The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-11-09

complaint; '.he is upright; he is
Cnselfish. He is kind to the fly on the
wall. He loves me and no other. What
more do l. want in a husband? He suits
ne. And as for his religion. what does
signify when, at any rate, we both
worship the same God?"
A year from that time Hero did not go
to the shop much; she had a little son
and not such a very little either--a
magnificent boy, with his
mothers colors and eyes, full of life and
Joy and spirit, and quite the mostremark-
able baby in the world. And so, when
the child was six months DID, it seemed
to More Van More, in his happiness, that
he was wrong to deprive his family of the
blessing of knowing of such a blessing,
and he wrote home for the third time,
but this time to his mother.
This was shaking the red rag in the
face of the bull. MI. Van More trampled
up and down his wife's sitting-room
awhile, reared and stamped and snorted
and beloved, and not unit | he had re-
duced her to tears for having brought
such a son into the world, and had pur-
sued it till she gasped for breath and had
to have the maids and ether and hot
bottles, did he subside into silence and
thought.
That this son of a beggarly shop-girl
of a Jewess should be the Van More !
Never, never, if he had to put out the
light of all the Van Nores at C !!
Joycelyne, his eldest daughter, should
marry young De We're, and he should
take the name of Van More. For a sum
of money More should break the entail
and renounce his name, taking instead
that of his low-born wife. And so JOY
%celyne's son, who was a foregone con
clusion in Mr.. Van Nore's mind. should
be the great Van More to come. He had
a satchel packed within an hour, and he
slept that night, for the first time in his
life, in a vulgar sleeping-car, always
before having left the train at nightfall
rather than be one of the promiscuous
canaille sleeping a common sleep. Days
and nights and days and nights of this
wretched contiguity. 1t was a hard ex
perience for Mr.. Van More. He added
it all up against his son. And the self
ishness of the modern traveller did not
tend to increase his appreciation of his
kindP His kindp Not the least bit his
kind! Mr.. Van More was more than
ever persuaded that he was a superior
integer of the race-marking. perhaps,
one of those points of progress from
which one development steps to higher.
At last he stood in the presence of his
daughter-in-law.
A shapeless little greasy Jewess, sell
ing old clothes-or a stately young god,
jdess assuming a human smile? One con-
vulsive sensation thrilled across him Of
pride in Nore's taste at least, souring in
stantly to anger to think. that taste wa
all. And then he opened the subject.
"No, father-in-law," saidHero, firmly,
despite his wincing, and after the fashion
of speech in use among her people. "No
father-in-law, we do not want YOU
money. Nor will we surrender oul
name; it is our name by all right and
law that it is yours. And, as for YOU
grandson, we have no power to forsweal
his birthright for our mess of pottage.'
1t was a will as strong as his W tina
opposed him. Storming was of no ust
here. He left the house without another
word, and left Hero dancing her crow
ing boy in the broad transferring sun,
beam, looking up proudly at her husband
yet fondly, to see if really she and the
boy compensated to him for all he ha(
lost.
An hour afterward Mr.. Van More wa.
brought back to his son on a stretcher
two trains had collided, and he wa!
among the killed and wounded. Al
artery had been severed, and before
physician could reach him he was bleed
ing to death. When, at length, the flow
was staunched, and he lay fainting ant
sinking away, sit is almost hopeless
said the surgeon. s'There is little bloo(
left in his body"
The sight of his dying father hat
changed the current of Nore's il ate feel
ing. '.H l could but give hin, miner
he cried.
..It would do him small good" sal
the doctor, looking at the pale and spind
ling fellow with an anatomist's con
tempt; and from him the glance travele'
to Hero, standing near in her abundan
life, with the dancing boy in her arms
still followed by the sunbeam. Herr
read the glance in a moment, and la,
given the child to her husband
ssHere, Doctor" she said, barring a
arm that Hebe, carrying life and necta
to the gods, might have lifted.
"Doyou know whatit means for you?'
said the doctor. 'sAnd for your child
perhaps? Loss of strength, it may be G
health"
81 know it is my husbands father
my child's grandparent," she said slow
ly. ''lf my blood can save him, it
right that he shall have it." And whe
she came to herself after her first fainr
ing-ft, save for fatigue and languor, sh
did not know that she felt much th
worse, and her father-in-law was smi
ing at her with lustre in the eyes that sh
so lately saw nearly set in death.
Strange and awful. moment for Herr
She had given life to this man. She ha
gone behind the veil of death and darl
ness and worked with the forces of ere;
ton. There was a bond between her an
him such as there could be between n
other people in the world. For half
fainting heartbeat she thought she ha
made him; for half as long again b
thought she had. She felt her heart i
radiate with atender warmth toward HI
husbands father. She fell on her knee
beside him and kissed his hand. sc
my father" she said, "you must forgi1
rs. for we love you'll"
As for Mr.. Van More, never saw an.
body happier than he was, some weel
afterwards on his way home with b
party. His son accompanied him, Wi
the nurse of a superb rosy baby foldt
in white fieecy woods, and lady, state
as any Princess ought to be, but seldo
is, with her black bear-skin robes abo
her. "She is very teachable," thong
Mr.. Van More. a month of our Ii
will give her all the savoir-faire 81
needs. Her tact is inestimable." Al
then he wondered if she could hold b
own with Jocelyne. "My grandso
the future Van More" he said to eve
acquaintance he came across, and tn
all seemed to be travelling on vario
portions OF that trip. "Hero, my dee
My daughter-in-law, Mrs. Van MOI
My daughter-in-law. A great additi,
t to our circle, 1 assure you. An old fal
lily, an oldfamily. We've are not e
. actly, S to say, related, but WE'VE,
| have some of the same blood in o
veinsr'-Harriet Prescott Spoford,
Our Continent.
Ca4Gao -. Crls,, D,:Ho