The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-08-06
THE REWARD OF KINDNESS.

/ some sons, Sic SltO III q uOiti III Iolic
''Yom Aunt Sabina is coming, and has in
vited herself here without ceremony"
| 'rNyhen o. asked ArabeIla, with an intona-
/ ton of intense disgust.
! ''She will reach here this afternoon. vii
! bur. Won will have to meet her"
| ''Sorrv, ma. but [ promised to drive Miss
/ Caldwell to the park. Fred can go"
| Certainly, | viii GO Fred said. gTayely.
! though there was a hot flush on his forehead.
/ Il am very fond eff aunt"
| osVonscuse - said his mother. ''YOu have
! not seen her for fourteen years. never Nis-
! tied the dctestable old farm after your father
/ died
Nevertheless, 1 have a vivid recollection
of Aunt Sabina's kindness while we were
there"
Dear me, Fred, drawled Lucilla, "dont
be sentimental wish the old thing would
STAY at home 1 can't imagine what she is
coming here for
'sShe IS our fathers sister" said Fred,
"and I cannot find anything surprising in
her looking for a welcome among her broth
| er's children"
Mrs. Gorham shrugged her shoulders. If
she had spoken her thought, it would have
I
er." But she only said
4 may depend upon You, then, to meet
your aunt, Fred2 Iwill see about her room. >"
1t was a source Of great satisfaction to Mrs.
German that all her other children were ike
herself Every one a Greer except Fred, ."
she would say, congratuldting herself that
the blood Of "Gorman, pere, - was not trans
mitted in the features Of her elder son, vii
bur, or any Of the three girls.
That Greer pride meant intense seIfshncss:
that Greer beauty was n cold, hard type:
that Greer disposition was tyrannical and
narrow-minded-did not trouble Mrs. Cor
ham. That the son who was 'aI GOrham''
was proud to the core with the pride that
knows no false shame that he was noble in
disposition, handsome in a frank, manly type,
generous and seIf-sacrifcinc-she could not
appreciate. His hands and feet were not SO
small as darling Wilber's, he had no fashion
able affectati0ns and no Greer look 50
his mother thought him coarse and rough,
and his sisters declared that he had no style
at all. But outside the home. where a great
show Of wealth was made by many private
economies Fred was more appreciated
When hc became man, and knew that his
fathers estate, though sufficient to give every
comfort, was not large enough for the extra
yagancc his mother INDUCED in, he fitted
himself for business. and took a position in
a counting house, thus becoming self-sup-
porting Darling WILDER had studied law.
but his first client had not yet appeared. and
Mrs Gorlam supported him, trusting his fas-
cinations would touch the heart of some
moneyed belle. Miss Caldwell was the pres
cnt hope. She was her own mistress an or
phan heiress, and very handsome. That she
seemed proud and cold in manner was only
an additional charm to Mrs. GoIham: and
Lucilla, ArabcIIa and Corinue were enthIsi-
astic in their admiration of ''Conelia Cald-
wells quecnly manner
Nobody suspected that Fred blunt, nt,straight-
forward Fred. hid one secret in his heart,
confessed to no living being. And that Sc
cret was a love, pure and true, for Cornglia
CALDWELL love that would shut Itself away
from any suspicion Of fortune huntinc-that
only dropped and mourned thinking Of the
heireSs.
BY four O'Clock Fred was at the station.
waiting for Aunt Sabina. What little old
fashioned figure she was, in her quaint black
bonnet and large-fgured shawl. But Fred
knew her kind old face at once, though he
had not seen her since he was twelve years
old.
''You are aunto" he said going quicklyto
meet her.
She looked at the handsome face and caught
n quick, gasping breath.
"Tou must be one of Johns boys" she
said "How like you are to your father.''
Il am Fred, he answered.
your mother here -
''she IS waiting for You at home"
The good old country woman had never
had the least doubt Of warm welcome at her
brothers house, and Fred certainly confirmed
her expectations. lie found the old black
leather trunk, the bag the bandbox, the great
bulging cotton umbrella, and put them in the
carriage lie made his aunt 60 to the res
taurant and refresh herself before starting
on the long drive home. lie listened with
respectful interest to ali the mishaps OF the
long journey, and sympathized with the .-Ru-
ination Of every mortal stitch I've got on,
dear, with the dust and smoke"
And he chatted pleasantly of his childish
rccollections Of the tiny house and wide fa1rn
where Sabina lived.
you see, - she said, y made up my mind
this year I would come to see You all once
more before 1 died. / have tried It before
now. dear but something or nuther alters
hindered Dear dear You're all grown
up, s'pose, and you was but lot o. babies
last time John brought You to see me"
''Cornne is the youngest, and she is cioh-
teen. Wilber is the only one older than
am"
yes, 7 remember. Well, dear, I'm glad
that Johns wife brought Jp such fine fam
lily. Pm only an oh maid, but do love chill
dren.
But q chill fell upon the kindly old heart
when home was reached at last, and four
fashionabIy- dressed ladies gave hera strictly
courteous greeting. But for the warm clasp
OF Fred's hand, 1 think she would have re-
turned to the station in the same carriage she I
came, 50 wounded and sore she felt
.'Not one kiss, she thought, "and Fred
kissed me at the train, right before all the I
folks"
Fred slipped a silver coin into the hands of
the servant eiU who was to wait upon his |
aunt, and promising another II She was very
attentive, he himself escorted the old lady
20 her room. IL was not often that the young
mans Indignation found voice, though it /
grew hot over many shameful acts of hard
selGshness in the house of his mother but
ne said some words on that day that called a