Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-10-23
A Letter and q TELEGRAM.

Il don't never waste Words said
old Mr.. Brown, in hard, driving
voice, and hain't good at letter
writin', but reckon this'n will cut ?
ITS a pity you writ it so hard,
father said his young daughter,
trembling; it'll hurt her to the
heart she didn't never mean to
borry that $500, and then cheat
you out O it,
She didn't. ell Z Then why hain't
the money back in my pocket, safe
and sound It's a year last Christ
mas since she pestered me about it,
and | hain't seen hide nor hair ont
yet; if that hain't a clear case O
cheatin.' Fanny, I'll like to know
what We call it,
The girl stopped churning mo-
ment, and wiped a surreptitlous
tear from her eyelid before she
answered
Call it nothing, father, but bad
luck; when Sister Mary bOIryed
that money to lift the mortgage,
she expected to pay it back; but
you know as how Brother John he
was took with the rheumatics, and
the overflow came, and the crop
was ruint and then she couldn't
pay; that's all, and God knows it's
enoughp
'Twasn't my fault, snapped her
father, iercely, as he pounded on
the kitchen table to give vent to
his anger. Il never put it in the
agreement to low for Overfiows,
and rheumatics, and sich like, and
| never would ha' lent her the $500
if it hadn't been for your snifiiin'
and pesterin'. And now ye hear
gal. not anuther dime O my earnins
shall they ever smell, and I'll never
forgive
The girl sprang up from the
churn, crying, mo, father, don't
say it-don't say it, father you'll
be sorry some day when it's too
late; besides you're a church mem
Der, you know
You're right bout that said
Mr.. Brown, perversely; 'Pm a
church member, and don't owe nary
a person a red cent, and the Bible
says, 'an eye for an eye, and a
tooth for TOOTH and Pm a going
to have itn
He pounded the table again with
his fists, after, fashion he had OF
wanting to pound something or
somebody when he feltparticularly
aggressive. But the sound Of his
voic had scarcely died away, when
there came a knock at the door,
and one of those ominous, yellow
envelopes, marked with the i'm
press of the Western Union Tele-
graph COmpany,was handed in. Mr..
Brown took it, and looked it over
in helpless kind of fashion be-
fore breaking the seal. How
much to pay he asked the boy,
and passed over TO him the change
with trembling hand; though 1t
was characteristic Of the man that
even then, with the knowledge
that the telegram must contain
terrible news, he was careful to
count the dimes as they dropped
back into his pocket. Oh, those
cruel kilograms Do the company
ever remorsefully count the break
! ing hearts that are left in the wake
of their messengers? Mr.. Brown
was a hard man, and loved his
money-bags over well, but some
where beneath the rough outward
crusts there was an abiding aflec-
ton for his children that needed
: something like the stirring of the
soil around the viOlet.beds, to lOos.
en- the selfish bonds, and give his
love human voice. And when he
read these words, MARY died this
evening; come at once a great,
sudden anguish filled his breast,
and silently handing the dispatch
to Fanny, he walked from the
kitchen and shut himself up in his
own room, where years before death
had made sundry visits. He did
not CRY out or fall, or make any
g sign that he was gref-stricken, but
he was hurt to the soul, and a
great remorse made him sick and
faint. He had never put it in the
agreement about sickness, over
flows, and bad crops, as he had
Just said neither had he 'put it
that Mary, in her young blooming
matronhood days, should die-his
first born? How could he bear it
and it was all the harder because
of the cruel words he had uttered
:; while she lay dead at home. Did
he say he would never forgive her
y did he really-really say that :
Fanny had tried to stop him, and
brought it to his mind that he wa'
It, a 'church member and Chris
Do tian. As if father ought 10 be
merely a Christian to his Owl
child. Why hadn't he given hel
/. the money? Might have done 80
FIVE times over and never missed 1t
And the old man groaned remorse
fully, as with these thoughts in hii
~ heart, his gaze wandered over tht
great fields where the cotton woulC
. 10 N sb;n,narino naacv epa