The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-01-20
HIS REWARD.

"You are most unjust, Charles, and
l know the Lord will one day sting
your conscience for your cruelty, and
your heartlessness, toward that dear
child"
The speaker was a comely lady of
about fifty, tall. slim, and upright, and
neatly clad in widows weeds. Charles
Pemberton, her eldest son, handsome,
stalwart young nd san Of eight-apd-
twenty, whom She y dressed, answered
,- !" Cqnfound 3 the b3 y, I wish he was
f. did rot rnean{tnat; for he loved
his little brother, s6d delighted to make
him happy. Bpshis mother had a fatal
facility of t,n que, and for the last three
hours .s1de' had been attacking him on
tho subject with aggressive meekness.
II And now, out OF his grief and his imra-
tience, he furg forth those bitter words,
angry with himself as he did SO, and
rose to leave the room. lest his over
wrought temper should betray him
further. His mother flung 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
| shall not outlive him very long,
Then | suppose you will be happy"
Charles Pemberton saw the cambria
prepared for the shower, and shudder.
ing fed; whereupon Mrs. Pemberton
retired to her bedroom to pray that her
sons hard heart might be sCftered.
And then, from a curtained recess at
one end of the room, there came little
10y of twelve, with blanched, serious
face, half-parted lips, and wide dark
eyes. Toward the close of Mrs. Penn
berton's lecture be had entered the room,
by an open window, unperceived, and,
finding that he was the subject OF the
discourse, he had concealed himself.
He had heard onlv the concluding
words, and they chilled his very life
blood. He stood now with one hand
clutching the curtain.
SO Charles wishes / was dead, does
he ? And mother thinks | am going to
die to please him. But l won't. l
wonder what makes mother think l am
going to die. PERI APPS she only said it
to aggravate Charles. Why should he
wish | was dead ? thought he was
fond of me;" and here be was nearly
choked with a rising sob, which he
gulped down with difficulty. :" l won-
der why-I'll ask him."
The next morning, after breakfast
his brother, who had forgotten the Incl.
dent of the previous day, taking 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 bis
brother by asking:
Would it be any good to you if
was dead, Charles 2"
Good to me- Why, Teddy, what
are YOU thinking of"
"Well, ye- e-terday you said you wished
l was dead; and you wouldn't wish that
if it would be no good to you, would
you P"
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, like a girl with a new
doll.
"Oh. Teddy, Teddy, Teddy" he said
~ wish my tongue had been torn out
by the roots before / had said such 3
thing; but didn't mean it, Teddy. You
never thought | meant it, did youi
Why, Teddy, wouldn't lose you for al
the world. my little playfellow, my
brother. 1t isn't right for me to com
plain to you OF mother, and when have
Just told you how it happened that
said those cruel words-that 1 didn'
mean, didn't ever mean, you know fol
moment, Teddy-then you must forge
all about it. / had Id mother that
wanted to make man of you, and thai
it was time you went to school, ant
learned to stick up for yourself; anC
then she said | was cruel TO you, anC
that didn't care for you, and lecturet
and scolded me all the afternoon, ant
then forgot mYself-which ought no
to havedone, for l know it is only he
love that makes her over. anxious-anC
/ said those hateful words, that Iinever
never, never meant, Teddy"
s. l thought you never could mean il
Charles" said the little fellow. He ha,
borne up with wonder full stoicism til
now, but the overwhelming sense of re
lief was too much for him, and he bega
to weep and sob convulsiVely. Shortly
he sprang up and olasped his brother
neck, sayings