The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-03-03
HIS REWARD.

your conscience for your cruelty. ano
for Your heartlessness toward that deal
child"
The speaker was a comedy lady O
about fifty, tall slim and upright, anC
neatly clad in widows weeds. Charlie:
Pemberton. her eldest son, Il handsome
stalwart Young man of eight-and-twen.
ty, whom she addressed, answered i'm.
patiently:
"Confound the boy, wish he was
dead
He did not mean that; for he loved
his little,brother and delighted 10 make
him happy. But his mother had fatal
facility of tongue. and for the last three
hours she had been attacking him ON the
subject with aggressive meekness, and
had stung him with half-truths, accu
sations, the letter of which he could
not DENY, though in their spirit and
essence he felt them to be immeasura
blv false. And now. out of his grief
and Impotence, he flung forth those
bitter words, angry with himself as he
did SO, and rising to leave the room
lest his overwrought temper should be.
tray him further.
His sanity mother flung a parting
shaft after him.
"You may have your wish sooner than
you expect, Charles, and more than
that He will probably not trouble you
many years, for he is very delicate; and
l shall not outlive him very long.
Then l suppose you will be hap-hap-
happy"
Charles Pemberton saw the cambria
prepared for the shower, and shudder-
ing. fled; whereupon Mrs. Pemberton
retired to her bedroom to pray that her
sons hard heart might be softened.
And then from a curtained recess at
one end of the old paneled room there
came out a little boy OF twelve, with
blanched, serious face. half-parted lips,
and wide dark eyes. Toward the close
of Mrs. Pemberton's lecture he had en-
tered the room by an open window,
unperceived, and, finding that he was
the subject of the discourse, he had
concealed himself. He had heard only
the concluding words, and they chilled
his very life-blood. He stood now with
one hand clutching the curtain.
$50 Charles wishes | were dead. does
he? And mother thinks l am going to
die to please him. But l won't. Iwon-
der what makes mother think l am 60
ing to die. Perhaps she only said it to
aggravate Charles. Why should he
wish l was dead? thought he was
fond of me-" and here he was nearly
choked with rising sob. which he
gulped down with difficulty. Il wonder
why-I'll ask him.
The next morning, after breakfast,
his brother. who had forgotten the in
cident of the previous day, taking a
ball, called out: "Get your bat. Teddy.
and let's have half an hours practice
AS they were walking down to the
field Edward suddenly startled his
brother by asking:
would it be any good to you if
were dead, Charles?"
GOOD to me! why, Teddy, what arc
you thinking OFF"
"Well. Yesterday you sadly wished
was dead: and you wouldn't wish that
if it would be no good to you, would
you?'
Charles stopped abruptly, and said
with sternness: "Who told you thatp''
Nobody. lust came into the room
as you said it, and you didn't see me.
And ever since have been wondering
why"
Charles Pemberton flung away the bat
and ball he was carrying, and clasped
the boy in his arms, kissing him, and
-hugging him Ikea girl with new doll.
"Oh, Teddy, Teddy, Teddy" he
said; II wish my tongue had been torn
out by the roots before l had said such
thing; but didn't mean it, Teddy.
You never thought l meant it, did you:
Why, Teddy, wouldn't lose you for all
the world, my little playfellow, my
brother. 1t isn't right for me to COM
plain to you of mother, and when Ihave
told you how it happened that said
those cruel words-that l didn't mean,
didn't ever mean, you know, for mo-
ment, Teddy-then you must forget all
about it. 4 had told mother that ]
wanted to make man of you, and that
it was time you went to school, and
learnt to stick up foryourself; and then
she said was cruel to you. and that
didn't care for you, and lectured and
scolded me all the afternoon, and then
l forgot myself which 1 ought not to
have done, for I know it is only her
love that makes her over anxious-and
l said those hateful words that never,
never, never meant, Teddy"
~ thought you never could mean it,
Charles" said the little fellow He had
borne up with wonderful stoicism till
now, but the overwhelming sense of re-
lief was too much for him, and he be.
gan to weep and sob convulsively.
Then Mrs. Pemberton glided from
the shrubbery at hand, made half
gesture as though she would have
clasped the little fellow in her arms and
borne him away, but checking herself,
turned on her eldest son cold, re-
proachful glance, and said:
It would be less unkind Of you.
Charles. and more manly, If you are de-
termined to tear the child from me, not
to make his remaining days miser-
able.'
And then with aggravating meekn ess
of demeanor she turned once more to
the house.
Teddy looked after her with queer.
old-fashioned smile on his young face.
but, when she was quite hidden from
view. he sprang up and clasped his
brothers neck. saying:
"rll go to school, Charlie, and I'll do
just as you like, and you'll see If
won't be a man. and I'll win the Greek
and Latin prizes, too, if can; but you
know TIM not clever, Charlie, so you
mustn't be disappointed II don't do
that all at once, will you?'' $3.50 II
"rll trust you, Teddy. my boy, to do
the best you can, and none Of us can do
more than that. l shall miss you sore
~. Teddy. but there'll be jolly long
holidays, you know, and we shall have
pleasant times together then. And now
come on and let's see how you'll guard