The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-10-16
The paper tore-thers was rent an

The paper tore-there was . rent an
inch long!
She uttered an exclamation Of dismay.
and looked around her as if there were
somebody to see. There was; the blind
had been opened, and pressed against
the pane was face.
With . cry of terror she sprang to her
feet, dropping tho letter on the hoor:
At the same instant there came . loud
knock at the back door, on the other
side. It was the deacon's double knock;
and with . feeling of relief Mrs. Kit
tredge hurried, IS fast as her trembling
limbs would carry her, into the little
back entry.
She called feebly, and the deacon's
voice answered, but still she had to lean
against the wall for . moment before
she could find strength to unbOlt the
door; the face was 50 startling, and II
was so terrible to think that somebody
had seen her tampering with the letter!
Her fingers trembled so that the bolt
resisted her efforts.
"Good land. Laviny, what is the mat
tere" her husband called, impatiently.
When at length the door was opened
she fell into bis arms. gasping, "Oh.
Nehemiah, there's q man looking IN at
the window! It wss Providence that
sent you home"
"Deacon Stebbins was there to lead,
and heard something that I wanted SO
much to tell you that I couldn't stay.
Never mind about the man-let him
lookr' The deacon was in astonish-
ingly good spirits. "At that window,
was it?'' Why, the blinds are shut.
You've been dreaming. Laviny."
"The blind was open, and there was q
mans face pressed against the window.
and oh, Nehemiah, the lctter u gomez"
"What letter."
II brought Tidy Slocomb's letter out
here, just to see If l could make out
where it came from, and tore it . little
mite, and he saw me, and he's been in
and carried it off! No, I haven't put it
in my pocket, nor mislaid it anywhere;
is gomez"
The deacon inastened to the wood-shed
door; it was open.
''And turned that button tho very
first thing after Hubby went out! How
could he have got imp said Mrs. Kit.
redge.
The deacon bowed his head upon his
hands and groaned.
1T couldn't be of any great conse.
quence, Nehemiah. q letter Of Til iy Slo'
combs" faltered his wife. 'sYou don't
think it's goin' to make great trouble?'
.'The letter was in our keeping; we
must account for it. If nothing was
ever said about it, it would be our duty
to tell just how il was lost" sad he.
II s'pOse you're rig ht." said his wife
Gas she had said thousand times since
their wedding day.; ''but it's hard; il
will look so much as if I meant to open
it! Nehemiah, you don't suppose they'll
turn us out?''
The deacon walked the floor with
great strides. I'VE shall have lost
peoples trust; il am not turned out, ]
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 q gentle
tone, '.Laviny. was going to tell you
something that heard about Saul"
The little woman hurried to him, her
anxious blue eyes OVERLOOKING At the
mention of her sons name.
1.-THE minister says this musical com.
pany that Saul belongs to is nothing like
q minstrel troupe; he says it's respect
able. He seemed to think we needn't
feel SO bad about it"
81 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 good deal about
the Lords judgments, but never real
lied what they were till now. I've been
thinking before tonight don't know
how it first came into my mind-thal
maybe we'd been little too hard on
Saul, because, you see, Laviny"-how
should he say it SO that 1t might moi
wound her too much?-"he must har.
had some,rliere TO GET FROM.
I've thought of that, Nehemiah,
time and again. I've thought of it, "
said his wife eagerly, though I didn't
like to say anything. There was your
sister Mirandy. What trouble your
father an mother had with her likin'
low company! and at last she ran away
with miserable tin peddler. And she
was musical, too, and she and the tin
peddler kept singin' schools finally. and
did pretty well. 'Mirandy againr say:
I to myself when you told me about
Saurs bein' in singin' company"
Deacon Kittredge wiped his forehead
In confusing rush of thoughts the only
one was that he would not buy that worI
on heredity.
Mrs. Kittredge suddenly broke down
completely. If I'd never touched thai
letter and could have things as they
we're, I would be willing to swallow ever
such bitter pill as Tidy Slocomb, y
she sobbed. Then she crept off to bed
and forgot in a few hours troubled sleep
the dismal morrow when all the worlG
would see their fall.
All night long the deacon paced thu
sitting-room floor. His wife found hin
there when she came down in the cheer
less morning, and they looked in eacf
others faces in dumb misery, each will
the same thought-by this time every
body in West Eden might have heari
the story and seen the torn letter.
Huldah came busting in. ''Sucf
doin's!" she exclaimed; ''trampin's il
the house all night, and tracks all round
the house. and nobody come in! And
dreamed of maxim currant jelly tina
wouldn't jell. and that never failed We
to be a sign of trouble. And why folk
should want to stick q letter under tn,
W ood-shed door, when we've got /,
whole post-office to the front one, i
more'n known
Mrs. Kittredge's trembling hant