The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-09-20

felt II, if ! were cheating The public in lead.
ing them 10 think it wa Il gCodnc~, IN me.
GuOdnrsscS and kindnc~,re always come with
dcnalS
Some one, probably Dougal, sent the paper
to the postmaster Of Hamilton, Canada, re-
qucsting him, if any family by that name nv
cd there, to send them the paper Ana 1t was
not many weeks before | received lcltcr
from the mother of Johnston King, saying
they had got the paper announcing the death
of their only son, and thanking me, in words
that seemed TO be full Of tears, for the interest
had shown in him The letter was 3eautl-
fully written, evidently by Il woman OF cut
turc and refinement. She told me something
of the grief their sons life had been to them,
and yet they loved him devotcdly, ana ms
TWO sisters were nearly crushed undtr me
bow
answered the letter, and we kept up the
correspondence for several months; ana |
never received better letters in my litc-tuII
of truth and comfort. They made the days
brighter. that they came into. ! learned to
know herself her husband and her daughters
through them.
one day received one in which She asked
me for my photograph, telling me she icIt rs
if she knew us ALL my wife my two boy - ana
myself but She wanted To see my proxy II In
no other way, one who had been 20 much to
them. Now, | am an elderly man. and not
remarkably good looking, though one OF my
YOUNG lady friends tor | have always had Il
liking for young ladies' tells me my face IS
better than Il handsome nc-tlIat it Is genial
and honest, and Away, carries good sermon
in it. Even if this were true, (Which of course
do not BELIEVED it would not come out in the
picture and didn't Just like to have them
sec nv gray hairs and fluid out what an old
man ! was. But in my next letter sent one,
for who i. there that can help minding wo-
man? And when her next letter came, there
came with it a photograph, and as it dropped
out of the envelope ! was rather surprised to
see fresh bright pretty face before me OF a.
young lady. | had OF course Il picture of
Mrs. King in my own mind rs lady in mid
die life, with pulls of gray hair tucked under
Il white cap, rather large in figure, with ma
uonly air and mothcrly face We all make
pictures to comfort ourselves with, OF friends
we have not seen, and are often strangely de
ccived when the actual is presented TO us
and do YOU wonder that at first | should have
been somewhat surprised to see this sweet
young face before me?
But on reading the letter, found Mrs. King
had sent me her daughter Ruth'S picture, as
neither She nor her husband had any OF their
own at the time. Of course | must needs an
sWcr BY Il little note of thanks TO Miss Ruth
for this picture, and then came in return Il
BRIGHT, CHEEKY letter. such as young ladies' so
well know how to write and after that the
mothers correspondence dropped into the
daughters hands.
One evening about this time our hearts
were all made glad by Ncd'S any oldest boy
return from Ann Arbor, tor his summer yaca-
ton. And the week passed by with rides and
visits, trips out into the country, etc; for |
always take my vacation with Ned, and when
INV BOYS were at home with me ! forget my
gray hairs, and the years that have made my
stoop and am boy again And |
do not believe my boys are afraid of their
father, though ! know there are times when
the chips like to be by themselves, and al
ways have an intuition,-or Is 1t the boy feel
ing left behind that tcll- me when the old
man is better off at home or in his office, one
morning this dawncd upon me as a company
Of boys, with Ned in the yan started of for
hunt in the country So declined their ur-
gent invitation TO Join them, going to my of
flee instead, and sitting down atmv desk, took
up pile OF unanswered letters, that had been
accommodating during my vacation with Ned,
and among them ! found a letter from Ruth
King
wa, busy during the day answering bust.
ness letters, leaving l,uth's, being the pleas
antcr duty, till the rest were oft my mind.
What with Interruptions | didn't get to ii
that day, and when Ned came into my office
the next morning, | tossed it over 10 him,
asking him to answer il for me. He took it
up, and seeing Il lady handwriting, a look of
di,may came over his face | told him to-
open and read it, Myback was toward him,
but kept lookout over my shoulder to see
how he got ON with it. HIS face lighted up
a, he read it, but II, he finished and laid it
down, | could see nothing in it but blank de.
SPAR.
"Why, father never wrote to a girl in my
life. How do YOU expect me- to answer such
q letter a. that;
got up, and gong ont To- my desk, took out
of one Of the pigcon.hoc> Ruth, picture, and
laying it before him, told him it, history and
that perhaps it might inspire him, anyway, To
do the best hc could. The letter had been
neglected long time and could not an
Swcr it that day nor the next, and 81 left him
alone.
Had any design, ON these youu. people,
How can tel: An old man, heart i, past
finding out But believe there i in every
loving human heart desire for the happiness
oi other, and Il q person can help it along, is
severed the letter, and very soon after went
back to college, but have never been able
to iind ,hat photograph from that day 10 this
Whenever alludc to il in Ned, presence, Il
sudden III Of abstraction comes over the boy.
which prevent, his understanding ordinary
conversation. Al the tallyacltion Il company
I oil the Students went tO Niagara and Ned
wrote saying lac would like 10 take a trip oy.
/ cr INTO Canada, rs II was quite The talk now.
a.dnys, and it might be- good plan to take il
in at The Same time ~ closed the letter.
which | had been reading aloud al the tea
table, my wife spol" up from The depth, Of "A
mother, heart
II wonder if that boy .riV 20 over there
and he hasn't a decent suit of ,lo,h,, via,
him Doctor yUu >it down this minute and
write to him not TO do i, anyway. unc,, me-
gets himself fixed up some"
looked over at Annie and said. "P,haw ,
wife. if the girl cares much about him, Clothes
won't make any difference, and if it /, clotheS
she wants we don't want her: beside, Ned,
got handsome face, and looks we'll enough
hell manage that, YOU needn't worry