Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-12-08

appeared to age him suddenly lie
looked haggard and feeble, and
grouped about for d chair; and
then he sat down, and lot bis whlta
head fall upon his hand,
1--WE must go away sobbed
Linda, rs soon as she could speak.
"Aiter these long, hard years, he
hasn't kind word to offer me,
any more than il / was stone
The dazed children huddled
closer together, and Seth put his
arm around her waist. "Nobody
shall touch my mother said he,
hotly. "Let 'em try, IL they dash
to do it,
1t was clear Northrup ring; and
the old Squire must have thought
so, for he looked up.
"You can't let 'em 60 out into
the cold and storm for it was
showing now in angry spits, and
the sour day had grown sourer to-
ward evening,) pleaded the dame.
"You haven't the heart to see
your own born child 60 out of the
old door in bitter weather, with a
baby in her arms, and a sick child
ahold of her skirts. know you
too well, Chester Northrup. You
can't hold such a grhdge, now that
Ben is dead and buried; and on
this day, when the Lords mercies
bid lis forget and forgive
The old man backed round away
from the light
81 'spose she is ready now to
say she's sorry for marrying that
vagabones, he mu5tered, as if to
the wall.
mo, nevert cried Linda, star.
ting up. "a should shame the old
Northrup spirit if did injustice
to poor Ben, lying in his cold grave
There was bad luck all along, but
he never spoke a cross word and
when trouble come he took the half
of every burden. Love helped us
to hear it ALL
She broke down worse than ever;
but by and by, as the Squire kept
silence, with that bowed look Upon
him, she crept near to his chair, and
somehow got into the circle of his
arm and laid her wet cheek and
faded hair against his breaat.
Say you forgive me- she whis-
pered, 81 can go away and work
for my little ones. ! don't dread
anything that can happen
only a fathers wrath has weighed
so heavy these many years.
The old mans head went. lower
and lower, and at last when there
was a sweet solemn hush over the
room, and Betsy Blngld was crying
softly into the fireplace, be looked
up with that altered face, that had
aged and softened so, and said in J..
that new way of referring to his
wife, in a tone almost querulous
and childish:
barbara, why don't you ask
Lindy and the children to eomepnd
live with US here in the old place?
Amt there room enough, I'd like
to know? You have taken it all
upon yourself, and you must fix
things, You ought to have done
it before, Barbara; l should have
been a better man. And now, is
there time for God Almighty to
have mercy on a hard old sinnerY
"The Lord bless you, Chester
sobbed the old woman; and then
she got hold of his hand. and num-
bled it, and kissed it, and wet it all
over with her happy tears. But
presently the Jumps cleared out
of her throat, and she cried with
almost girlish glee: "We have
got the childrenhome again, in our
old age: pnd it minds me to bless
God for the sons and daughters
that have gone back to old homes
everywhere on this Thanksgiving
Day
"Andmay God remember those
that are left 10 the cold away from
mothers love and fathers pity
murmured Linda.
"Hurrayp cheered the weakly
boy, not knowing exactly what he
cheering about but it had the
force of Amen. And there was
the white haired sire, with the worn
daughter on his breast, and the
blissfnl grand dame, and the little
rosy children, held in the sacred
bond of our dear old Puritan fes-
tival, where the spirit Of peace and
love had turned the wrath OF man
to praise.