Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-11-30
, ,aNGssilauu.
STEPHEN bISE,sM, e
OR THE
Hard Lnu dlord.

Have you heard the news =" ... ..
No; what is it now ?n ...
esquire Durham is gone-was fount
in his bed this morning--was carrie,
off by stroke of apoplexy."
"He was one of our prominent citi
zcrs. He'll be widely missed"
am not at all certain about tn,
last remark. In my opinion there viii
be few mourners at Squire Dunham'.
funeral. He was hard old customer
from first to last; and all he thought of
or cared for, was to make money. He
was shrcwdcnough ut a bargain and al.
ways got the best Of it; but ] think
you'd have to go long way to fiLd tn,
man, woman, or child, that's any worse
of because Squire Durham has finish
ed his days"
It's II great pity he could not take
any of his bank stock, or real estate
with him. tell you, my friend, on.
finds, after all, it's losing operation
to have all ones property in what goes
for nothing on the ether side. They
want different kind of coin there"
"That's fact. reckon Squire Dun
ham has learned some new truths b,
this time"
The above conversation took place in
city car just as the night was falling
so that the passengers could hardly dis
Germ one another in the dim twilight
The speakers Were two plain talking
men, in the prime Of their years ant
the conversation was suddenly Gu
short, for the car stopped at the stree
crossing, and the friends hurried Ou,
together.
In the seat behind them sat an ole
man of somewhat portly figure, an,
dignilied presence. He had hard
cold sort of Il face, IA face which no ten
der sympathies, no high and noble pur
poses, no earnest, unseltish striving
for right and truth had soltcncd o
spiritualized; and looking into the keen
gray eyes, under the shaggy eyebrows
a heart that had gone to them forpity, OF
mercy, would have turned away. BE
meath lay no sweet, gushing spring O
human love, only the cold hard rock
where no flowers blossomed, and from
whose bosom gushed no streams glad
dening the waste desert of the Mans
soul.
But it was evident that the old man
had been an interested listener to the
conversation which had transpired in
the seat before him. At the first men.
ton OF Squire Dunhain's name, he had
leaned forward, and drank in breath
lessly every word which followed, While
quick Hashes and strange agitation
went over the hard, thin face. lie
leaned back, 50 that the men could not
catch glimpse of his features as they
left the car, and his reflections went on
somewhat after this fashion:
"Well, it's pleasant, that's a fact. for
man to sit and have his life held up
after he's laid in his coffin. never
met either of those men, but it appears
that one of them, Mt least, is pretty well
posted up about me, and the estimation
in which l am held in public opinion,
though he has mistaken my name for
Silas Dunhan, the old lawyer, who
died last night. Complimentary,
wasn't it, Stephen Durham? / sup
pose there was n little spite at the bot
tom of it all, just as poor folks always
have towards those who have got more
money than they; hut then,"-
AT that moment the car stopped in
front OF the stately dwelling in which
the old banker resided. Ana that but
then," followed him into the house, and
sat down with him at his solitary sup
per table, and afterit was through, these
words were the text which the reused
conscience OF the rich man took up and
preached TO him after this wise:
But then, Stephen Dunham," it
whispered, as the rich old miser walk
cd up and down the gorgeous parlors
of his lonely home, "you know what
that man said about you is true
There is no use trying to evade it, for it
hit the nail straight on the head. You
know, too, that your object and aim has
been to make money, and that there is
not human being above ground that
would have reason to shed tear if \ ou
were laid tonight beneath it. You've
got money, rs that man said. YOU
generally get the best of bargain, but.
after all your half million that you del
we'd your whole life to get together, will
not pass for anything in that world
which you are getting pretty near now;
and as there is nobody to mourn you
here it is not likely that you will have
any welcome there"
And here Squire Durham sat down
in his velvet arm chair, by his marble
table, and his path of the years of his
youth, his boyhood, his glad, careless
boyhood, came back to him. The
gentle loving mother. and young sweet
face OF his sister, rnse up before him
and he saw the little brown cottage
where his life came to him. The old
apple tree in front was frosted with the
blossoms of May and he stood there
with Hetty, his little sister, and her
laugh, sweet as the gursling Of the
mountain brook, was in his ears, her
little round, plump arms were about
his neck. How she did love him, that