Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-06-08

gesture foroidding any one to follow
him.
The mother will weep over her son,
said bystander but Marion's father
an old man, like an old dog, goes alone
to grieve. He, thy poor old father,
idolizes thee, boy. All, Robinet
Roumille, there is another-a poor
young girl-whose bitterest tears will
be secret ones.
The yourh, almost stunned with der
pair at his fate, returned to tell his
mother and Marion. They awaited
his arrival, kneeling at the feet Of the
Holy Mary's image, and praying with
agonizing tervency.
Roblnet n'ered quietly and stood
rigid and pale behind them, his eyes
large, and his nostrils quivering.
The mother turned and looked at
him, then fell back in swoon. Her
son raised her, and laid her upon sofa
in slow recovery. None asked for the
words they could not bear to hear.
All thy poor father the mother
mGrmured, ! know he is weeping in
secret. He was never so slow to his
grief. His heart is breaking like mine.
Oh, that l had thy father here We
would mourn together.
There was stir below and sound
Of many steps coming up the staircase.
1t passed at the door. Robinet opened
it. They were bringing home his
father-dead. He had killed himself
that Robinet might be exempt from
consumption. He had fallen sacrifice
to an insane idea of duty. Let us not
judge him too harshly. He meant
well, his brain gave way, he died that
his son light live. God is more
merciful than man!
Thus the widow kept her son; but the
memory of the father was held in
tender depth of regret, in the forever
depths of regret, in the forever sad
dened hearts OF both mother and son.
Two COOP YARNs.-"Speaking Of
shooting ducks" says Doctor F., "puts
me in mind Of the great storm that
occurred when I lived on the island
As you are all we'll aware, our island
was near Casco bay an awful storm
arose, and was so fierce that it drove all
the ducks in The bay into a pond,
covering about an acre, near my house.
In fact, SO many ducks crowded into
that pond that I could not see drop
of water,
'Sho!" says Smith, 'didn't ye shoot
any of EN- g
"That's what was coming at. I
went into the house and got my double
barrel shotgun, and discharged both
barrels right into the midst of them,
but to my establishment, they all arose
into the air, leaving not solitary duck
on the pond"
"Good gracious! You don't say so !"
says Smith. Didn't you hev any shot
in yer gun, or what in thunder was the
trouble?"
Well, I was coming to that" said
Doctor F. SIT astonished ,me at first;
but as soon as the ducks rose few
hundred yards in the air and commenc-
ed to separate a little, ducks began to
drop, and whether you believe it or
not, picked up twenty~nine barrels of
ducks, and it was poor season for
ducks, too. You see, the ducks were
wedged in so, solid on the pond, that
when they arose they carried the dead
ones in the air with them, and when
they separated, down came the twenty
nine barrels of dead ducks"
sob, says Smith, SIN not sarpris~
ed at that at all, or OF the big lot of
ducks yer bagged, for it was an awful
storm. remember it we'll, doctor. 1
had at that time a corn barn full of
corn; on one side of the barn was an
open window, and on the other side
was knot hole; and during the storm
the wind blew so fierce that it blew
every ear Of that corn right through the
knot hole, and the hole being just the
size of a cob only, the result was that
it shelled every ear, leaving the corn in
the barn, and the next morning found
my corn barn half full of shelled corn
and not single cob. I bad curiosity
to know where the cobs had gone to-
| went to the rear of the barn and
followed the line of those cobs over
eleven miles, and at distance of about
five miles large, frst~growth pine
tree stood in the track, and darn, me if
the wind hadn't driv cobs into that ere
tree from top to bottom. Oh, doctor,
that was an awful storm l.
eyes. sighed the doctor, awful
President Tyler was married for the
second time in 1874. just before the ex-