The Penn's Grove record., 1888-10-13
THE MAN WHO NEVER CRIED.

lie MAN WIZ NEVER CRlED.
"Yuu are said 10 he a hard-hearted
mana MAI who has no sympathy
with the sorrows Of other people, and
! strangely lacking in feeling when
trouble comes 10 your w home
"Tlesc words were addressed by a
Young man to one much his senior in
years and eXroriene. His name was
John Andrews; and one would have
compared him to George Washington.
There was the same kingly erectness of
form, the same firm, commanding
bearing and voice. lis forehead was
high and broad, an index of or at
intellect. Heavy browS shaded a pair
| of steel gray eyes, noticeable for their
| expression of controlled force. The
lower part Of his face, especially his
| squareiy built chin, told of an iron will
| and an intiexible nature. AS he walked
the street, many gazed after this
courtly man, and owned that his intlu-
| ence counted for much IN the town
where he had grown up; but the same
| thing was always said about him: His
heart Is as hard as Pharaoh's."
llt NOblIs lBhbg hiIiIy Ii hlttlCt
the above words, was a favorite nephew
of MIR. Andrews. He was a fine, manly
fellow, just entering college.
Philip had been stung to the quick
by the oft-repeated opinions Of people
in regard to his Uncle Johns ''hard-
~heartedness,' and one day he followed
HIM into his Office, and before he could
choose his sentences to soften the
word, spoke his heart out In this heavy
accusation Of others.
Looking up quickly to note the eff
feet, he was panied to see a look Of
anguish settle like a dark cloud over
his uncle's face. "Why!"he exclaimed,
''do you meal to say, Uncle John.
that you have Eeyer heard what people
say of youP l heard a man declare
to-day Tat he eve knew of your
shedding a tear in your life"
Mr.. Andrews stood by his desk with
his hand shading his eyes. In the
bright sunlight Which flooded the office,
his hair was almost white, and deep
lines were furroYed in his face that
Philip had never noticed before. His
form was bowed, and his whole ap-
pearance was expressive OF extreme
agony. as If from the shock of a sudden
blow.
He raised his ~head-gazing long and
earnestly at his nephew's bright, young
face-and in Il voice that trembled,
sail:
"And this is the sentence that my
old friends have pronounced upon mel
l am a 'hard-hearted man. and yet l
have been a good citizen, thank God!
a good Christian, l trust; a good hus-
band and father. All, my boy, 1t is too
true that | have not shed a tear since
l was your own age. There is a secret
Of my life which others have never
known. | have always kept it buried
IN the depths Of my heart; but your
hand has unlocked the door; you shall
know why nc one has ever seen me shed
a tear or show any emotion. When l
was a boy of sixteen l was not unlike
you, Philip. l had your quick sensi-
bilities, your warm, impetuous DISPOSE
ton. | had a brother, your Uncle
Charles, who was five or six years
older than l., and we were as fond and
loving OF each other and of your Aunt
Helen as any brothers could be.
"She was then a young girl of twelve,
and it seemed TO us that there never
was a daimler, sweeter sister in all the
world. She had a timid, clinging ma
ture, that appealed to us for protection.
We were all the more tender because
she shared the family trouble; our
skeleton in the closet was known to
her. How many nights have l seen
her with her dear, sweet face pressed
against the window, peering into the
darkness for a familiar form shufling
home au night from the grog. shop
around the corner.
soften would l take her into my
arms, and tell her to leave Charles and
me to watch for father; but she always
insisted that she could wait on him
when he came in, and perhaps comfort
mother.
"Things grew from worse to worse,
until we would not allow Helen 10 see
father when he came home. HIS lam
guage was often abusive and cruel.
sour family had never been Door
until then; but we soon commenced to
feel that father was drinking all the
earnings. Charles had IA position in a
village academy, on a small salary, and
| was clerk in a bank. Even with
What we boys could earn, We had hard
work to make both ends meet. l could
not bear to have Helen do so much,
and see her growing paler and thinner
every day. My heart was broken as l
sometimes heard mother cry.
Zone day a thunderbolt fell upon us
in the shape of a big bill from Greggs,
the owner OF the grog-store. We did
not know what to do. In those days,
men were put in jail for debt. We
talked of that, mother wringing her
hands at the thought OF it. Well, your
Uncle Charles and | at last succeeded
in getting enough money, and l took
1t to Mr.. Greggs, with the firm resolve
in my heart that father should never
get another drop of liquor at that
place.
ut was hard for me to enter the
store. There was, on the walk out
side, a group of half-drunken men.
They were lowering near, like moths
round a fame. ! was ashamed to go
into the brightly-lighted room, where
there was another group of men, who
were taking their '~nightcaps,' as they
called the final drink. The fumes of
the liquors made me sick, and | wanted
70 rush out into the fresh air again,