Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-12-16

hnu L Hraru something mat Wanteu SO
much to tell you that l couldn't stay.
Never mind about the man--let him
lookr The deacon was in astonish-
ingly good spirits. "At that window,
was itP" Why, the blinds are shut
You've been dreaming, Laviny."
1.-The blind icas open, and there was =
mans face pressed against the window.
and oh, Nehemiah, The Geifcr 80 gomez"
"What letter."
II brought Tidy Slocomb's letter out
here, just to see il could make out
where it came from. and l tore ii little
mite, and he saw me, and he's been IN
and carried il off! No, haven't put it
in my pocket, nor mislaid 1t anywhere;
It's gomez"
The deacon hastened to the woods shed
door; it was open.
"And turned that button the very
first thing after Hubby went out! How
could he have got imp said Mrs. Kilt
redge.
The deacon bowed his head upon his
hands and groaned.
1T couldn't be Of any great conse-
quencc. Nehemiah, a letter Of Til iy Slo-
combs" faltered his wife. "You don't
think it's goin' to make great trouble'"
1.-THE letter was in our keeping; we
must account for it. II nothing was
ever said about it, II would be our duty
TO tell just how IL was lost" sad he.
al s'pose you're right" said his wife
Gas she had said a thousand times since
their wedding day.; "but it's hard; it
will look so much as II l meant to open
i'll Nehemiah, you don't suppose they'll
turn MS outp"
The deacon walked the floor with
great strides. 1--WE shall have lost
peoples trust; IL l am not turned out, 1
shall give up the Office" He kept back
the reproaches that rose TO his lips, but
he walked into the sitting-room and
closed the door behind him. He opened
it soon, however. and said. in = gentle
tone, ''Laviny, was going to tell you
something thnt heard about Saul"
The little woman hurried to him, her
anxious blue eyes overhowing at the
mention of her sons name.
1.-THE minister says this musical COM
pany that Saul belongs to is nothing like
a minstrel troupe; he says it's respect
able. He seemed to think we needn't
feel so bad about it,"
IL can't think of anything but how
Saul will feel If we're turned out Of the
post-office."
That's it, Laviny; we've brought dis
grace on him more'n he's ever brought
on us. I've talked a good deal about
the Lords judgments, but never real
lied what they were till now. I've been
thinking before to- night don't know
how it first came into my mind-that
maybe we'd been little too hard on
Saul, because, you see, Laviny"-how
should he say it SO that 1t might not
wound her too muchp-."he must haze
had 'on,eUhere 10 get Il from"
1--WE thought of that, Nehemiah,
time and again. I've thought of it,"
said his wife eagerly, though l didn't
like to say anything. There was your
sister Mirandy. What q trouble your
father an mother had with her likin'
low company! and at last she ran away
with a miserable tin peddlcr. And she
was musical, too, and she and the tin
peddler kept singin' schools finally, and
did pretty well. 'Mirandy again!' says
] to myself when you told me about
Saul's bein' in singin' company"
Deacon Kittredge wiped his forehead.
In confusing rush of thoughts the only
one was that he would not buy that work
on heredity.
Mrs. Kittredge suddenly broke down
completely. If I'd never touched that
letter and could have things as they
were, ] would be willing to swallow even
such bitter pill as Tidy Slocomb,"
she sobbed. Then she crept off to bed.
and forgot in few hours troubled sleep
the dismal morrow when all the world
would see their fall.
All night long the deacon paced the
sitting-room floor. His wife found him
there when she came down In the cheer
less morning, and they looked in each
others faces in dumb misery, each with
the same thought-by this time every
body in West Eden might have heard
the story and seen the torn letter.
Huldah came bustling in. ''Such
doin's she exclaimed; 'trampin's in
the house all night, and tracks all round
the house, and nobody come in! And ]
dreamed of maxim currant jelly that
wouldn't jell, and that never failed yet
to be sign OF trouble. And why folks
should want to stick letter under the
"OoNohcu uoOI, WHcH VIC We ROt -
whole post-office to the front one, IL
more'n / know!"
Mrs. Kittredge's trembling hand
snatched the letter which Huldah pro-
duced. 1t might be-no, it was not
Tidy Slocomb's letter. 1t was address
ed. in pencil, to Mrs. Kittredge:
"MY DEAR MoTHxR,-It was who took the
letter. I'm sorry / frightened you. i was
sncaking round to get glimpse Of you when
father was away and knew by your curl
osity that the letter WIS one had written "a
friend directed II for mcl, and j wanted II
back again very much, becaTse-well 1 had
found out things that made Inc wish hadn't
written to III dy Socomb. can't write much,
because I'm in n hurry TO get this back to the
place where maybe you'll look for the lost
letter, because I'm afraid you may worry
abou II. But IL belon ell o me. So It's only
n little family affair, and neither Tidy Slo-
comb nor anybody else need know anything
about II. 1 wish / dared to ask you and
father to come over to Haverford and hear
me sing. Mr.. Wilett and Mary are coming.
your afrectionate son,
SAUL KIrTRED0E."
Hurry up, Maria! There's another
carriageful goin' over to Hsverford to
hear Saul sing basso profondo," called
the jovial undertaken to his wife. "And
il it ain't-t'm blessed il it ain 1.-THE
Deacon and Mis- Kittredge scttin' up as