The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-13
JOB GOLDING's CHRISTMAS.
BY LOUISE CHANDLER MoULToN.

ter of his own mind He had lived a
great many years, and neither re-
morse or memory had ever been in
the habit Of disturbing him. but now
} it seemed to him as if the very found
atoms of his life were breaking up
He was through with his days work
he had dined cOmforta bly-he sat
IN an easy chair In a luxurious room,
whose crimson haugIngs shut out the
still cold of the December afternoon
for the Oath of December 1t was.
He was already 70 enjoy himself. How
singular that this state Of things
should remind him of coming time
when his LIES work should all be
done-even as his days work was all
done now-when he would be ready
to sit down in the afternoon and look
\ over the baIauce-sheet of his deeds.
How curiously the old days came
trooping in slow procession before
him.
His dead wife, he had not loved her
much when she was with him, but
how vivid was his memory of her
now He could see her moving round
/ the house, noiseless as a shadow,
never intrUding on him after he had
once or twice answered her gruf1y,
/ but going on her own meek, still ways,
with her face growing whittier every
/ day. He began to understand, as he
| looked back, why her strength had
/ failed and she had been ready when
her baby came to float out on the tide
and let it drift her into Gods haven.
She had had enough to eat and to
| drink, but he saw now that he had
! left her heart to starve. He seemed
to see her white, still face, as he
/ looked at it the last time before they
! screwed down the coffin lid, with the
/ dumb reproach frozen on It, the eyes
that would never plead vainly any
more, closed forever
He recalled how passionately the
! -days-Old baby cried in another
room, Just as that mother moving
/ all the people, gathered at the funeral
with thrill of pity for the poor little
| mOtherless mOrsel. She was passion
ate, wilful baby, all through her baby
hoou, he remembered She wanted
missed without knowing what the
/ lack was-the love which her mother
would have given her, and protested
against fate with all the might of her
! lungs But as soon as she grew old
| enough to understand how useless it
was, she had grown quiet, too, just
! like her mother. He RECALLED her, all
| through her girlhood, shy, still girl,
! always obedient and submissive, but
never drawing very near him. Did
! she have tastes, he wondered-wants,
! longings2 She never told him.
But suddenly, when she was eigh-
teen, the old passionate spirit that
had made her cry so when she was
a baby must have ava kened again,
he thought, for she felLTn love then,
and married in defiance of his wish
/ es. He remembered her standing
proudly before him and asking
=" Father, do you know anything
against Harry Church,
Yes he answered, wrathfully,
: / know that he is as-pOOr as Job
was when he sat among the ashes ;;
he cant keep a wife. "
Anything else, father?" looking
him steadily in the face
No, that's enough. he had thun-
dered; and TIL tell you, besides,
that if you marry him you must lie
in the bed you will make. Ny doors
will never open to you again. never"
He met with a will as strong as
his own that time She did marry
him and went away with him from
her fathers house. She had written
home more than once, afterwards,
/ but be had sent the letters all back
unopened. He wished, to-day, that
he knew what had been in them:
whether she had been suffering for
anything He wondered why he had
| opposed the marriage SO much. Harry
! Church had been . clerk in his store
-faithful intelligent, industrious,
only poor In that word lay the head
of his offending. He Job Golding,
was rich-had been rich all his life
time-but what special thing had
riches done for him? He was an old
man now, and all alone. All
alone" he kept saying that over and
over, with a sort OF v que self pity.
And all this time q message wason
| its way to him. Was God preparing
! his heart to receive it2
He heard a ring at the door, but
he went on with his thoughts, and
I did not trouble himself about it.
Meantime, two persons had been ad-
mitted into the hall bel0w-a man
and a little girl, eight years old, per
/ haps Her companion took off her
hood and her warm Wrappings. and
| she stood there-a dainty, delicate
/ creature-her golden curl5 dropping
softly round her face, with its large
blue eyes and parted scarlet hips The
! housekeepers had oeome into the halk
4 and she turned pale as she saw that
! little face. sa1E9 Us nE nei- 3ssl7iiE e i33
Miss Amy child, She said to