Daily globe., 1883-10-30
A Deacon anda Chris
tran.
uan,


worse for bein' so short Your brothers and
don't never mean to believe that Samuel
meant to cheat ye o. that $500"
What did he mean, them snapped her
husband fercely, his square, dogged chin in
the aif 6 lie combed his whiskers upward, a
fayorif 2ction of his when he felt par
tcula- 5 pugnacious.
Mrs. Macklef7esh turned one of the long
stockings she was darning from heel to toe
and back again before she answered:
''Didn't mean nothin', husband" she an
swered softly. 'We're all feller-rottles
Some Of Us is human sometimes. Thought
he'd pay We, 1 expect, when he boTryed it.
Then he couldn't, that's all.'
81 dunno anything about 'couldn'ts;'
know a9out Slidn't,'n said John Macklefresh
dogged y, still comhing that pervGse chin
into the air. "This know, he's got the
two hundred, and I haint, and I'll never
Don't. John, DEAR" intgrposed his meek
little wife.
''Well, bein' deacon and "a"
Christian" suggested his wife, seeing he
skipped that h1r,1 word.
81 s'pcSe I can't say won't forgive him.
But they amt no commands between the
leds of that air book eboutn-
Give. ty-fve-cents to pay" said a small,
brsinr.., Ike vo;ceat the door. Mrs Mackle-
fresh turEsl the rough brown envelope. over
fearfully her hands, trembling as people
do at taies MS wonder if the telegraph
boys ever S. used to it2
'.Dcr - b0thering, Alice" said her hus-
band, sizing her aside, not urgently,
thou- IS words were rough as usual.
Tn what lie read when he had torn a
thin c., = NJ the end of the envelope:
''Your brother Samuel died this morning.
Cone at once"
The Western Union Telegraph company has
3 good dear TO answer for-hut thenso have
great many other people. John lIacklefresh
did not vOon away on the doorstep, or throw
up his hands with a piercing cry, or any of
those t-inrs He mechanically -ools out a
quarter on his loose change pocket. careful
even II this moment to count the pennies
given in.change, shut the door, harded the
dispatch 10 his wife, and wallai away to the
window. Il was only his heart tainted This,
then had come to the man be had said, but a
moment cgp, he would never-no, no, not
that: he didn't say that-Alice stopped him,
you know. Besides, he was adeacon and a
Christian. Alice had said 50.
But tsn he couldn't forget That res
wha5 ..e lad been going 70 say when the
door oIeaed. The bible don't ask that Or,
doss If, when 1t speaks about God casting our
si,ls into the depths OF the sea-behind his
bacE--eEembering them TO more against
u.s. Forgetf What was there to forget2 He
had lent his own brother 500 Might have
given 81 lin and never missed it Under
his renl1-5=fuI eye his great fields stretched
away, white now with snow-white Us the
soul Geo bad forgiven, but yellow enough he
knew 2S summer came on, yellow as the gold
they would bring to lis pocket. Those few
poor, pitiful hill-sides Of Samuel'si Why
hadn't lie given It to him right cut and saved
hard fa ngs? There was Johnny (na,ned
for hiIEl wanting to go to college ever since
lie VS. oGt Of petticoats Suppose lie had
given ii to him.
Miscry-Inisery Of remembering unl1ind-
ness when It is too latel And then that cut
ting lette- Had it reached him Lcfore Le
died, OF was 1t only his poor stricken brothers
family that would read the brief, harsh
Tords3
Ee turned to his wife who sat holding the
dreadful envelope, sad, but doubling If she
would be wise to speak TO him YET.
Get your things on, VIII ye,n he said in q
voice that sounded dry and harsh even to
himself 'Ill be round with Old Billy TO the
front door. Wrap up warm and take soap
stone. IN have the bui1aloes It's mortal
cold"
She was ready and waiting when he
brought Billy around. The house could take
care of itsef. She locked it.
They had some sixty miles to ride. In the
course of it his tongue became somewhat
loosed, and he told II broken end ielizy sem
tences into ker sympathetic e1F what little OF
~ ~ caii
put into words
My brother, Gfter all. Used to play TO-
grther when we was little. Hum hul2."
y mcR grUws very tender when he goes
back 70 the days when ke vas little
''Boa rl,t Sne q pair o skates once, when I
wantel ne. Older than me-Samuel was
always "a making me Kites and whistles and
all saei ra-tle-traps. Never could seem to
get along. Big family: Yes. 1 ought to
ha' helpo} him Amt q man livin' could
scratch anything but moss of them rocks he
calls q farm. III help the boys-seeT I
don't"
It was a long. cold ride. Hrs. Tacklefresh
wrapped the bufTaIoes higher and higher till
at last she was quite extinguished in their
folds, and her husband thought on dTeaely
alone.
Almost there. Tie house Is in sight. a
long, low, unpainted affair. The oldest IL
habIant could not remember when its owner
had had money enough TO paint it. Here at
last. 'yFho-a-c, Blly! You remember tho
old Eitchingrost though it is 50 long since
you've stopped at it. There hasn't been
much visiting lately. Remember how
brother used to rush ont in his cid blue coat,
Alice, end
''N NJ, John, Why. Johnm
Mr.. Nacklefresh rose I'd out of her eDvel-
oping fms Ike a startled Esqui1aaux. She
pinched her husbands arm Historically, and
he, in his turn, rubbed his eyes half cut at
sight Of tie apparition that confronted them.
'Coma ini cone ini' il cried cordially.
''YCu must be half frozen, both of you"
''How do you come heref7 said John
Eaclklefresh, fearfulIy, not stirring a step III
answer t. this invitation
''Hoey DO You come, should say" returned
Brother Samuel, for it WIS he. blue coat,
brass buttons and all. Come, are You de4ads
Yot1 .-c5 eo.n
''No,7 broke il Mrs. John, who had found
d tongue. but we thought you were. Itsaid
so--the telegraph cid We came up to the
fulicrain
And 80, between hysterical tears and
laughter and questions that nobody pre-
tcndetl 10 answer, they unlosded and got
into tie house At least 55rs. John Gid The