Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1881-02-26
unfortunate gone at last 2"

'sTo the Stokes tavern, l suppose: !"
81 hope not, JOSIAH.
''Im afraid it's past hoping for,' said
the Squire, Struggling his shoulders. But
Mrs P. kept her secret in her own
heart.
It was six months afterwards that the
Squire came into the dining room where
his wife was preserving great red apples
into jelly.
"Well, well" quoth he, ''wonders will
never cease. The Rudduoyes have gone
away"
"Wheres"
81 don't know out west somewhere
with colony. And they say Luke's not
drank drop of whisky for SIX months.
81 am glad of that" replied Mrs. P.
| ut won't lust long, he suggested des-
! pairiagly.
| ''Why not!'
"oh don't know, l haven't any faith
in these sudden reforms"
Mrs. Pratlet was silent; she thought
thankfully that, after all. Luke had not
spent the dollar for liquor.
along in days and weeks, almost before
| OuSy OttAC OAAS IdllCt hucW lltdl IL "dS
gone. The Ruddiloves had returned to
80 the story went, far of in Ell Dorado.
''rhey do say" said Mrs. Buckingham,
that he has bought that ere lot down op-
7poslte the court house, and he Is going to
build such a house as never waS.'
'He must have prospered greatly" Oh
served Mrs. Pratlet
'And his wife, she wears a silk gown
that will stand alone with It's own richness
| can remember when Luke Ruddilove
. was nothing but poor drunken creature. y
''All the more credit to him now," said
I Mrs. Pratlet, emphatically.
SITS to be all OF stone, with white man
tells and inlaid floors; and he has put & lot
of papers and things under the corner one,
= like they do in public buildings"
"Well, that is natural enough" :"
81 know, yet 1t seems kind O. queer
that he should put dollar bill in with the
G other things. He must have lots O money,
/ to throw it away in that manner"
| Mrs. Pratlet felt her cheeks flush. In.
= voluntarily she glanced towards.th Squire
> But he never looked round. She met Mr.
e Ruddilove that afternoon for the first time
since his return to Sequosset-Luke HIM
| self, save that the demon Of intemperanct
0 had been completely crushed, and his bet
ter nature triumphing at last. He looked
G her brightly in the face, and held out hi
e hand, saying but the one word
'Mary"
c Tremulously she replied, II am glad t.
see you here again"
i l. When Luke had oyecome bis emotion u
continued.
E ''Do you remember that stormy nigh
v when you gave me that dollar bill, an
). begged me not to go to the tavern2"
It Eyes"
!. 'Ihat night was the pivot on which n
whole destiny turned. You were kind t
me when all others gave me nought but tn
d cold shoulder. You trusted me when a
y other faces were averted. That night
" ftook a VOW to myself to prove worthy O
II your confidence, and kept it. l treasure
d it up, and Heaven has added nightly t
a my little store. | have put the bill in th
ot corner stone of my new house, for it aros
" alone from that dollar bill.
won't offer to pay you back, for al
- afraid, he sald smiIingly, ''the luck woul
,e 20 from me with 1t. But III tell You whs
will do; iii give money and words
,e trust and encouragement to some other pot
is wretches as you gave to me"
M The next day Mrs. Pratlet received fro
70 the delivery man at her door, bund
" which, when she had opened it, reveale
70 to her astonished gaze the most beau.if
piece of oil cloth her eyes had ever behel
r This naturally attracted the Squire's atte
le tlon and when Mrs. Pratlet tod him a
he only replied, with some emotion; ''yC
PA were right, and l was wrong"
is