River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-09-06
nnd calmed chose VINO saw il. Her eyes

4 ",
cross has been light; your crown has come
very soon. The dark valley is a safe anC
EASY read to such tiny travellers"
The family physician, grave, obserYani
| man, heard the loving murmurs as he stood
| behind her chair, moved aside instlnctiveiy
to make room for the father, who had bowed
his head upsn the mantle with a heavy
| groan when the truth was told him, and
now turned as if to approach his wife. He
checked himself few passes OFF, started
wildly at the changed face lying rgainst the
mothers breast and rushed from the apart
ment The holy tranquility Of Mrs. Sher-
mans eyes was troubled.
! poor papap she said simply, "he viii
| miss his boy. Doctor, will you 20 to him,
/ please2 He needs comfort"
There is but one earthly friend whose
| presence would be acceptable to him at this
! moment, madam" was the respectful re-
| ply, and that is his wife. Your child will
| not nOtice your absence; he does not suffer;
your husband does.
She did not answer for several moments,
! and her face dropped lower until it rested
ON Bennie's. "You may be right, she said
| at length. Can you hold him while am
gomez"
Her light footstep was soundless in the
! Carpeted hall nd library. The door OF the
inner room Georges sanclum-vas shut
| but not fast; 1t moved without sound upon
its hinges. but she did not pass the thresh-
| hold Why should she, when one glance
| showed her the physicians mistaken
! George sat il his study chair, one elbow
| on his knee, his face hidden in his handkeT-
/ chief, weeping in the vehemance of woe so
| terrifying to the beholder that It shakes man
/ hood from self control. Mrs. Hayward
| knelt upon a hassock before him, her tears
I streaming fast as his. Her left arm was
/ about his neck and his eneircled her waist
| An affecting tableau I should not dare to
| describe were not the sketch taken from
| life.
Dearest George!" she cooed, for the
| sake Of the children and friends left to
| you, for the sake of your work, do not yield
to this crushing blow! Oh, If my love and
| sympathy could lessen one pangl the
knowledge of my devotion comfort you'll"
Sweet comforter my angel of mercy
/ What should ] do IN this hour without
| your"
| Annie saw her husband wipe away the
| grief marks from the face upturned to his,
and stoop to kiss it; she shut the door as
| noiselessly as she had opened it, and went
back to her boy.
The last scene was very near. Mrs.
| Sherman held him all through the final con-
vulsion, fearless and apparently composed:
| Some one suggested that MIR. Shermsn
| should be summoned. The speaker s
voice was guarded but the wife heard, and
| answered, quietly but firmly: No; he
| does not wish 1t.
| With her own hands she closed the blue
| eyes that had ever been the fountains of
| love to her, who needed love so muchD,
| arrayed the perfect, little form for its last
peaceful sleep, and laid him upon his bed,
| bidding the sobbing children kiss him
| good night. They clustered about her as
she left the room and turned the key in the
lock. She paused to scan their frightened,
tear stained faces.
"My darlings. she said, in her accustomed
| gentle tones, 1t IS late and you have had no
supper. Shall mamma go down and give
! YOU sOne2"
Her first act on reaching the dining room
was to pour outa cup of coffee, sweeten
aud cream it as George liked to have it, and
send it to the library by Georgia, the cid
| est daughter.
Don't 60 into the study, DEAR" she di-
rected. Knock at the door and wait until
| papa opens it. Tell him you think it will
| do Kim good. He will be pleased that YOU
have remembered him in your distress.
Ask him if you may not take him up some
thing more substantial-a sandwich, or
some biscuit and chicken.
81 always said she was an oysteri" ejaou-
lated one of Mr.. Sherman's enthusiastic
| disciples, when this episode of the mourn
| full history was reported to her She has
not a grain of sentiment or delicacY about
| her. never heard of anything so rspul-
| sive in all my life"
Mrs. Hayward possessed feeling and re-
| tinement in generous measure, and she
~ har Late
| lover to sip the strong coffee in spoonfuls,
| feeding him with her white hands, and
weeping with gratitude when he blessed
her for her loving sohcitude, owning that
the beverage had quieted and strengthened
have told my story badly II / nave pro-
duced upon the mind of a single reader the
impression that Mr.. Sherman and his ia
vorite parishioner were hypocrites, or that
either deserted the remotest approach to
oriminality in any intimacy which they
named the love of brother and sister. Mrs.
Hayward really considered herself model
of purity and prOpriety. and would have re-
pudiated with honest horror the suggestion
that her claim upon her spiritual mate
trespassed upon Mrs. Sherman's legal or
moral rights, George Sherman would have
sworn ia good faith upon the oracle of his
holy religion that ne was true to his wife IN
intent and deed. l write this in sad sim
cerity, with no thought of sarcasm, regret
full the while that conscience has laid upon
me the task of throwing light upon bless
| ed page of humanlnature.
The pastors country bred wife was I'M
sophisticated. Mrs. Hayward said so, and
she ought to know. She would have sneered
more loftily than ever, had she guessed that
| the tame, dull wife the barn yard fowl
| with whom fate had yoked her eagle
| crouching that night in the dim and dusty
| saIret which was the only retreat aYaIiahi {
| for her in all the house, sat in ludgmen
| upon the spirit union of her queenly Sc
| with the kingly bird. and pronounced 1t
sin against herself and him in whose name
| George and Annie Sherman had been pro-
| nounced one.
She has robbed mel" said the narrow
minded woman, too spent by suffering
| to think of revenge; too true to her hus-
| band to mediate exposure. / hope God
will forgive her! Some day perhaps l
| mayl"
| Then she knelt by the trunk on which
| she had been sitting and asked the Hearer
| of the afflicted and needy to pardon her be-
| loved, and give her grace to be dumb as TO
| her wTongs.
She did not die of her hurt If wounds
| of this nature were mortal, the supply OF
WldOWeTs III the matrimonial market would
| divert the attention of the seekers after
| spiritual affinites from the pursuits of
charming married men. George is DR.
| Sherman now; a very pope in HE prlnci.
| pality of Aitkin, which has grown into a
| great city, and Mrs. Hayward Is yet his
| prime minister. His wife still looks we'll
| TO the minute economies of his household
| aud leaves church government, fancy ba-
zaars, and Sabbath school festivals, to an
| active corps of deaconesses. She has
| brought up her children in the fear of God
and to respect their father as a wise, good
man But they do not love him as they
| do their gray haired mother. They have
never suspected the secret that blasted the
! sweetest of her earthly belief the night
| Beanie died. Only once did the seal upon
/ her lips bend as if ready TO break. The
| temptation to indiscretlon was remark OF
! Georges respecting an homogeneous mar
riage between two of her young acqUaint-
| ances.
| Tits too bad to see a man sacrificed to a
| silly doll, said the girl.
! My love, demonstrated the gentle mo-
/ Their, since he wuOod and welded heI
| of his own free will, is it not his duty. one
/ from which nothing can absolve him, to
| submit himself like q man and Christian
! to the consequences of his voluntary actY
congregational Singing.
Much more can be said III favor OF
earnest, general congregational singing
/ than can be urged III favor of mere Choir
Al performances. There is no reason