South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1884-05-09
The Fifty Dollar Bill-concluded.
'And whose fault is that!' said Mrs.

Anu WHOSE Iauit istnat! oalQ Mr O..
Dean.
will you not contribute something 70.
ward relieving their destitute condition.
urged Mre. Graham opening the book
and holding the pencil ready for nee,
Certainly not.' said Mrs. Dean, Pve
no money to spare
'Bnt was told
~, yss-about the money that was
drawn out OF the savings bankr said
Mrs. Dean
But intend to keep that money for
myself Mrs. Graham.
He that giveth to the poor lendcth to
the lord softly spoke Mrs. Grahym.
Yes, yes-I knowr said Mrs. Dean.
But nobody intsrprets the Bible literal
ly now.a-dsys.'
Mre. 0raham took her departure, ace
knowiedging within herself that her or.
rand was failure, and Mrs. Dean, left
10 herself at last, INDUCED in q nap,
with the knitting work In her lap-a nap
wherein she dreamed that the fifty dol.
lar Dali had taken TO itself legs, and was
running away from crowd of pursuers
herself among the number.
When she woke up; reused by the
noise of coal being poured upon tire
stove, candle was burning, and Mr..
Dean was laughing at her.
why, Betsy, said he, Il thought YOU
never wero going to wake again Here
you sat With the fire dead out, and I've
had to kindle it up again
Bless me 7 said Mrs. Dean, L must
have been asleep quite awhile. But
as she started mp and saw the old wall
pocket opposite empty--'shere is that
old number Of the Clinkerviile Clarion? P
1T was last weeks paper said Mr..
Dean calmly. We had both of US read
it, so just took it out to kindle the Gre >
You burned it up2'
Yes said Mr.. Dean Il burned IL M.
why wouldn't II
For half an hour Mrs. Dean sat silent
and never spoke word. Her first ut
| terance was:
Tvs the Lords judgment upon me I
Mrs. Dean was a resolute woman,
full OF character. She went to her ia
bic drawer, took out a sheet of paper
and wrote to DR.. Bridgman. enclos-
ing O dollar toward lame Dolly's
hcrse and cart. She sent another doll
lar to Mrs. Graham for the poor little
OHaras and promised to d0note bar
rel OF russets, a barrel of potatoes, and
some of her husbands cast off clothes to
cut over for the children. And she sent
for Helen Hurst to come and see her.
L can't lend you ten dollars, my dear
said size, because ! have not got it..
But I'll tell you what will 90. I'll let
you make your home here as long as
you please. There is nice spare room,
and it's an eighth Of mile nearer than
Mrs. Swipes' to the district school,
oh, how very. very good you are 7
, SAID Helen, her eyes swimming with
grateful tears.
Good ! cried Mrs. Dean, I'm Just
beginning 10 see what selfish, greedy
creature Eve been all my life. But you
! are welcome, my dear, and your board
shall not cost you cent
She opened her parlor, shook out the
curtains and built a fire in the air-ti CHIT
wood stove.
Dean likes the parlor,' said she, be-
cause it has such nice south windows
and / don't sec why we shouldn't enjoy
it,
She baked fresh batch Of ginger
bread and sent q loaf to old Mrs. Nudge
she took out breakfast hickory nut tor
poor little Harry Jones, who was trying
to crack dried up pig.nuts on the stone
by the roadside; she renewed her sub
scriptions to the church charities.
4 can't be very liberal she said. but
| am determined to 10 what l can
That's right, my dear-that's rightr
q n id hor IN, abon1 sIVa ch,1 ha
porous, never fear. Pm awful sorry a.
bout burning yonr fifty dollar bill i; but
if it's 10 open your heart like this us
the best thing that could have happen
ed to u.s..
Mrs. Dean was sweeping out tie kitch.
en-. She looked around with smile as
she moved the wide-leaved table which
always stood under the wall-pocket, and
took down the pocket itself, rude
structure Of splints, lined with rcd cam
brio and tied with cords and tasseis of
red worsted, for to dust it out
Yes she said,' am afraid I was
getting to be little miserly, and -why,
what is this2'
Mr.. Dean stopped and picked up q
slip Of cru npled, dark.green pager,
which had fallen out fromtbe wall-pocket
as his wife turned il upside down and
tapped her finger against it to remove
all the possible dust.
It's the fifty dollar billr said he
with north and eyes opening in unison
1T must have slipped down from the
folds Of the newspaper and lodged here
The Lord has sent it back TO u.s. said
Mrs. Dean. reverently, and he has sent
o lesson, wise and merciful with it.
'Well,' said Mr. Dean, after n no-
ment or two OF silence, there's lesson
in almost everything he does, IL we did
but know It.
And all the theologians in the orld
could not have improved upon the faith
OF this simple unlettered old farmer.
The CnILD's ANSWER. Little Mel.
lie Long had lost her father, and her