Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-05-21

30, Ellsworth! what will uncle say 2
cried the child, betwixt her shivering an,
weeping, "what will uncle say? How
long shall you be gone"
81 don't know" evasively, IL shan't b
back to-day, though. But you musn'
stand here, talking any longer. Father'l
be up soon, you know. Now, good bye
Nellie"
There was sol, in his throat, as b,
leaned forward and kissed the sweet face
that had only seen dozen summers, ant
then be was gone.
"Go and call Ellsworth to breakfast, vii
you, Ellen!" said the deacon, two hour.
later.
"He isn't up stairs, uncle" 4 md then
as they two sat down to theirs, Eller
briefly related what had transpired.
The deacon's face grew dark as she pro
ceeded. HHe thinks to elude the confes
sion and frighten me, by running off for {
day or two" he said; che will find he i.
mistaken.
So that day and the next passed, and
the deacon said nothing more, but Ellen
who was his adopted child, and the orphan
daughter of his wife's most intimate friend
noticed that he began to look restless, and
to start anxiously at the sound of foot
fall; but still Ellsworth came net,
At last strict search was instituted, and
it was discovered that Ellsworth had gone
to sea, in ship bound for some part Of the
western coast of Asia, on three years voy.
age.
~ hope he will come back better bow
than he left" was the deacon's solitary
commentary, but in the long nights Ellen
used to hear him walking restlessly up and
down in his room, and his black hair be-
gan to be thickly scattered with grey.
But the worst was not vet come. One
Novembernight, when the winds elamored
and stormed fercely among the old apple
trees in the garden, Deacon Grant and e.
len sat by the fire in the old kitchen, when
the former removed the wrapper from his
weekly newspaper, and the first passage
that met his eye was one that told him
how the ship, the one in which
Ellsworth had sailed, had been wrecked
off the coast, and every soul had perished
Then the voice of the father woke up in
the heart of Deacon Grant. He staggered
toward Ellen with white, haggard face,
and wild, fearful cry, "My boy! my boym
1t was more than his proud spirit could
bear. 20 Ellsworth! Ellsworth! !' and he
sank down senseless, and his head fell into
the Jap of the frightened child.
After this, Deacon Grant was changed
man. did not know which was the most
to blame, the father or the son, in the sight
Of God who judgeth rigkteously.
But equally to the heart of many pa
rent and many chill ], the story has its mes
sage and its warning.
Eight years had passed. 1t was sum-
mer time again, and the hills were green,
and the fields were yellow with her glory.
1t was in the morning, and Deacon Grant
sat under the porch Of the great, old, ram
bling cottage; for the day was very warm,
and the top was wrapped round thikckly
Will d uop Niuc.
These eight years had greatly changed
the Deacon. He seemed to have stepped
very suddenly into old age, and the light
wind that stirred the green leaves, shook
grey hairs over his wrinkled forehead, as
h, sat there, reading the village newspa-
per, with eyes that had began to grow
dim.
And every little while, fragments of
some old fashioned tune foatcd out to the
old man, soft, sweet, stray fragments; and
fitting back and forth from the pantry to
the breakfast table was a young girl, not
handsome, but with a sweet frank. rosy
countenance, whose smiles seemed to how
er over the household as naturally as sum
shine over June skies.
She wore pink calico dress, the sleeves
tucked above her elbows, and "checked
apron" And while the old man read the
young girl hummed and fiuttered between
the pantry and the kitchen table, a young
man opened the small, front gate, and
wentup the narrow path to the house.
He went up very slowly, staring at all
about him, with an eager, wistful look, and
sometimes the muscles of his mouth work
ed and quivered, as ones will when strong
emotions are shaking The heart.
He had firm sinewy frame, of mid
ding hight: he was not handsome, but
there was something in his face you would
have ked; perhaps it was the light away
down in the dark eyes; perhaps it was the
strength and character foreshadowed in
the lines about the mouth. cannot tell
it was as intangible as it was certain you
would have liked that face.
The door was open, and the young man
walked into the wide hall. He stood still
a noment, staring around the low wall,
and on the palm leaved paper that covered
the side. Then thick mist broke into his
eyes, and be walked on like one in dream
apparently quite forgetful that this was not
his own home.
1 think those low sweet fragments of
song unconsciously drew his steps to the
kitchen, for few moments latter, he stood in
the doorway, watching the fair girl as she re-
moved the small rolls of yellow butter from
wooden box to an earthen plate. l can
hardly transcribe the expression of the
mans face. It was one of mingled doubt,
surprise, eagerness, that, at last, all con
verged into one joyful certainty.
"Merciful man = The words broke from
the girls lips, and the last roll ofbutter
fell from the little hands, as looking up, she
saw the stranger standing in the doorway;