Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-05-06
The Good-Bys.


The young husband turned back the
door knob, and there was impatience in
his tone and annoyauce on his brow, a.
he answered his wife's call:
"Nothing papa, only baby and want
to kiss you good bye" and she came to
ward him, the little, graceful, sweet
vetoed woman, with her baby in hel
arms, and held up the soft face to his
cheeks, and the little one crowed, and
thursI up its dimpled hands, and clutch,
ea the short, thick locks triumphantly
oh, baby, you rogue, you'd like IC
pull outa handful of papa's hair, would
n'J you now ?p laughed the merchant
in a tone SO unlike his former one that
you would not have recognized it, and
be leaned down and kissed the small
fragrant lips over and ever. r-t T.. o.
"NOw, it's my turn, papa" and Mrs.
Williams smoothed away the rumpied
hair, and kissed her husbands s forehead,
and as he went out sfsthe house that
morning q new seftness and peace had
erased the troubled LOOK from the mans
face. And that day it WAS appointed TO
George Williams To pass through u sharp
and fearful temptation. ,r-,s5GTE .
He was in the midst of a commercial
crisis aud some of his heaviest debtors
had failed that week, and now ten thou
sand dollars was due, and there was no
way to raise the sum unless
He held The pen irresofutely in his
shrinking hand. The veins were swell
len into great blue cords on his fore head,
and the breath came thick and fast be-
twixt his hot lips; a few scrolls of that
pen, u solitary name at the bottom, and
the young merchant could secure ten
thousand dollars, and his business cred
it would be safe. There was no sort of
doubt. too, but he could raise the money
within few days, and thus secure him
self from all discovery, and the pressing
circumstances the case certainly al
lowed some limits in hnanciering. So
whispered the tempter as he walked up
and down the soul of George Williams,
always softening down the word forgery
into some false name, which totally
changed to his perceptions the moral
complexion of the deed he was about to
commit. ~ ,5,. ..,f t..,.--. .,.s
The young merchants eyes glared all
around the office, but there was none
near him then he dipped his pen with
kind of desperate eagerness into the
tall porcelain ink-stand and he drew it
along the paper, when suddenly his
hand paused, struck by, the thought
the memory of his wife's kiss that morn
ing. He saw her as hesaw her last stand
ing in the door, the baby in her arms,
her sweet face full offmotherly tender
iiess and wifely trust as she lifted it to
him in parting :athe voice of the tempt-
er passed away under the rush of holier
emotions which blurred the mans eyes;
he dashed down the pen. stem = f'il,'
h "Mary! Mary YOU have saved YOUR
husband; sink or swim will not do
the deed should blush for shame to
meet your eyes and our baby's to night.
alf carried the burning CONSCIOUSNESS
in my soul although no man ever did
or would know it, but that good -bye
kiss of yours this morning saved Your
husband from this great SIM"
~ George Williams did not sink. 1t was
a hard struggle, but tue storm passed by
without failing on him as it did on many
Others, and Mary, his wife, never knew
that she had saved her husband from
sin which. in her ewes. would have been
worse than death. tT'
The GOOD we have done we shall know
mot here, but hereafter" and the best