Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-10-25
DON.
4 Fathers Mistake.
BY CARRIE Y. SHAW.

\ dark, chill night i'll autumn, with
now and tnen spasmodc dash of rain
that beat against the windows and
trickled down the pane, like tear-drops
falling from the pitying clouds, that
seemed weeping over the early death
Of nature. The wind. signing through
the withered branches of the trees,
brought the yellow leaves skurrying to
the ground, and Mr.. Mcdonald, turn
ing from u contemplation of the dreary
scene without, felt an additional sense
of comfort in his cheerful CRATE, Il feel
ing which was not reelected in the face
Of his wife, who sat knitting opposite
She glanced uneasily at the clock from
time to time, her slender fingers flying
on without intermission while the shin
ing needles caught occasional flashes
from the dancing blaze.
"It IS time tor Don to come she
said, at last glancing from the clock to
the face Of her husband.
He did not look up from the paper lie
was reading, and his wife did not ven
ture to address him again. He was n
man of IS or Whereabouts, large, broad
shouldered and substantial-looking, with
II heavy mustache, but slightly tinged
with gray, particular i'll dress and of his
own personal comfort, and possessing
an indomitable will thathad never been
known to be swerved by any appeal to
heart or conscience from its stern pur-
pose
4 proud, arrogant man, knowing no
law but his own wlll-before which
everybody for years had bowed, for he
vas IL man of wealth and worldly posi-
ton, which surrounded him with u
crowd of tiatterers who made his faults
virtues His wife was quiet, subdued-
looking little woman, with Il sweet dispo-
sition, kind, motherly heart, pale blue
eyes, and small, sensitive mouth that
always spoke gentle words. But on
this particular evening her heart was
aching with expectancy and dread.
What could be keeping Don? Her only
child, the sunshine Of her life; the boy
who had always cheered her loneliest
hours, gentle and tender as a girl III
sickness; to him her thoughts were
turning, for him She watched and pray
ed.
Being the only son of the wealthy
merchant, Don mad been given every
advantage of education, but being full
of youthful spirits and that love Of eX-
citement that Is the ruin Of 50 many
Young men, he had fallen III with rather
wild associates. who had led him into
still worse company. Perhaps, if there
had been more attractions at home for
him, if his father had sought to make
his home-comings more agreeable, If
he had been given more privileges and
kind words and fewer lectures, il would
never have happened. But Mr.. Nc
Donald, wrapped up iii his business cal
eulations, had little inclination for such
things as these, but gave his son his or
ders, and never so much as dreamed OF
their being disobeyed.
One evening, however, TO the grief Of
the mother and the CONSERVATION and
rage of the father, Don came home in
toXicated. The scene that cnsued the
next morning need not be dilated upon.
Suffice il to say that II was painful in
tie extreme, at least to two of the par.
ties interested-Do and his mother.
It cannot be conseientiously asserted
that the interview was painful to Mr..
Mcdonald, as he never felt more satis-
fed with himself, or more thoroughly
convinced Of his own greatness and ire
proachable goodness than when assert
ing his authority over somebody else
and moralNing over that persons many
sins. Was he to be disgraeed by such
proceedings as these After the money
he had spent on his sons education, was
this TO be his reward Was he to be
pointed at as the father Of the drunken
ioafer staggering along the street. Not
before Tie would suffer such humiliation
he would send liz son forth pennlless
INTO the world, where hls evil deeds