Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-06-11
He Made It Cut.
BY ANNA f. BURNHAM.


words" said John Macklefresh, in slow
grinding sort of way, "but l guess IT'LL
cut"
81 wish We hadn't writ so hard, John,
said his wife, piteously. Twas all the
worse for bein' 80 short. Your brothers
and don't never mean to believe that
Samuel meant to cheat ye out O. that
5000"
what did he mean them" snapped
her husband fiercely, his square logged
chin in the air as he combed his whisk-
ers upward, favorite action of his when
he felt particularly pugnacious.
Mrs. Macklefresh 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
said softly. "We're all feller-mortals.
Some of us is human sometimes. He
thought he'd pay we, 1 expect, when he
borrowed it. Then he couldn't, that's
all"
81 dunno anything about 'couldn u.s.
know about didn't" said John Mack
lefresh doggedly, combing that preverse
chin into the air. "This l know, he's got
the two hundred, and l hain't and I'll
never"
"Don't, John, dear" interposed his
meek little wife.
We'll, bein' deacon and a"
christian" suggested his wife, seeing
he skipped that hard word.
~ s'pose can't say l won't forgive
him. But they amt no commands be.
tween the words of that sir book about
--n
twenty-five cents to pay" said a
small business-like voice at the door.
Mrs. Mecklefresh turned the brown en-
velope over fearfully in her hand, trem-
bling as people do at kilograms. won
der if the telegraph boys ever get used
to it.
"Don't be bothering Alice" said her
husband, pushing her aside, not ungent-
ly, though his words were rough as
usual.
This is what he had read when he had
torn thin outlet at the end of the en-
velope:
"Your brother Samuel died this morn
ing. Come at once"
The Western Union Telegraph compa-
ny has good deal to answer for-but
then 80 have great many other people.
John Macklefresh did not swoon away
on the door step, or throw up his hands
with piercing cry, or any of these
things. He mechanically took out
quarter from his loose change pocket,
careful even in this moment to count the
pennies given in change, shut the door,
handed the dispatch to his wife, and
walked away to the window. It was on
ly his heart tainted. This, then, had
come to the man he had said, but mo-
ment ago, he would never-no, no, not |
that; he didn't say that-Alice stopped |
him, you know. Besides he was a dea-
con and a-Christian. Alice said so.
But then he couldn't forget. That was
what he was going to say when the door
opened. The Bible don't ask that. Or.
does it, when it speaks about God cast
ing our sins into the depthsof the sea-
behind his back-remembering them no
more against us. Forget? What was
there to forget? He had lent his own
brother $500. Might have give it to him
and never missed it. Under his remorse-
less eye his great fields stretched away,
white now with snow-white as the soul
God had forgiven, but yellow enough he
knew as Summer came on, yellow as the
gold they would bring to his pocket.
These few pitiful hilsides of Samuel's!
Why hadn't he given it to him right out
and saved hard feelings? There was
Johnny (named tor him) wanting to 90
t. college ever since he was out Of petit
Goa Is. Suppose he had given it to him.
Miery-misery of remembering un-
kindnt >es, when it is too late And then
that cut, ing letter! Had it reached him
before he died, or was it only his poor
stricken b.,other's family that would
cad the brief, harsh words?
He turned to his wife, who sat hold
ing the dreadful envelope, cad, but
if she would be wise to speak
to him yet.
"Get your things on, will ye." he said,
in voice that sounded dry and harsh
even to himself. "I'll I've around with
Old Billy to the front door. Wrap up
warm and take sospstone. III have
the buffaloes. It's mortal cold"
She was ready and waiting when he
brought Billy around. The house could
take care of itself. She locked it.
They had some sixty miles to ride.
In the course of it his tongue became
somewhat loosened, and he told in
broken and jerky sentences in her SYM
pathetic ear what little of the chaotic ,
grief and remorse he was able to put in .
to words.
"My brother, after all. Used to play