Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-05-12

chances for comfort ana ln0epen0cnce
for the home in the West gave promise o.
at least that, if not of extravagant wealth
One Qusty March night he came home
from Cherry Valley, and though it wa
dark. and had been for good half hour
there was no light anywhere visible II
the house, and no sign of life about thu
place. A vague sort of presentimen
seized him, and he hurried into the house
His wife sprang up hastily as from
sleep, and called his name In quick
startled voice.
"Why Myra, why are you sitting here
In the dark? feared something had nap
pened." he said, in relieved tone:
She came forward through the dim, un
certain dusk, and laid her hand on me-
husbands arm. =,
40 Ben-where has he gomez" she
cried. in faint, dry whisper, that sounded
strange and unearthly in the silence ane
He caught her arm in grasp 80 fierce
that a slight cry of pain escaped her.
"Woman!" he cried, sternly, !" it Is your
weakness that has encouraged him. You
never enforced obedience. You always
let him have his own head, and this Is the
result of your criminal folly"
80 Ben! tried to do the best ccuid,
che answered. meekly, never limiting by
word or tone that there could De any
possibility of HE having ever been 10
He croned for chair and sank into it
heavily With a womans natural IN
stinct. Myra Anderson put aside her own
main and tried TO comfort him. She knew
that his pride and temper were wounded,
and SO She said little, only dropping q
word now and then with rare tact, max
ing it always as favorable for her boy as
she dared.
No one said much to Ben Anderson
about his boy they soon learned by tne
look in his face that IL was not best. only
Tom Arnold told him that in has opinion,
no man had right to set up his wishes
against nature, and man forced TO take
up a life against strong, repellant instincts,
generally made failure OF 1t.
The summer grew bright, as 30 many
suramers had done before, but something
dimned its splendor, and cast faint
shadow over all the earth and air. Inc
DAYS were so long, and the nights so lone
" At the pleasant prairie home, that Myra
Anderson got nervous over their SLOW,
monotonous length. But by and by let
tiers came from Ralph-gay, bright httie
letters, full of buoyant life, ardent anti
cipations, and eager ambitions, with here
aud there little sudden veins Of deep tender
ness, that brought the blood to Myra An
derson's face with quick, warm glow.
But he said nothing He listened TO the
letters with a white, immovable face, still
very set and stern, whenever Ralphs
name was mentioned. Very evidently
he had not yet forgiven him.
But one day q rpmor was mentioned in
the spapers that there had been ter.
rible gale on the South Atlantic coast, and
a list of the vessels supposed to be lost
was given, and among them the North
Star his ship. Ben Anderson heard 1t
in the civ. How he got home he never
knew he had no recollection OF step
of the way. He walked into the room
where his wife sat reading over some
letters, a faint smile on her lips. She hid
them hastily in her dress, blushing softly.
But he did not see ; he walked straight to
the table and sat down, and buried his
face in his hands
God in heaven have mercyl" broke
in a sudden, agonized cry from his lips,
the great drops Of sweat coming out on
us lDTcHcdu III SiisteuiuS OCouo. -,
"Ben o my Observation-Disclosures
she stopped, half paralyzed with alarm
and dread as terrible, wild thought came
crashing through her brain. :,
He pushed the crushed paper toward
her he had brought it all the way from
Rockford crushed in his hand-and then
broke into q fierce, wild storm OF pas
siona,e weeping. Myra Anderson was
nearly wild with terror. Never, even
when their baby had died, had she seen
her husband weep. 1t is something
terrible when strong man gives way to
tears. A woman weeps softly and natu-
rally, but when the depths of strong,
stern rugged mans nature are broken up,
it is ike the fierce passion OF the tornado,
in its intensity.
"He has punished me for my hardness
II scouldnt forgive him." he said, after
he had grown calmer and they had talked
it over. 90 Ralph, my son! my son !?
Did you ever think what strange ways
God takes to break down these stubborn
wills of oursy How, when love and ten
derness tail, He sends the tempests breath
and the terrible swift sword, to do His
will; and then when our hearts are
softened and broken, how tenderly he
turns about and drops some great GIT or
Joy into our lives?
He did this into Ben Anderson's in this
way:
Four weeks after that terrible rumor,
came a letter from Ralph There had
been a terrible storm, he wrote, but they
were in port at the time. Half score OF
vessels went down, among them the
" North State" of New York.