The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-08-19


Make me to love him with all tenderness,
and enable NE to do well aud truly the
duty pledged to my sainted mother
| promised her would love and care for
him always. Father in Heaven help me =
The old man crept down the stairs and
out of doors, and for whole hour be
walked among the trees. He thought a.
gain of his wife-again of bis child--and
then; Of his gold Aud this was not the
first time be bad walked alone there. =
He did not himself know how great was
the influence his child was exciting over
him. .e, ss...-.r.,
Agnes-pure, good, beautiful Agnes
wept long and bitterly in her little gar
ret, and when she bad become calm, and
her checks were dry she came down and
got supper. But she was not the smiling,
happy being that had fitted about the
scanty board heretofore. Er rs
a few days after this, Moab Bremen
approached bis cot, one morning, he heard
voices from within. He peeped through
a rent in the coarse paper curtain, and
saw Walter Adams with bis child. Her
head was upon Walters shoulder, and his
arm was about her.
Walter was an orphan, and had been
Agnes school mate, and her fervent lover
through all the years of opening youth
He was an honorable, virtuous man, and
loved the gentle girl because be was of
all her suitors, the only Que whose char
acter and habits promised JOY and peace
for the future.
y cannot leave my poor old father,
Walter, the old man heard bis daughter
say, Il must live to love and care for him.
OF all the earth am the only one left to
love him. 1t is hard |. Ny heart may
break ! Bat the pledge of love | gave to
my dying mother must be kept.
And SO the great joy-dream of my
youth must be changed to sad reality !
exclaimed Walter, sorrowingly. i can
not ak you to leave your father sweet
Agnes, for the very truth in you which |
worship would be made lie could you
do so. Bat | have praycr-an earnest
sincere prayer. | pray that God, in his
mercy, may remove the curse from your
fathers tended form!
The curse Walter
'Aye--THE GOLD CURSE " rejoined the
youth, ferveptly. i hope God may rem
der him penniless =
What! Peuniless! ? repeated Agnes,
With a start.
AYE penniless = replied Walter, for
sieu he would be far more wealthy than
he is now. Then be would know how to
appreciate the priceless blessings Of his
sweet Agnes's love, and then the crust
might be broken, and his heart grow hu-
man again. And more than all. Walter
continued, winding bis arm closely about
the fair form of his companion, and speak
ing more deeply, then could prove my
love to hiu. Then l could take you to
my homc-aud | could take your father
to my home-and we would both love
him and care for him while We lived J
Noah Bremen stopped to hear no more,
and as he walked away, be nuttered to
himself
The rascal He'd do great things
Me penniless !--and he prayed for it !
The young villain! !
When the old man gained bis accus
toned walk among the great sycawores.
be wiped something from his eye. He
acted as though mote had been blown
in there.
Two weeks passed on and Agnes grew
pale aud thin. She did not sing as she
used to, nor could she smile as had been
her wont. Still she murmured not, mol
did her kindness to her father grow less.
.Oh, God help me to love my father |!
she prayed one night. Let not my grief
make me forget my duty!
One night Noah came home from the
city and in bis hand he brought small
trunk He barred the door, and drew
the tattered curtains close.
See y he said, as be opened the trunk
aud piled the new bank notes npon the
table. Look there Agnes, and see how
[ have worked in my lifetime. L had nc
education but I've laid up money-naon
ey-MoNEY How many men would sci
all their brains tonight for this See
one thousand, two, three, four, five. Coun
them, Agnes. There's two thousand
good dollars in each package.
Agnes counted them over, for sht
thought her father wished it, and she made
fifty packages.
! Fire Fire !! sounded voice from th'
entry, and she hears the sharp cracking
now and feels the heat. Agnes I! Nj
child = And in another moment sht
meets her father on the stairs. lie i
dressed but she is not.
sTake all your clothing, Agnes, and yo'
can put it on 10 the entry. The house i
all on fire.
In a few moments more the father an'
child stood in the road, the latter with
bundIe of clothing in her hand, while I'd
farmer bad small trunk. They gaze
on the burning building, but neither 0
them spoke.
And others came running to the scene
hut no one tried to stay the flames. AM
the effort would have been useless had
- mode for the old she'll burned 1Ik