The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-10-20
CHAPTER y.-CoxrrSUEp.
By MRS. r. d. EDISON.

CHAPTER y--CoSTISUEp.
Woman he cried. sternly, lit i:
your weakness that has encouraged
him. You never enforced obedience
You always let him have his own head.
and this is the result of your criminal
folly
30 Ben, / tried to do the hes;
could" she answered. neekly, never
limiting by word or tone that there
could be any possibility of his having
ever been to blame.
He CROPPED for chair and sank into
il heavily. With a woman's natural in
stinct, Myrs Anderson put aside her
own pain and tried to comfort him.
She knew that his pride and temper
were wounded, and so she said little,
only dropping a word now and then
with rare tact, making it always as
favorable for her boy as she dared
No one said much to Ben Anderson
about his boy; they soon learned by the
look in his face that it was not best
Only Tom Arnold told him that :. in has
opinion, no man had right to set up his
wishes against nature. and man forced
to take up life against strong, re-
pellant instincts, generally made j
failure of it
The summer grew bright. as so many
summers had done before, but some
thing dimmed its splendor, and cast a
faint shadow over all the earth and air
Thet days were so long and the nights
so lonely at the pleasant prairie home,
that Myra Anderson got nervous over
their slow, monotonous length. But
by-and-by letters came from Ralph
gay, bright little letters, full of buoyant
life, ardent anticipationS and eager am
bitions- with here and there little sud-
den veins of deep tenderness. that
brought the blood to Myra Anderson S
face with quick. warm glow. But he
said nothing. He listened to the letters
with 4 white, immovable face, still very
set and stern, whenever Ralph's name
was mentioned. Very evidently he had
not yet forgiven him.
But one dav a rumor was mentioned
in the newspapers that there mad been a
terrible gale on the South Atlantic
coast, and list of the vessels supposed
TO be lost was given, and among them
the q North Star his ship. Ben An
derson heard it in the city. How he
got home he never knew; he lad no
recollection of step of the way. He
walked into the room where his wife
sat reading over some letters, a faint
smile on her lips. She hid them hastily
in her dress, blushing softly. But he
did not see: he walked straight to the
table and sat down, and buried his face
in his hands
God in Heaven, have mercyw
broke in a sudden. agonized cry from
his lips, the great drops of sweat COM
ing cut on his forehead like giistening
beads.
Ben, o my husband-what-
what?' she stopped, half paralyzed
with alarm and dread IS terrible. wild
thought came crashing through her
brain.
He pushed the crushed paper toward
her-he had brought It all the way from
Rockford crushed in his hand-and then
broke into q fierce, wild storm of pas
sionate weeping. Myra Anderson was
nearly wild with terror. Never. even
when their baby had died. had she seen
her husband weep. 1t is something
terrible when strong man gives way to
- " OAA-s-LA St4A4N
rally, but when the DC, this of a strong.
stern. rugged mans nature are broken
up. IL is ike the fierce passion of the tor
nado in its intensity.
- He has punished me for nv hard
ness-I trOatdn'f forgive him." he said.
after he had grown calmer and they had
talked 1t over. % Ralph, my son. my
son.
Did You ever think what strange WAYS
God takes TO break down these stub
born wills OF ours? How. when love
and tenderness fail, He sends the tenn
pests breath and the terrible. swift
sword, 10 do His will; and then when
our hearts are sottened and broken.
how tenderly He turns about and drops
some great gift or JOY into our lives?
He did this into Ben Anderson in this
way:
-Four weeks after that terrible ru-
nor. came letter from Ralph! There
had been q terrible storm. he wrote,
but they were in port st the time.
Half q score of vessels went down.
among them the North State" of New
York