The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1884-10-01

Ioi forIuns'swheel had proved too
Igreai shock. In two days from
lthas night We buried him, but not
EbefoIe be had received my solemn
promise that his wife and little
Ione should reap the benefit Of the
good luck that had come to him
boo lase.
"Ned, "hesaid, ais Is such q load
Iof my mind 70 feel that my wife
land little one are provided for
|that they will never know want.
PA like % have seen them once
morl, but ! mustn't expect every
thing" Then be dpzed Of, and
neyoF spoke again until, just At
the last, he istasped my hand with!
iyod 'llbe true, Ned-I trust-4'
Mover, lry as / would, have /
been ablelOkeep those words from
rineingin my ears. ] hear them
alwsys-aIways.
Great drops Of perspiratlon stood
like beads upon Edward Child's
forehead; but he thotioned his son
to hold his peace, while be contin,
ued, hurriedlS
II sold out everything belonging
to US jointly as quickly as I could,
and came to Frisco, where l dis.
posed Of the nugget and Andrews
claim for ten thousand dollars.
That settled, | took passage for
New York, for it was in that city
Andrews wife and child we're liv-
ing. 1t was also in the state Of
New York that the little village of
Upton lies-where l had left your
mother and you, with the old folks,
while l went 10 seek a fortune.
Somehow, it got reported about
that | had made a big haul, and
people treated me accordingly, and
before / arrived in New York | al.
most begun to believe in my re.
puted wealth. Yet the thought of
appropriating the gold that poor
Andrew had left in my charge
never even occurred to me then.
l was not wholly bad, my son.
The moment l landed 1 sought
out the address Of Andrews wild.
ow, which l had found among some
letters in my friends trunk, as he
informed me l would, but learned
that she had gone away some three
months previously, no one knew
whittier. Ithen advertised in all
the papers, but nothing came Of it.
"Your mother, whom l had
found Ill, grew worse. The doctor
informed me that a sea voyage was
the only thing that might prOlong
her life-that and the best Of liv.
ing-and l was a poor man. Then
the temptation first came to me.
Why should l not borrow from my
friends ten thousandH His widow
could not be discovered, and tho
money was only lying idle. For
one month l fought with my con.
science, seeing your mother grow.
ing weaker day by day, then l sue
cumbed. Abroad we went, travel.
ing hilher and thithsr, with every
luxury at our command; but the
hand of death followed on our
track, and before a year was pass.
ed had snatched my wife from me.
"t had but one object to live for
after that-my son. He should.
never know the temptation Of pow
erty, I swore, and to that end l
labOred to increase my ill.gOtten
gains. l speculated, and money
seemed literally to flow Into my
hands. Icould have paid Andrew
Stephens widow her fortune FIVE
times over, yet l did not seek to
hunt her up. Shame at the
thought Of my broken trust kept
me from it. Yet all these years it
has been like a milestone around
my neck"
suppliantly his lstrombling hands
we're outstretChed as the stricken
man moaned:
"Paul, can you forgive your faith.
err"
For answer the son tenderly
raised the enLreating hands TO his
lips, then gently plllowing his
fathers shame.bowed head uponh
breast, he said:
"And you would like me To right
this wrong; is 1t not so, fatherR"
"Yes, yes, Paul; but it is asking
too much. You do not know yet
the sacrifice you will have to make.
lam thought to be a very rich man,
but | have lost heavily lately. II
,,a. r;yn So ko t.n kLouonnd 7