The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-04-21
LITTLE DAN"
The Letter Which, Broke a Mother
=. Heart.

The Letter Which, Broke a Mothers
= Heart
You see, the people at the post
Office soon recognize faces and names,
and soon after4a man or woman has
appeared at the general delivery
window three.or four. times they are
pretty we'll known. 1t is a real plea.
sure to hanEs6ut letters to some,
while the clerks acaree little for the
calls of others to get hold Of their
epistles. = - -.
One day a year or two ago, q fun
ny-looking little old woman, wearing
faded garments, but having q tidy
look and a motherly face, appeared
at the window and asked for q letter.
There was one for her, from distant
city, and any one could have told
that an unlearned boy directed the
envelope. There was q little I'd" in
"Detroit," with big "T" to tho end
of the word, and seemed wonderful
that the letter ever reached it's desti-
nation.
The old lady felt so good that, tears
in her eyes and yet trying hard to
smile, she put her head into the win
dow and said:
"Thanks! It's from my boy Dan,
and you don't know how much good
it does me
The lady delivery clerk rose up to
look after the old woman as she
noted the superscription. "He's in
Buffalo, learning trade. He's only
q bit of a boy, and there wasn't show
for him in Detroit, and besides he
was running out nights and going to
the bad. l sent him away, and he's
working hard and trying to be good,
God bless my Dan! I'm lone wild
ow, with only him to love, and l
hope he'll be good"
II hope SO, too," added the clerk,
and after that the two were friends.
Sometimes the letters were far be-
tween, and when the old lady would
worry over the delay, and the big
tears would fall the lady would almost
shed tear with her "Mother" would
open her letters at the window, and
if Dan was feeling brave.hearted and
getting along well, both would rejoice,
while both would still be anxious if he
complained and was discouraged.
Almost every week for year and
half the old lady received a letter,
and just as regularly she came to
post an answer. She wrote in a
quaint old hand, but the 10y could
make out every word, and once,
when he wrote that her writing was
improving, she felt all the pride
which a schoolgirl could have shown,
He improved as we'll. By-and-by lie
wrote "Detroit" plain and fair, and
ho took extra pains to commence his
"Dear mother" with grand flourish
and to add something extra after the
words "your son Dan."
Those letters were food and drink
to the old lady, and she seemed to &C
tually grow younger. Little Dan had
many friends in the post-ofice, and
had the mother been ill any carrier
would have hunted till midnight te
find her and hand her the looked-fol
letter. Three or four weeks ago
when sho opened her letter, she wen
and smiled as over the first. Dar
wrote that he was coming home fol
q week, and her heart was full She
said she'd have the cottage looking
like new for him, and she'd be at tho
depot to welcome him first of all. Eve
rybody felt glad with her, and the
lady clerk was to 60 up some evening
and have tea with her, and see little
Dan and praise and encourage him
for the more kind words q boy can
have the betteer he will seek to do.
There was no letter tho next Tues
day, but the two excused it's absense
by saying that Dan was getting
ready to come home. That was ear
ly in February, and be .ras to come
about the 1st of March. The next
Tuesday there was letter, but the
handwriting was not little Dams. II
was strange, business hand, and the
clerk felt a chill 60 over her as she
tuned it over. 1t might be good
news, but she feared not. 'Mother'
camo in at the regular hour, and she
turned pale as she took the envelope
Her fingers tremblod as she opened
it, and she had to wipe the mist from
her eyes before she could decipher a
word. She hadn't read over four or
five line when she uttered moan
and sank right down, like one crush,
cd by some awful weight. They lift
cd her up and took her home, the let.
ter clasped in her stiff fingers, and
though she came out of the faint af:
ter while, her heart was brokon,
and in week she was in ocr grave.
Dan was dead The letter said
that he had been taken suddenly i'll,
and the nothing could save him. The
blow was too heavy for one with her
gray hair and childish heart, and her
little old cottle is without tenant.
No more letter commencing "Dcar
motuer," come from tho dead, and
the trembling hands whic'q used to
lingcr fendly over the words: MY
dear boy, Dan," are folded over q
lifc.less breast, there to rest till the
angels unclasp them.