The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-12-15

Gy could come ia and retire withoU
being seen for the judge was a geo
sleeper. usually dropped off az 500
as his head touched the pillow. Bu
no the judge had made up hi
mind. and nothing that his wifi
could say was of the slightest avail
At last he exclaimed. ably: &c
80 bed If you want to and let m,
alone. / tell you | am going to 81
up and find out whst has kept these
boys out so late. 1t looks very sue
piciou4 to me, and if anything has
happened you know the result, wife
for I've been pretty careful for the
last ten years to see that you snd
Rodney understood"
The clock chimed out one, two
and still the judge sat erect in his
chair while his wife, pale as a ghost
with terror, fitted from room to
room, and window to window, peer
ing out into darkness, listening for
some sign, uutiI it seemed to her aa
if the very blood stood still in her
veins. 1t was almost three o'clock
when her quick ear caught the sound
of mufied voices by the back door.
The judges hearing Was as keen as
his wife's ON this occasion, and he
immediately sprang to the door and
threw it wide open. 1t needed but
q glance to see that all of the young
men had been drinking heavily. The
judge cast one glance of supreme
disgust at the unsteady crowd, then
said in tones Of thunder: Get cut
Of here, the whole raft OF you! You
can send message for your traps in
the morning-you, Rodney, with the
rest; and never, as long as you live.
do you dare to cross my threshold,
for from this day to the day OF my
death you are no son of mine" Oh 4!
husband T. shrieked the wretched
neither, "let them come in oh, for
my sake let them come in Do not
turn your son from his home for this
his first offence !" Here the doer
was slammed in the five, by this
time, almost sobered faces, and
Judge Cleveland with an iron grip
led his wife to The library. Then
his hold relaxed, and the heart brok-
en- woman fell to the floor in a mer
ciful trance.
A whole year passed after this
dreadful affair, and Mrs. Cleveland
received but one letter from her son.
This was sent under covor to a
Rodney was going abroad
with friend, in hopes Of getting
something to do, 50 that he might
continue his studies. At this time
Mrs. Cleveland sent her son all the
meney she could raise without her
husband knowledge. and now an.
other Thanksgivin5 day had rolled
round without any more news of
BIN. Judge Cleveland kept open
house as usual, and his wife sat at
the head Of his table and entertain
ed his guests; but they all knew
that her heart was not in the festiv-
tiles, and when the wine sparkled in
The glasses, and talk flowed freely
around the table. the mother face
was as ashen as when, on that awful
night, she waited her sons return.
There was no wineglass at her plate,
and when the judge insisted on
tsasting her, as was his custom on
festive occasions. his wife replied,
No, ! thank you, judge. l am not
thankful for wine, therefore you
must always excuse me-" As this
was the first time in married life of
twenty two years that Mrs. Ceve.
land had ever, in public or private,
addressed poinlel remark to her
husband, perhaps it was not strange
that the judge had no answer ready.
A few months after this Judge
Cleveland died very suddenly and
when his will was opened, it was
found that be had not only disinher
tied his son, but had arraaged his
property so that, in the event Of his
widow recalling her child, she should
have only two thirds Of the estate,
and this under protest of such an
nature, that the lawyer
who read the document stopped
short several times, and looked
round wonderingiy on the assembled
company. A third Of the estate
woul be more than enough to sup
port the widow com fortably; but in
case that she accepted the amount,
which the testator seemed to
think very doubtful, she was to he
driven from the homestead, and in
every possible way straitened and
annoyed. All those who knew
Judge Cleveland well, felt sure that
he would be hard to the last, but no
one supposed thst even his obsti.
nancy could 60 SO far as this.
Friends fecked around to sympa-
Lhize with his doubly bereayed wo-
man. To the numerous questions