The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1875-05-26

suspense, Harry Graham came and
went between his store and his home,
saying nothing, suffering everything.
On Saturday evening he went out,
alone, for a stroll after tea. But in
half an hour he was back again, hav-
ing made up his mind in that brief
time to tell Margaret ALL
He found her IN the parlor. She sat
beside the window, bending over
small package in her lap. At his
sudden entrance she started and hid
the package in her pocket, blushing so
violently that at any other time he
would have noticed and wondered at
it. But now his mind was full of his
own troubles, and he had no leisure to
notice trihes.
He went straight up to his wife and
took both her hands.
Margaret" he said, "I'm ruined
man. This panic"
And then he broke down and burst
into tears; he fell upon his knees be-
side her chair
"Oh, Margaret" he sobbed, 81
thought | could give you a pleasant
home! And now we will be beggars !"
Margaret put her arms around him,
drawing his face down upon her breast.
When he was calmer, she kissed
him asked him to sit down beside her
and tell her all.
She listened mutely.
"And if the panic ends, and these
country customers pay all they owe
you, can you 60 on, Harry?' she
asked.
Eyes; that is, 1 need not close the
shop nor go through bankruptcy. But
then the panic may not end | see no
signs of it at present.
"Panics always do end" said Mar
garet, hopefully.
"But in the meantime, Margaret,
what are we to do? All the. bills for
six months past have come pouring in
upon me, and / cannot meet them.
And Sadler wants the mortgage money
on this house. lie has dunned me for
it all the time since it fell due, and
lately he threatened to foreclose. Now
he says he aciH do it. We shall loose
our home, and other people will suffer
because | cannot pay these bills.
have strained every nerve to do it, but
it is all in vain. | with I was dead
and out of the worry of it ALL"
ooh, Harry" cried his wife, re-
proachfully. "Do you want to die
and leave me?"
"They would not worry you for the
money, my darling, as they do me.
And yet | cannot blame them," said
he, signing. "They aOant their money
and | feel like a thief as long as |
withhold it from them. Margaret, l
see my mistake now! he added ener-
getically. "Credit has been my bane.
If l was beginning life again, | would
buy nothing that l could not pay for
at the moment; and before l would
live in a mortgaged house l would
build log hut for myself at the foot
of treel But there 1t is too late to
talk like that!" he concluded, bury
ing his face in his hands.
"No, dear! 1t is not too late 1t is
never too late to try and do better! !"
said Margaret, wiping the tears from
her eyes. Harry, have always
dreaded debt, as you know, and am
so glad to hear you say that you have
grown afraid of it. Oh! my dear,
dear husband, take this. Pay all we
owe-pay off the mortgage on the
house-and then we will live on bread
and water, if need be, till the better
days come around again."
This" was purple morocco pocket
book, well filled, which she thrust into
his hand, laughing and weeping at the
same moment, in her joy.
"Open it-open it, Harry" she sob
bed, at is all yours. | have saved it
for YOU" He opened it, 1t was full
of bank notes-tens, twenties, ffiies,
and two one hundred dollar notes
nesting in compartment by them
selves. Fifteen hundred dollars in
all
"Where in the world did all this
money come FRONT" he asked, with an
astonished, look.
Margaret wiped away her tears and
kissed him.
"Isn't it delightful, dear?"
"But is it yours, Margaret"
"It vast is yours now, Harry"
"But where did you get it2" he per-
sisted.
81 have not been out on the high |
way to rob people, and / have not
committed burglary" laughed Marga-
ret, whose good spirits began to como
back. "Come up stairs, Harry, and
you shall sec the good Fairy that
earned it,"