Show 1 BARBARA BARBAR PRAYER i by ANNIE HAMILTON DONNELL I 1 IM I 1 aj I 1 copyright by joseph joeph B D dowles liow lea Dar barbry bryl barbry Digel owl but barbara Dar baris kept on rigidly she did aci nci no want to see bee old uncle zach ary she did not want to hear what he had to say eay I 1 know it Is a barrel the she thought cis as she hurried along it if I 1 turn I 1 round if 11 he knows I 1 hear him he 11 say bay athars a bar I 1 down to the crossin Cross ln for the parson barbry 1 rt rn not going to turn round for or him to say gay that to met it if he or anybody else brings it up I 1 cant can t help it but I 1 can help turning round can cant t IV it the girls girl e heart was bitter bitter bitter and the desolation or of the great flat prairie sear in its iti fall dress entered into her heart ind and to roomed with the bitter barbara bigelow loyed loved greenness and hills and pleasant things she hated with all her independent proud soung soul barrels it was barrel time of course that was what ahat uncle zachary was calling her for ile ho was wag plodding his bent old way ay up from the little Cro crossing station he had seen been the barrel everybody would see it would know that nat everybody at lonesome prairie was only uncle zachary and the tilt tobeys and the moods mooda is and a few others did not make Dar barbaras baras muc tings any less bit ter all lonesome hialrio would woula know anyway and that wasn gasn t the we coiet at of it she aha would knowl daddy poor daddy and the er are getting accustomed to I 1 em she meant barrels but not ino no not nol I 1 shall never get accas tomed it I 1 live to be a hundred 1 I shall always hate the th sight of a barrel till then six years they had been out on this desolate prairie the little parson had been a baby when ahen they came and now ho he was a boy in pockets and a wills tle tie all those years the mother had dressed him in barrel clothes it they were too big she took them in it if they were too small she stretched them the barrel shoes sometimes pinched hla his toes most of daddy s poor dadd a clothes were barrel clothes most of the mothers most of daubaras Dai baras and ene the twins you could tell barrel clothes the minute you set ees on them by their occasional fancy streaks and their creases and their general air of having been woin out before they got into the bariel ban el every year about this time one had come one 3 ear two came every ear barbara had bad been getting more bitter the horrible sensation of being of being second hand from daddy down to tho the little parson hurt liar her to the quick the people those people far away avay where there were nere hills and greenness and pleasant things were kind dad dy sald said they were thoughtful tho the mother insisted in her gentle fashion because theio were little clothes and middle aged clothes and grown up clothes in the bairens dut but bitter bit ter barbara hated cheso people they ero not thoughtful the were not kindl they humiliated other people who nho lived in ili un unbilled hilled un pleasant places lust just because tile the did live there and were ere poor and preached in lonesome Lone iome Pra Pral liles ties this oar ear with the patient mother and patient little hebec both sick I 1 things nero baell badly off at tho the prairie nige in her soul llaina a knew that the needed that barrel the lit tie parson needed more fad too big or too little trousers and dadd need ed cd more coats all four of the women nomen people most everything ever thing and darbara knew in her soul that the mother and daddy were watching A for it to think they should N want ant it if I 1 she flamed indignantly to think thea the should bo be willing fling if for or lit oil oh rd lather go barefooted in the snow and wear inear meal bags I 1 but would mould she rather have hane the mother and the twins and tho little parson and dadda poor diddy it turned cold bitter cold thit that night A wind swept tho the prattle unhindered b hill or forest in the pal son iliin a home it v as bird to reel keep terni barbara put her own oven thin hin feather bed over the twins and took an all the fiNal available lable quilts into the sick chambee she heated bircks and stove lids ds for ever bod ila padding tiding lit tie with careful pains then she got her v work vork ork and sat down donn with nith it on mother a side elde of the tha bed oh sighed mother other Ni soft have hava life his ever ener daa da ones given out too for it was the little every da trousers tro usera barbara was as patching the patches were of a different shade and bade fair 0 o stand out boldi an and conspicuously the little parson wai isal proud poor little parson lie pra praed ed tor for a barrel 0 new ones to tonight night mother smiled with nith wistful tenderness phout an patches on you would have hae cried to hear him darb barb ile he was as so dear if aoud as lives dear lord cause they call me ine patches hind m back where abere the patches are you know how hard it Is 13 dear lord to be called patches and ile he does barbai I 1 know knon lie he does I 1 think lie he m will ill send that barrel 1111 mak over oer HI ma old cloak into pants and ami wear near mothers shawl I 1 thought bubar i antl ill make inake over oner the aliani aud and weir a table cloth I 1 suddenly mothers mother a thin blue N elded hand band stole to 1 lying flying fingers and took them thea prison i ers era gently 1 I know dear I 1 fe felt 1 t t that h a t way a y 0 once n e e do 0 t ml ou oi want ant t to 0 it know ft 0 w w r n cured u r e d me 9 when wo we first carno came west some ono gave rather lather an overcoat it was a 0 good warm one but I 1 kne sor on ona elso else had worn norn it and I 1 hated it I 1 hid it I 1 t rather catl I 1 er should not go about wear ing somebody a old coat I 1 said bald so I 1 bundled him up in my shawl he any overcoat and somehow he be got through the winter lie ile never said he was cold he laughed when I 1 asked him father I 1 yes daddy dear old dad dy dyll the girls girl a thoughts though ta echoed dut but early in the spring it was ter albl bitter lie he caught cold and had pneumonia you were a tiny thing darby ou and I 1 took care of him mi heart did not break because the lord let me keep him darby I 1 wish that barrel would come comel you think 3 ou don t think they would forget us ua this year darbara uttered a little smothered reit cry and hurried out of the room sho she went into the iha children a room and tucked thern them all in anew with fierce tenderness beside the little parson a 8 crib she stood awhile looking down at the spall small sweet face that she sha loved she had covered the child A with ith an assortment of her skirts and the mother is barrel skirts every one and the small email face peeped out of them like a little white oasis in ii A dreary black desert suddenly she stooped and kissed it dentt Don tl tt murmured tho the little par son I 1 you yon hartl ibyl why dar darlinge lingl she was over him in a little tempest of re I 1 fill I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 they opened then them in the Mo Mother thera 3 room morse how could she have possibly hill huit t oh it its is 3 sou ou I 1 dian didn t it was ou parson was regarding her with sleep bewildered ea aies es I 1 thought it was somebody a callin me patches it huits when they call jou ou patch hush hush I 1 there there go to sleep again daily daiby wont non t let them do it again the ghantt sh antl antt she malted until he was vas asleep again and then stole awa aaa on tiptoe her mind was made up tip the ghe know what she must do that night dir 11 ir bara 0 ara earnestly prayed the lord for a barrel uncle vachael a shack was a nille mile aviah aw a straight to the north lal larli 13 next nio ining to the north tramped daibart da i bara birb iia walked because her thoughts rapid uncle came to the door when ihen she knocked a a bar I 1 at the crossing bar b bi 13 ho he said in aasni answer er to barbara Dir biras a question directed to the parson as plain as prin tin darbe lie he diew boser ills his old face keen with delight 3 ou see heie hei e a two it seemed a int miracle two miracles how good tho the loid old was mas she had pra braved I 1 ed for one the opened them in the mother s ro room oin re she and little rebec could see se e them the the laid on lit tie rebec s bed in an ever inci easing heap there pie too little and too big trouse trousers is for the little paison and a c coat 11 t for the big parson there worn sorn things for them all nothing was vas really beautiful but to daubaras Dar baras opened ees avei thing has lii as beautiful the neatly neata folded warm waist alst that dadd laid si lenti in lier her arms she hugged ecstatic ecstatically all her face in its folds she wanted Aali ted to hold that WH wa the one who had worn it and sent it to her the little parson had been busy in an bentoi len toi of his own now he sud luddeni deni sent his shrill little olce bolce into tho the solemn quiet of the loom 1 1 I lie hei re good I 1 thought I 1 d try em first an see I 1 made a hole in the cover ati an found em cm lie he was nas eating an apple ills hands were full ills his pockets were full utter contentment radiated from every pore of the little parson there a a plenty more there a apples far as I 1 can reach I 1 t ond i it thes lasted a shousan tho usan 3 eal earb ahe 1 I he second barrel was m as full of apples some one god bleas biers him far awa aa where there were ere hills and green or childs and pl pleasant eastant things had thought to shaie his plent with alth the pars parson onman man out here some one had been kind oh how kind some one had been let us its pin ilia the parson said but it iab tra vi as iral ng already iu in her le alcait ait |