The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-08-25

ed only by the woodfre's glow, and in
the corners strange shadows seemed to
gather beckoning hands and white
brows cleaning spectrally through the
darkness. Toward them, now and then,
the wife looked with anxious, searching
gaze then turned back again toward the
fire, and clasped her hands over the heart
that had learned through many trials, the
hard lessons of patience.
Judge Howard was stern, self-con-
ceited man. In his native town, where
he had passed all his life, none stood
higher in public esteem. Toward the
poor he was liberal toward his neigh
bors, just and friendly yet, for all that,
he was hard man, whose will was iron,
whose habits were granite. His wife had
come to know this even in her honey
moon. The knowledge was endorsed by
her sad, waiting face, her restraining
manners.
His daughter Caroline, his only child,
had learned it early, and her father be-
came to her almost as much an object OF
fear as of tenderness.
And yet he loved those two with a
strength, weaker, more yielding natures
could not have fathomed. When his
child was first put into his arms when
her frail, helpless hands groped blindly
at his own, he felt the strong thrill OF
father-love sweep over him. For the
moment it swelled his soul, irradiated
his face, flooded his heart, but it did not
permanently change or soften his nature
AS she grew toward womanhood, her
bright head glancing in his path was
the fairest sight earth held, her ringing
voice the sweetest music. He never graf
fled her whims, nor always yielded tc
her reasonable wishes.
At length love came to her. She gave
| her heart to one whose father Judge
Howard had hated. James Huntley and
he had been young together, and feud
had arisen between them, which Rufu:
Howard's stern nature allowed him never
to forgive. He had yet to learn the les
son, holier than philosophy, loltier thar
all the teachings of seers and sages, th'
lesson our Savior lived, wrought, aye
died to teach-of forgiveness even fo
our enemies-prayer for those who have
despitefully used us and prosecuted us
His former enemy was dead now, but no
so the Judges hate. 1t had been trans
mitted, like real estate, to the dead man I
heir; and so he forbade his daughter t
marry him, and sternly bade her choos'
petween parent and lover. She inherited
her fathers strong will, and she put he
hand in Richard Huntley's, and wen
forth-she would not have been her ia
theirs child if she had not-without
tear.
From that time, for ten years, he
name had been a forbidden word. Let
ters she had written at first during he
banishment-but they had been sen
back unopened, and for years no voice o
token had come to tell whether she wer
dead or living. Therefore, the mothe
looked shudderingly into the shadow
haunted corners, in the long twilights
and almost believed that she saw ther
the face for which her mothers heart ha,
yearned, momently, all these years.
Judge Howard loved his wife, too
if she had but known it ! Every outlin
of that sad, waiting face, every threa
of that silver hair, was dearer to hir
now than when the bridal rose crowne
the girl bride he had chosen, but hi
lips never soothed away the sadness c
that patient face.
1T is terrible night" he said, a
length rousing himself from his long 81
lence. In the pause after his words
: you could hear how the wind shook tn
house, groaning among the trees, an
signing along the garden walk.
eyes, terrible night" his wife an
swered, with a shudder.. g God gran
no poor soul may be out in it, shelter
less"
Amen l would take in my wors
enemy on such night as this"
His worst enemy But would he hav
taken in his own child-the daughte
with his own blood in her veins, fe
once at his hearth Ii this ques;io
6 crossed the wife's mind, she gave it n
utterance.
t Shall light the candles, Rufus :?
she asked. meekly.
Yes-it is almost bedtime. ha
, forgotten how long we were sitting i
+ the dark. / will read now, and then W