on seammtp rations yea m Bcant that the very shoe leather cost from the feet vvaa a sweet Illlrel nt times John Allen nth r lca > lnp homo had Joined nn expdilon 1ld flf Won dike They roenhed the headwuter of the Yukoll In thur eurly IJlnglme sod tram shone drifted alone Its trtbu Ineimo to a place 0 remote that hu mankInd uuidet of their own r1 mooAisiabrg1Ji Cersoeo The oll srimglut for mvimeobtmlierul but hle mIld 1nlt torjwn i Ihe Inrtt ha1 dWllldleu from I doses 10 hal Ihlt lumler IX hbvloglueiinlu d In t thie mold TheIr pen Shehcms legion to errs hg aol 11550 mcnna pat on ratIons TunIs olllton ouplel with the xtrrmtty ot lime weal her lea mInced UH1 ranks to tcmneJoIrn Alell nnd Joe llroun These men iiroceedcel hem enandcm Ill JV5000 apiece In gold dust At Dn son the tonrc ceded In get ttnr turchaers for tholr claims Thl lurln1ts Eiive each ttn additional S15000 and mu Ilh lImo ODOO a > secured nnd un eXllorlenco whlrh nathlng woulcIJOmllt them to lIe through ngoln Ihy tumheucsil imomml 10 lhlnnd font hI toot and hd mllc hY mIle lurese 1 Ihelr happy Inland mie land homes whlh 101h made It 11 IwlOt ton1o lit by New Years day ttIuinimcdlmse iw soy Iliftt 1 trtinsfor mul1 wn broucht but In the aIr eoielsnrro ot hahn lens family 5OtbS limp lice 1lnl In poses nlld hap lullrme wlh erythlnl that thr hetumln lslre and ns tho father looks haclt lIners hlHlmsluion oC 1 pears go hn vtiticraa pra > tr to f3jd 1 that hIs Ilfrmtsyso Irol whie his dar cells 11ya Mnrv still suntlolmes to 1101 Ihat relics I source from llrh mile such II toady senluecotc In Iher I lumnirr nZ siii0llflutmos to her and tIre fmmOlly llIimsinliclm em osrea lIp nd trulyo vary v5rytlapyy Teeme Tel I |
