Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-06-15

words stuck in his throat. He scraped
himself slowly against the wall until
he reached the door, then backed into
the house, and got out of sight.
j Poor old Sam He feebly strove to
/ get loose from his sister but all his
great strength seemed to have departed
from him. He reached out toward the
post, got hold of it at last, laid his
head against it, slowly sank down upon
the bench beside it, and wept aloud.
He had not had the slightest idea of
giving up in this way but the arm of
that sister around him pressed upon
his great big, old heart, and he could
not see clearly how they were to part.
There they sat long, long time. Day
went down, and the moon arose, and
yet there they sat. Sam tried to argue
He had thought that he had good
case; but she headed him at every
corner, and it appeared more and more
that instead of a good case he had no
case at all
Oh no, no, she said softly No, no.
Here was where you and / played to-
gether. You've been here ever since I
went away. Perhaps I may not have
done as well as some others; but God
knows what is best And now | am
back again in the same old home: no
longer child, and more than ever /
have needed before, the love and
But Be-be-bets-' Sam began.
No, no. said his sister getty, put
ting her hand upon his lips No, no,
| am better off than you think, in spite
of some few troubles which am thank
full are no worse. You can't put your
self in my place, my dear old Sammy.
| am happier than you know of. And
| am going to be happier than have
ever been in my married life. | am
sure of it. Come with me-
They rose and she led him into the
garden, down behind the rose-trees,
under the cedars, and they sat down
upon the rude bence They were not
persons for much sentiment, these two,
brother and sister, even as they sat at
midnight by the graves of their parents;
yet they came away shortly afterward,
if not with fonder mutual affection,
with more cheerful hopes for all the
good to which they humbly aspired.
From that night things grew better
and better. Mr.. Neelus Peeler retired
from public life mot abruptly, nor, as it
was believed, from any definite prede-
terminate resolution. 1t seemed rath-
er as if the work that had been allotted
to him liz the vineyard was finished
sooner than had been expected. His
forte having been mainly, if not entire
ly in the pathetic, and it now being
universally recognized that, in his do
mestic relations, he had everything to
be thankful for, except in the matter of
his own son (and he not so old as to
be incapable of amendment, NJ Peeler
necessarily subsided into private life.
About year afterward, girl baby
was born. Mrs Peeler said that SAM
my should name it. To this propo-
sition her husband made no objection
for now in Mr. Peeler's eyes Sam Wig
gins had become. not only respectable,
but great. Sam answered that If they
left it to him, they ought to know that
he should name the child Nancy. And
then his sister. as she lay upon her
bed, lifted her arms, put them around
his neck, pulled him down. and hugged
him until the old fellow was ashamed
of himself For Nancy was the name
of their mother.
'Lijay, now having different guides,
made some Improvement Before he
was fully grown, Sam succeeded in
what he frequently (but always conf
dentially) declared was his best hope
for 'Lijay, namely, in marrying him OFF;
or rather, as he was no matchmaker,
nor match-breaker, he let 'LJay marry
himself off; and Notwithstanding the
frequency with which such thing oc-
ours, everybody wondered at the luck
that 'Lijay had
For the rest of his life, Mr.. Peeler
submitted with a melancholy resigna-
tion to be supported by his brother-in-
law and wife. Of course he could not
feel as if he ought to be entirely idle.
Sam kept him in powder and shot, in
fsh-hooks and lines; and it was some
what touching, once in while, to OBJ
serve the meek satisfaction with which
he would contemplate broiled squir-
Eel or pan of horny-heads, that
through his labors had been brought
to the breakfast-table.
CHAPTER ".
AND oh, how little Nancy did grow