The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-02-03
HIS REWARD.

-xsS9c xctTv OOOhcs W. duTp6IS MuQu<tu<.
HIS REWARD.
.'You are most unjust, Charles, and 1
know the Lord will one day sting
your conscience for your cruelty, and
for 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. a 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 TO make
him happy. But his mother had q 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 denv, though in their spirit and
essence he felt them to be immeasura-
bly, false. And now, out of his grief
and impatience, he flung forth those
did "a. and r;s;n1 to leave the room
lest his oyerwrouoht temper should be-
trav him further.
His saintlv mother fiunp a partino
shaft alter him.
.You NAV have your wish sooner than
Won expect Charles. and more than
That. Ne will probably not trouble Won
many years for he Ia verv del;cate. and
I shall not outliye him yerv lone.
Then I sunpose Won will he hap-ban.
happy"
Charles Pemberton saw the cambric
prenared for the shower and shudder-
mo fed. whereunon Mrs Pemberton
ret;raS :, har hedroor, - 49, thst har
eon's hsr,i I heart r,;cht he r rsoftanaJ nod W
And ther fro,,, . cur+s;nod G rooes. a.
one and ~ the Old nansIad roo,,, there
came out . little boy OF twelve, with
blanched. serious face. alf-parted Inns.
and wide DARK ewes. Toward the close
Of Mn. Pemberton's lecture he had en-
tered The nom hv an oman w;ndow
nrnerce;ved and f,rd;no that he was
the subject Of the discourse. he had
conceaied himself. He had heard onlv
The concind;nc words and nd thsv ~ chilled
his verv Iisa-h7ood He stood now With
one hand clutyh;no the curtsin.
ssSo Charles w;s6es were dead. does
hep And mother thinks / Am goinp to
dia tn please him. Rnt 7 womb won
der what makes mother think / ann 90
ing To die. Perhaps she only said il to
ao1ravate Charles. Why should he
wish was deadp thought he was
fond OF me;' and here he was nearly
choked with q rising sob, which he
Qulped down with difficulty. 81 wonder
Thv-rn AK 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 il
were dead. CharlesP
GOOD to me! whv, Teddy, what are
YOU thinking ofP''
"Well. yesterday you said you wished
was dead; and you wouldn't wish that
II it would be NO good to you, would
your
Charles stopped abruptly, and said
with steruness: :" Who told YOU thatP''
uNobody. I lust came into the room
n Won said Il, and YOU didn't see me.
And ever since I have been wondering
Why
Charles Pemberton flung awav the bat
and ban he was Carrying. and clasped
the bow In his arms, Kissing him. and
huou;n0 him ike a girl with new doll.
S6he Teddy. Teddv. Teddvn he
..;d. at v;sh nv ton01e had hcen torn
ont bv the roots before had said sncb
a tbinn: but didn't mean it. Teddy.
You never thourht I meant It. did yo1f
Why, Teddy, / wouldn't lose YOU for ali
the world, nv little playfellow, nv
brother. Il isn't right for me to com.
plain 10 vou of mother. and when have
told Won how IL happened that I said
thoae crueI vords-tkat I didn't mean
didn,t ever mean. you know. for a mo.
ment. Teddv-then Won must forget All
about it I had told mother that
wanted to make . man Of you, and that
It was time you went to school, and
learnt 20 stick up for yourself; and theu
she said I was cruel to YOU, and that !
didn't care for Won. and iectured and
scolded me all the afternoon, and then
1 forgot myself-which ought not to
have done, for I know it is only he!
love that makes her over anxious-and
said those hateful words that never,
never. never meant. Teddy"
"I 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 giided from
the shrubbery at hand, made q half.
gesturo - though she would have
clasped the little fellow in her arms and