The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1864-11-30

Poor Mrs. Granger Foor little or
phans! Well might Mrs. Sterling pity
them. While her mereeuary husband
was sighing over the loss of three hun.
dred dollars, the young widow lay sense
less with her two little children weepeng
over her in childish terror. The news Of
death found her unprepared. Only a
week before she had received letter
from Mr.. Granger, in which he talked
hopefully of his recovery. 81 am strong
err" he said: II have gained five pounds
in flesh since I left home" Three days
after writing this letter there came a sud-
den change of temperature; he took cold,
which was followed by congestion of the
lungs and no medical skill was sufficient
for the case. His body was not sent home
for interment. When the husband and
father went away two or three months
before, his loved ones looked upon his
face for the last time in this world.
Love and honor make the heart strong.
Mrs. Granger was gentle, retiring wo-
man. She had leaned upon her husband
very heavily; she had clung to him as a
vine. Those who knew her best felt
most anxious about her. "She cannot
stand alone"
But they were mistaken. As we have
just said, love and honor make the heart
strong. Only week after Mr.. Sterling
read the news of the young minister's
death, he received note from the widow.
"My husband" she said, "was enabled
to 60 South in hopes of regainlng his
health, through your kindness. If he
had lived, the money you loaned him,
would have been faithfully returned, for
he was man of honor. Dying, he left
that honor in my keeping, and will see
that the debt is paid. Butyo will have
to be little patient with me-"
"All very fine" muttered Mr.. Sterling,
with slightly curling lip. "I'vc heard
of such things before. They sound well.
People will say of Mrs. Granger, "what a
noble woman what a fine sense of fhonor
she has but shall never see the three
hundred dollars | was foolish enough to
| leuu uer HuSDauQ.
Very much to Mr.. Sterling's surprise
and not little to his pleasure, he discov.
cred about three months afterwards that
he was mistaken in his estimate of Mrs.
Granger. The pale, sad, fragile little
woman brought him the sum of twenty
five dollars. He did not see the tears in
her eyes as he displayed her husbands s
note, with his dear familiar writing, and
made thereon, with considerable formality,
an endorsement of the sum paid. She
would have given many drops of her
hearts blood to have been able to clutch
that document from Mr.. Sterlihg's hands.
1t seemed like a blot on the dear lost
ones memory.
"Katie Granger is the queerest little
girl ever knew" said Flora Temple to
her mother, on the evening of the very
day the first payment was made, Mr.
Sterling heard the remark, and letting
his eyes drop from the newspaper he vas
reading, turned his ears to listen.
IL think her very nice little GIRL"
replied the mother. $50 she as nice, re-
turned the child, but then she is so
queer"
"What do you mean by queer?"
"Oh. she isn't like the rest of the girls.
She said the oldest thing today. l al
most laughed out but I'm glad I didn't.
Three of us, Katie, Lille Bonfeld, aud |,
were walking round the square at recess
time, when Uncle Hiram came along, and
taking out three bright ten cent pieces, he
said, Here's dime for each of you girls,
to buy sugar plums.' Lille and l scream.
ed out, and started away for the candy
shops in an instant; but Kate stood still
with her share of the money in her hand.
Come along l cried She didn't move,
byt looked strange and serious. Aren't
you going to buy some candy with it p
[ asked. Then she shook her head
gravely and put theIdime in her pocket,
saying q don't think sne meant me to
hear the words)-Tt's for fathers honor;'
and leaving US, went back to the school
room. What did she mean by that,
mother Oh, she is so strange~
"Her mother is very poor you know"
replied Mrs. Sterling, laying up Kittie's
singular remark to be pondered over.
"She must be strange" said Flora, "for
she's worn that same frock to school every
day for most three months"
Mr.. Sterling, who did not let single
word of this conversation escape him, was
far from feeling as comfortable under the
prospect of getting back the money he
had loaned Mr.. Granger, as he had felt
an hour before He understood the
meaning of Katie's remark, dts for
fathers honor" the truth flashing at once
through his mind.
There was another period of three