The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1861-09-11
THE GOODBYE.
"George-George!' I" y

nd" Well; what's wanting nowV boo
The young husband turned back the
door-knob, and there was an impatiencc
in his tone, and annoyance on his brow,
as he answered his wife's call. f'r 1.i1
g" Nothing, papa, only baby and | just
want to kiss you goodbye" and she came
towards him, the little, graceful, sweet
voiced woman, with her baby in her arms
and held up the small soft face TO his
cheek, and the little one crowed, and
thrust his dimpled hands, and clutched
the short thick locks triumphantly.
"oh, baby, you rogue! you'd like to
pull out handful Of your papa's hair,
wouldn't you, now9" laughed the mer-
chant, in q tone SO unlike his former one
that you would not have recognized it,
and he leaned down and kissed the small,
fragrant lips over and over. .'
"Now, it's my turn, papa" and Mrs.
Williams smoothed away the rumpled
hair, and kissed her husbands forehead (;
and as he went out Of the house that
morning, q new softness and peace had
erased the troubled look from the mans
face. n -....H .....f. s.- t.r., .l u
And that day it was appointed to Geo.
Williams to pass through a sharp and
fearful temptation. '' '''.' +
He was in the midst of commercial
crisis, and several of his heaviest debtors
had failed that week, and now payment
of ten thousand dollars was due, ard
there was no way TO pay it unless
He held the pen irresolutely in his sink
ing hand. The veins were swollen into
great blue cords on his forehead, and the
breath came thick and fast between his
hot lips; few scrawls of that pen, a SOL
itary name at the bottom, and the young
merchant could secure The ten thousand
dollars, and his business credit would be
safe. There was no sort Of doubt, too,
that he could raise the money within n
few days, and thus secure himself from
all discovery, and the pressing circum-
stances of the case certainly allowed some
limits in financioring.
So whispered the tempter, rs he walk
ed up and down the soul of George Will
Jams, always softening the word forgery
into some false name, which totally chang
ed to his perceptions the moral complex
ion of the deed ho was about to commit
The young merchants eyes glared oil
around the office, but there was none to
see him then; ho dipped his pen with a
kind Of desperate eagerness into the tall
porcelain inkstand, and he drew it along
the paper, when suddenly his hand paus-
ed, struck by a thought---the memory ol
his wife's kiss that morning.
He saw her as he saw her last--stand
ing in the door; her baby in her arms, hel
sweet face full Of motherly tenderness and
wifely trust, ms she lifted it TO him ip part
ing; the voice Of the tempter passed
away before the rush Of holier emotion
which blurred the mans eyes; he dashed
down the pen. Mary Mary you have
saved your husband; sink or swim, / vii
not do this deed. | should blush fo
shame to meet your eyes and our baby
to night, If carried the burning conscious
ness in my own soul, though no othe
man did or ever would know it. Mary
my little wife, you won't know it, but tba
goodbye kiss of yours this morning, ba'
saved your husband from this great SIM
George Williams did not sink. II wa
a hard struggle; But The storm passed b,
without falling on him as II did on man.
others, and Mary, his wife, never knew
that she had saved her husband from {
sin which, in her eyes, would have beef
worse than DEATH .4sIifhi Zoo ef'