The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-16
DAN. FARTHING'S ONLY son.
A STORY IN TWOCHAPTERs.

pause.
II seem to have been thinking about
it all my life" said the boy; "but l did
not resolve until last night"
"You knaw what it meanp'
"Yes, father"
"It's agen my wish, and agen my will,
boooy. Vow mustn't look for no help
from me. Vow knaw thatf'
eyes, father"
The old man rose and opened the door
Of his cosy" which led into another
small room of the same size.
''Look'ee here, boooy," he said.
"When ay begun life, these here two lit
tie rooms was all my house, and they
wasn't mine nuther. Ay hired 'um, and
/ lwukked for aight shillinss a week, an
ay knaw what hard wuk mean, an what
poor fare is. But ay moied mysen an
Wukked hard, an ay bought the house,
an ay built bit on to un, and then an
other bit, an another, till 1 med it what
st is And when VOW was born ay sed to
mysen, this here little chap'll hold it
&rter me, an he'll go on i'm
provin' on it, an when ay'm a
old man he'll manage the farm,
an ay shall rest, an ay shall hav a cor
ner in the old place still. An now VOW
talk O gooin AWAY, and bein' hartis' !;
an can't gree to it. can't gree to it.
wun't help thee in it a bit. Moind
that. Eff VOW goo, VOW goo; but VOW
goo agen my will, an agen my wish.
An VOW knaw what you're givin' up;
VOW marn't think to throw it AWAY an
talk it oop agen when VOW like. Moind
that Don't say no more to me now !;
talk fortnet an think it over cool, an
moind what ay hev sed."
Frank had inherited his fathers in
flexible will and he never swerved an in
slant from the decision he had slowly
but firmly formed, though consideration
for his fathers feelings induced him to
wait the fortnight before he announced
that his resolve was unchanged. The
old man received his answer withoutany
storm of passion, but it was almost more
terrible to Frank to see him, though only
for minute, shocked and unnerved and
to note the culver in his usually firm
voice. as he asked
"An' yow'u goo to Lunnonw
I eyes, father"
"When do VOW goor
II thought this day week, but it shall
be sooner, or later, if you wish it,"
"No, boooy, no; fix your own time"
"You'll let Mason drive me to the sta
ton, father!" asked the Lad, somewhat
obviously.
The old man strobe backward and for
ward through the room two or three
times before he answered.
GAY, 'spose ay must. Ay, let 'un.
But ay don't like it. 1t seems as if
greed to it, an ay can't, ay can't"
?. "Thank you, father"
No other word was spoken on the sub
feet, and the week sped away, the old
man bearing in his heart the burden of
his disappointment, but too proud to
show it by any lightest sign to those
among whom he moved. 1t was to him
as though the solid land all round his
feet had melted into sea, and the tide
were rising slowly and surely, and the
salt and bitter flood were about to shut
him out forever from all the kindly ways
of men. An emotion, perhaps, dispro.
portioned to the cause, but as a tiny
grain of sand in the eye will cause the
most excruciating pain from the sensi.
tiveness of the organ affected, so in the
thwarting of long-cherished hopes the
acuteness Of the pain isproportioned, not
so much to the reasonableness of the
hope, as to the passion with which it has
been cherished, and men of few hopes, and
unaccustomed to lean upon the world's
sympathy, can worse than any afford
to have those hopes shattered and de
stroyed. The old man was in the posi-
ton of him who had nothing save one
little eve lamb which he nourished up
and which lay in his bosom, and nov
the spoler had come and taken it. Th,
week was one of cruel trial to him, ant
scarcely less cruel to his son, and botl
were at once glad and sorry when i
came to an end. Each respected in the
other those very qualities which mad,
it hopeless to look for any yielding
Hence there was no querulous utter
! ance, no outburst of anger, no reproacl
/ on either side. The stern old fellow wa
I man of few words, and Frank was b,
no means demonstrative; but through
that last week, as each thought of wha
was between them and before them
there was expressed in hundred small
I things, which no stranger would hav,
\ noted, the blending of firm resolv
with an unwonted tenderness which wa
very touching.
Il At last the eventful day came. Th
/ old man sat in his "cosy" at his desk
/ motionless as statue, listening as, tn
/ wheels of the chaise grated over tn
I gravel, as the servants brought tn
| trunks down stairs, and the movement
3 of the departure hurried to their close
a He heard Mason asking 'Is that all
/ sirT' and the answer eyes," and thel
+ the door opened, and Frank, extending
! his hand, said: Goodbye, father"
."Good bye, boooy. You terrify nj
wonderful, that VOW du. But you mur
have your own waay."
"Father, you're not angry with mew
L L =