The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-01-27

morning
Jacob answered, 'NO.n
"Then," exclaimed Flint suddenl
breaking down, she has left us-fC
what =? Jacob Jacob See, here is
. note which she left upon my table
! Read It,"
With a shaking hand Jacob took
and read:
"My dear, dear father-doubly des
to me now that / have left yOu-try
oh, try to believe that i am not so sin
full as / seem Try to think that
strove hard-indeed / did-to ODE
your wishes, but had not strength I
do 1t. Oh, my dearest now that b
my own weakness and wickedues5
have set q gulf between us, perhap
never to be crossed, I beg and pra
you to shake or that fearful love G
gain which has made US all so wretch
ed, and be your good gentle self again
Be kinder to Jacob, poor Jacob !-for
loved him, father; and forgive, oh
forgive your child :"
The two men stood staring at eacf
other, with fearful thought burning
In their eyes, for long breathles
moment. Then as IL he had dashed
1t aside with his clenched hand, thI
depressed, shrinking air was ,gon'
from Jacob; all that was manly anC
noble in him came uppermoat in bis
strong sorrow, and he, whose patient
drudge he had always been, crowded
before his dIIating eye.
WRETCH" he shouted, "see whai
your accursed money has done for me
You would have made your daughters
life hell for it!
You would have given her, body
and soul, to thing thousand timei
more degraded than q beast, for 1t
You have held 1t up to her daily as an
idol to be worshlpped before heaven
Are you satisfied ?''
81 meant it for her good-indeed
did," groaned Flint.
''Oh, man, man where are you
now Old, alone in the world ;
standing in your grave, hated and de-
spised by all of your kind : Now, 90
70 your money and seek consolation
in 1t IL you can. Prostrate yourself
before it; will 1t bring her back to
you, or to me, who loved her footprint
on that dirty floor more than you low
ed her soul 4? Pray to It, weep to 1t /;
will 1t make her what he was Oh,
poor, misled, illused girl !'
So, crying out as IL his heart were
broken, he sank into q chair and burst
into tears.
For q long time the old man stood
silent, with q bewildered look in his
face and he started toward the door,
bareheaded as he was.
"Where are you going ?" asked
Jacob, OBTAINING him.
81 am going to find my child" he
said, brokenly. "I ana going to bring
her back, and try, through all the
years Of my worthless life, to alone
for the wrong have done her. ia
cob will you go with me 2"
For many days after this, people
wondered at two strange figures that
they encountered in the stroets-a
haggard, white-haired old man, sup
ported by q young one, who wandered
hither and thither on broad thorough
fares and in narrow bywsys, peering
with eager eyes into the faces of all
they met. But no trace OF her they
sought 80 anxiously was found. Night
after night they placed q light in the
Office window, vaguely hoping she
might see its glimmer, and, seeing the
longing 1t expressed, returned to
them. But she never came.
Avarice In Roger Flint, had so sap
ped and mined his nobIer feelings,
that when it was torn out of him, at
one fierce clutch, 1t left him weaker
than q child to bear his trouble.
Worn with fatigue, heartsick with
fruitless expectation, he broke down
completely, and took his bed with no
wish to rise again. And Jacob Stir
ling, more manly in his patient sor-
row than he had ever been before, sat
by and tended him..
"Jacob," be said, one afternoon, q
few weeks after his daughters dis
appearance, "Jacob, / dreamt last
night that our poor girl had come
back to US, and was weeping bitter
ly to think OF the wrong and sorrow
/ had brought upon her young life.
And thought that she put her arm
around my neck and whispered: 'All
q dream, dear father be comforted,
for 1t was all q dream" Jacob he
said suddenly interrupting himself,
"I wish I could see her before 1 die."
Jacob made no answer.
"If she ever returns to you when
am gone" he continued, with a sigh,
''take her in, shelter her tenderIy
from the world, kesp her from her
own thoughts, and be q brother to
her. God knows she will need il !!
Tell her that her father loved her In
spite Of his sin and folly. Tell her
that he never blamed her but himself,
and that his only wish was that he
might see her, to ask her pardon,
before he died. Will you JacOb?n
81 WILL" answered Jacob, in q low
voice. Then, arising and going to
his office, he sat himself down at his
own desk and rested his head on his
arms, In gloomy thought. He had
been so but a short time, when the
door opened and Mrs. Heyward enter
ed, and though the day was dark, q
sunbeam seemed to have entered,
too.
The smile left her lips as she saw
the haggard face he turned toward
her.
"what is 1t Mr.. Jacob? Are you
not we'll"
"Yes." he answered indlferently,
'1 am WE'LL"
sand Jessie ?" she inquired with q
singular look.
"She has left u.s." hecried, brokenIy
"Don't ask me more"
There were tears in the little wo-
mans eyes, and yet she was laugh
ing, too.
SThat wretehed old father of
hsr's'-
"a changed man." he interrupted;
"kinder and better in every way, but
falling rapidly under the shock.n
"FailinR?" echoed The lady, turning
very pale and trembling very much.
Then, without another word she
turned and ran out Of the room.
Night had fallen, and the old man
was lying on his sofa In the little
back room, with Jacob sitting silent
ly near him, when the door opened
and three persons came in. They
were Mrs. Heyward, a tall young
man, and female figure closely veil
ed.
"Mr. Flint" began the lady sharp
ly, "yOu are not the mean, covetous,
hard old man you were, are you ?'
"No" answered Flint, humbly.
"And you would be kinder to your
daughter il you had her back again,
would you ?n
"Yes, but God forgive me, it is too
late to talk about that %
"Then, there" she cried, ehoking
and gaspIng in her emotion "take
her 90
And, with a loud cry, the veiled
figure fell at the old mans side and
took his head to her breast.
tMy child" he cried, weeping Bit
terly, "my little child p'
IA dream, dear fsther,n sobbed the
girl ''all q terrible dream, it seems.
Forgive nae for leaving you"
"Tell him." said the tall young
man lAconically.
Listen, you bad old creature"
said Mrs. Hayward, twisting her
dear little face into all sorts of shapes
to keep from crying, too. "One night
I came here and found your daughter
nearly distracted because you were
bent on marrying her to that hideous
old crow friend of yours. When /
knew that it was for his money, / was
sure that you would never soften to
any entreaty she could make. was
mad / raved and stormed awful, and
then went home and told my old boy
all about IL