The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-11

ara not Known Wnal uhy may Lue
forth we beg to inform you--no," reflect
ed the Captain, slowly, feeling some un'
favorable critic Sun in the air; $40, that
won't do. Let's seel Ali 'rhe death o.
your mother, followed by the illness Of
your father, resulting in his decease, and
! the enLIre loss -"
"Ain't them bricks f1leTin' each other
rather closer" suggested the Colonel
family. The Captain stopped rubbed
his long chin thoughLiully, and looked at
the others. 1t was evident that this Was
the prevailing impression.
well, yes; l was rather thinkin' SO
myself" he sssented vaguely.
"And its bein' gal don't you want to
hesve in here ard thar a little senti-
ment," said Horton, land sorter touch
her up gently2 They say when you
make 'em cry easy they kinder like 1t,
and get over 1t quicker"
jess So" returned Captain Rats,
cheerfully. Il was thinkin' that very
thing, only jist now | was sorter samI-
I'm il, shown sc what could be done. y
@, way" he added, now completely 0
In the formations Of condoling compost
tion-"a very good, takin' sort Of way Is
to tell 1t ana yet seem not to tell II, TO
kinder ring in cold deck of intOrms-
tion, snd never let her eco ye shuttle the
leerds. Suthin' like TINS, ye know
'HonoIed Miss: Enclosed please find
draft Tor $4,000; same would have been
sent before but for Wells-Fsrgo's office
being closed the day Of your fathers
funeral. The weather here is fine, but
we suppose is fur different with you in
the East, as your deceased mother Cften
remarked to the writer. Business Is dull,
and ores are running hight, most o the
claims on the North Fork sharing the
fate OF your late fathers property Ye
ses continued Captain Rats, wth tie
glow of successful authorship man lin 6
his cheek, that kind of letter mOut be
written, 60 that by the time she got
through with it it would seem as II she'd
knew it all before, and she couldn't get
cary soul to sympsthize with her and
help her take on" The feeling OF the ma
ioriLy was so sLronglyi in favor OF the last
composition that they al turned impa
tiently TO tie only dis.enter-Joe Fleet.
But al this moment a knock on the door
checked further discussion.
1t was Jack Foster, xprcssnan-alert,
vigilant, familiar, and iaithful-holding
letter.
"For John Meritoe," said the SierraD
Mercury, crisply. LAS we don't have no
offs nor agent ut his present address we
deliver at his last residence" lie tossed
the letter on the table, wlnket, and was
gone.
1t was for the dead maI-the great
first cause Of their perpieXty. For few
minutes 1t lay there uudisturbed, while
the men looked At each other IN silence.
Then Cap,ylo Ets win dtci=l1n and
INDEPENDENCE new to him, took il up.
Theirs no one, boys, has better right TO
1t than we has" he SAID. II propose that
we open it here aiore each other and read
it,"
CAS- TO opening 1t, l second the mo-
tom" said Joe Fleets voice; "but well
see who It's from before we read II" added
that honorable man.
The letter was opened. II wss signed
Fanny Meriloe."
"The girl herself" said Fleet, prompt
lY; read It,"
With q hesitating voice, that at last
seemed TO almost simulate what might
have been the hositating, youthful ac-
cents of the writer, Captain Rats began.
How shall | describe it? 1t WAS SIM
pie, it was girlish, it was stfectionste, IL
was real. Against its candid trankness
and simplicity poor Rats previous
rhetoric assumed the appearance OF the
most mOnstrous dupIlCIty and deceittul
sophistry. 1t was evident that the
writer had seen bu. little Of her real
father, and that the rather commonplace,
homely, often somewha! despcable figure
known to the men who now listened to
her warnings, was not the ideal parent
Of hor dreams. at last Captain Rats fin
ished. There was a slight huskiness in
the Captains voice, slight dimness In
his eyesight as he ended, and blur upon
the fair page that was not there when be
began.
The Colonel had dropped his head be-
tween his two hands. Horton had never
taken his eyes from the paper. Fleet,
who had walked to the window and had
been apparently absorbed in staring at
the sunlight without, suddenly turned,
advanced to the table, and held out both
his hands. In another moment they
were locked in his companions, and the
four men, holding hands, closed round the
table and the letter that lay in it's centre.
ave don't want no letter OF condo
lence, Captain Rats" said Joe Fleet,
sturdily, "for there amt anything 10 con-
dole for. l don't see just now how it Is,
or how we can fix it, but l know that
that girls parents amt dead CT long,
please God, as we are liVing|
The men pressed each others hands in
silence, until Captain Rats, with burst
of revelation, disengsged his, and sudden
" brought it against his right leg with
resouodIng emphasis
That's it-and it makes the whole
thing clar. We don't write no letter Of
condolence-for why2 Wegoes straight
on and writes ez if we was the old man.
He's let on enough TO me about hisselt
and his affairs to make 1t as easy as fall
in of Il log. Well take his hand as it's,
play out his little game, win or lose; and
if fur shsrps like us can't make 1t easy
Tor that child, and rake in the pot every
time. we'll leave the board. Yes, gentle
mel" continued Rats, taking up the let
ter. "IIl answer this to night myself l,
Captain Rats, late Meritoe, deceased