Part 7 (1/2)

One day a little later there was started in the most sacred room in the house a vibration by the doctor which reached the auditory nerve of the nurse conveying to the brain a most joyous statement, ”It is a boy.” The nurse carried it to the kitchen, ”It is a boy.” The Chinaman cook carried it to the j.a.p ch.o.r.e boy, ”It is a boy.” The j.a.p ch.o.r.e boy carried it to the teamsters, ”It is a boy.” The teamsters carried it to the men on the ditches, ”It is a boy.” The ditch men carried it to the men in the orchard, ”It is a boy.” The prune trees took up the glad news and whispered it to the apricot trees, ”It is a boy.” The apricot trees whispered it to the peach trees, ”It is a boy.” The peach trees whispered it to all the other fruit trees, ”It is a boy.”

When Pet, Bell, Blanche and Daisy, with their large udders full of rich lacteal fluid, heard the news, ”It is a boy,” they gave forth an extra flow of milk that night. When the frisky mules in the barn lot heard the joyful tidings, ”It is a boy,” they just cut up and threw their hind feet higher than ever. You could not see them for the dust they made.

The roosters crowed, ”It is a boy,” and the hens cackled, ”It is a boy.”

The orioles in the mulberry trees warbled out the song, ”It is a boy.”

The dogs, Dash and Rover, in their play that evening barked at each other, ”It is a boy.” The cats Tom and Malty purred, ”It is a boy.” It seemed as if the vibrations in all the buildings and all over the ranch rang out the glad tidings, ”It is a boy.”

In the evening when all Mr. Herne's men congregated in their fine quarters to have some music, Osborn sat down to the piano and played while all the men sang, that old negro song:

”Give 'em more children, Lord, Give 'em more children; Give 'em more children, Lord, Give 'em more children.”

Osborn said to the boys when retiring, ”What a feeling of joy the advent of a little boy has brought to us all on the ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Herne have got their wish now, for they both wanted a son.”

Barnes said: ”What a fine time we will have with the little fellow, when he is old enough to toddle. We will have him over here most of the time.”

One day after dinner when the baby was about a month old, a man standing six feet three inches and weighing two hundred and twenty-five pounds, came on the porch where Mrs. Herne was sitting with the baby, and said: ”Mrs. Herne, the boys want me to take the baby to them. They are all sitting under the mulberry trees.”

Mrs. Herne said: ”All right, Frank.” But the nurse seemed to be alarmed lest he might hurt the infant, as he was so large and awkward, not used to handling a baby four weeks old, so she followed Frank and the baby to where the boys were. Frank said: ”Here boys, each one of you can hold him just long enough to pa.s.s your opinion upon him.” The men seemed to take as much pride and interest in the child as if he were their own.

After the boy had been in each of the men's arms and they had pa.s.sed their judgment on him, the nurse wanted to take the child back, but tall Frank said: ”No, I took the baby from Mrs. Herne and I am going to see the child in her arms safe again.” When putting the baby in her lap he said: ”The boys all think he is the brightest baby they ever saw.”

After he was gone the nurse said: ”You ought to see how gentle those great men handled that baby.”

Every day the men always inquired and talked about the baby, and were eager to watch its growth.

If you entered the house of an evening about the time the baby was put to bed, you would hear a very sweet, soft voice singing:

”Hus.h.!.+ my child, lie still and slumber, Holy angels guard thy bed.

Heavenly blessings without number Cl.u.s.ter round thy sacred head.”

There is great talk made among many persons about catching different kinds of disease and sickness, but how seldom you hear people talk about the contagious qualities of hope, joy and love. Supposing on a ranch the owner gets up in the morning and starts the vibrations going, ”That All is life, All is love, All is joy, and All is G.o.d,” and there is a hearty response by his wife who takes up the invocation, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, and All is G.o.d.” And carrying them into the kitchen, she adds to them by singing this song:

”The thorns that pester and vex my life Have changed to the flowers in June, All sounds, disorders, pain and strife Have rounded into tune.”

From the kitchen the ch.o.r.e boy takes up the sayings to the teamsters, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.” The teamsters take up those life-giving words, and instead of swearing at their teams all day, and talking about h.e.l.l, their thoughts and talk is, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.” The men on the ditches and in the orchards echo the glad thought, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.” And the birds in the trees sing with gladness, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d,” and that very interesting ring-neck bird, the kildee, as it runs along the ditches and moist places in the orchards, speaks in its peculiar way that, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.” And the music of the waters as it flows along, rippling in the ditches, sings ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.” The winds talk it to the trees, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.” The trees whisper it to each other, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d,” and the music of the insects say the same thing, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, and All is G.o.d.” When the G.o.d of day, with his effulgent brightness, rises over the hills in the morning and scatters his luminous rays on the ranch, and writes in lights and shadows his hieroglyphics that ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.”

And the one grand anthem that is being sung in the hearts and lives of all on the ranch is, ”All is life, All is love, All is joy, All is G.o.d.”

With an aspiration like that on the ranch, all cursing and swearing would disappear; smallness, meanness, jealousy, covetousness and greed could not live in that atmosphere. That spiritual air in circulation would kill out all l.u.s.tful thoughts, pride, vanity, love of strong liquors, and of coa.r.s.e animal food. Everything would manifest the fruits of the Spirit, which are peace, joy and love. All sickness and disease would disappear, because those life-giving, purifying thoughts would become incorporated and a.s.similated in the mind, nerve force, and enter into the blood, flowing through its veins and arteries all over the whole system, making the entire organism sound and pure, a fit temple for the dwelling of the Eternal One.

CHAPTER X.

MRS. MARSTON.

In the last three years the beautiful little city of Roseland with its avenues of palms and magnolias had a boom. Large substantial brick and granite blocks were erected. Very many new and handsome residences were built, besides putting a new appearance on some of the old buildings.

The commercial, professional and mechanical cla.s.ses were all doing well, and living in expectation of doing still better.

Among those who had prospered by the rise in real estate was a Mrs.