The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-11-08
CLEVELAND TENN, NOVEMBER 8, 1877 NO

driven to a large dry goods establish
ment, where he asked TO see the mana
ger, and was shown to his office, The
manager found him there-a pale, mis-
cradle object, trembling and faint, as
one in deep illness. lie was shabby,
too.
"He has come to beg" thought the
manager; and his "What can do for
your" was curt.
But Jonas cared nothing for anyOne's
manner now. lie answered sadly:
81 want to buy a shawl"
ga salesman will attend to you sir ?"
said the manager.
"Nom said JOnas-"I am too i'll, too
broken, to talk to salesman. l can
trust you. | want the costliest shawl
you hsSk."
ga madman :" thought the manager.
"Our costliest shawl is five thousand
dollars" he said, repressing a smile.
"IIave it put up for me-" said Jonas.
"Certainly mad, "said the manager
to himself.
But Jonas had drawn check from
his breast, and with trembling hand
was filling up the blanks.
The manager looked it over care
fully. "JOnas Pray" he said, more
respectfully. Then it flashed upon him
that he had read of fatal accident to
this mans wife that morning. 1t was
strange proceeding, altogether. Sc
cretly he called others to look at his
customer. One knew him-fnancially
he was all right.
"And the rest is none of our bust
ness" said the manager, as he saw the
bundle of splendor carried down after
Jonas Pray. "They spoke of him as a
miser in the paper. That's a pretty
purchase for a miser!"
Meanwhile Jonas drove home. From
the door floated streamers of black
Grape. No sweet face smiled greeting.
Within all was hushsd. Carrying the
shawl under his arm, he went up stairs
to the darkened room, where, under
straight folds of white drapery, seemed
to lie the sorrow of the house. A
watcher sat there. He sent her away.
Then, alone in the room, he knelt down
upon the floor beside the coffin.
"Sara !" he said-"Sara, can you hear
me? l loved you, Sara but was such
a miser-such a miser! I've brought
you shawl at last. Oh, Sara Sara
I've paid as much as | could for it, my
dear. You shall be wrapped in it in
your coffin"
But at that instant a voice cried;
ooh, Jonas! Jonas, DEAR Oh, my
poor JOnas"
And turning, he saw his wife, either
in the spirit or in the flesh, standing
behind him. He cried out to Heaven to
protect him. But the figure came
closer. 1t was no ghost, but a living
woman. She took him in her arms.
ooh, how ill you look" she said.
"Did you really love me so? And it
was all my fault. went to my sister
in laws's and there, in pet-oh, was
so angry, Jonas-I gave away my dress,
my shawl, and my bonnet, to IA beggar
woman, and vowed to sit in one of my
sisters dressing gowns until you gave
me decent clothes to come home in.
And the poor woman-she was tipsy, |
too, my dear-was killed two hours |
and l never knew that she
was taken for me until this morning. |
Oh, such dirty creature, my dear, the |
described her. And for a little
while l was glad you had fright; but |
| am sorry now that | was"
For answer he took the costly shawl |
and wrapped 1t about her, and took her
folded in it like mummy, to his heart |
again.
"I'he miser is Dead" he said; "but |
Jonas Pray will show his wife how he
can cherish her."
He did. And if, ever afterward, Sara |
detected symptoms of relapse, all she
had to do was to wrap herself in the |
wonderful shawl. The sight of it in
evitably recalled the moment when he |
learned how little, after all, is the
value of money, and realized in agony |
of soul, that should man give all the
substance of his house for love, it would
be utterly condemned" He may, in
deed, love his money yet; but he knows
that he loves his Sara more.