Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-01-11
From All the Year Round.l
HIS REV ARD.

HIS H. w AhDs
seYou are most unjust, Charles, and ]
know the Lord will one day sting your
conscience for your cruelty, and for
your heartlessness toward that dear
child"
The speaker was comely lady of
about fifty, tall, slim and upright, and
neatly clad in widows weeds. Charles
Pemberton, her eldest son, handsome,
stalwart young man of eight-and-twenty,
whom she addressed, answered impa-
hent}y:
EtConfound the boy, I 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 fatal
facility of tongue, and for the last three
hours had been attacking him on the
subject with aggressive meekness, and
had stung him with half-truths, accusa-
tons, the letter of which he could not
deny, though in their spirit he felt them
10 be UNNECESSARILY false. And now,
out of his grief and his Impotence, he
dung forth those bitter words, angry
with himself as he did so, and rising to
leave the room, lest his overweight
temper should betray him further.
His sanity 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 hap-hap- happy. :"
Charles saw the cambria prepared for
the shower, and, shuddering, fed;
whereupon Mrs. Pemberton few to her
bedroom to pray that her sons hard
heart might be softened.
And then from curtained recess at
one end of the old paneled room, there
came out little boy, with blanched,
serious face, half-parted lips, and wide
dark eyes. Toward the close of Mrs.
Pemberton's lecture he 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 only the concluding words
and they chilled his very life-blood. He
stood now with one hand clutching the
curtain.
$50 Charles wishes I were dead. does
he2 And mother thinks I am gong to
die to please him. But I won't. I won
der what makes mother thinkI am going
TO die. Perhaps she only said it to ag-
gravate Charles. Why should he wish
was dead? Z thought he was fond of
me" and here he was nearly choked with
a rising sob, which he gulped down with
difficulty. 81 wonder why-Tll ask
him.
The next morning after breakfast, his
brother, who had forgotten the incident
of the previous day, taking ball, called
out: s.Get your hat, 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 J was
dead, Charles?"
GOOD to me why, Teddy, what are
you thinking of?'
''Well, yesterday you said you 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: "Why told you that?'
Nobody. just came into the room
as you said it, and you didn't see me.
And ever since I have been wondering
why.
Charles Pemberton flung away. the
bat and ball he was carrying, and
oIasped the boy in his arms, kissing him,
and hugging him like girl with a new
doll.
"0h, Teddy, Teddy. Teddy" he said
g wish my tongue had been torn out
by the roots before / had said such a
thing; but I didn't mean it, Teddy.
Yeu never thought 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 I have
just told you how it happened that I
said those cruel words-that I didn't
mean, didn't ever mean, you know, for a
moment, Teddy-then you must forget
all about it. L had told mother that
wanted to make man of you, and that
1t was time you went to school, and
learnt to stick up for yourself; and then
she said l was cruel to you, and that I
didn't care for you, and lectured and lee
tured and scolded me all the afternoon,
and then L forgot myself-which [
ought not to have done, for L know it