The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-05-24

! father. dear children, and, please God, the
past shall be atoncd for in the future and
/ now let Nc gn to 1ralnmh aid ';taJr.'
| "Whu can b coming home with the chill
! tfrn." said Grace, as she stood in the cot
! tace door shading ~, e46s with bet hand
! from 'he brilliant sunlight She formed a
Pretty picture, her brown hair floating out
in the fresh breeze. her cheeks flushed
and her graceful form arraycd in a light
dress, plain aud cheap 70 he sure, but taste
fully and bcCOminglN made,
Her quick ihtutiuH took III the POSSIBLE
! iarntitN q the stranger; and fearing the CT.
! feet Of the sudden SURPRISE hpor the
, mothcr should her s"Eii.isc prove correct,
! she st"Pl,ed ont to the gate to meet them.
"Oh, Oracle" cried Holly, "this is
grandpa, and we met lin at the cemetery"
| He put out his Slpnt II white hHtd draw
| ing her 10 him, and locking at her search
| ingly. My dear chile forgive me that /
have left YOU to bear Sc much alone" he
said, gently. rs he prcssSd Kiss on ber
fresh, young iirs
! hfact looked up at the hl&?some old face
! through a mist of tears. Was this the
stern, cold grand parent whom she had al
most learned to hate! Yes, but stern and
! cold no longer; the first look into HOlly's
| face, so like the one he had loved so tender
! ly, had broken down the last shred of prcju-
dice and completed the work which the
/ loneliness Of old aPH end the dFstldtiuh of
his splendid home had commenced in his
heart. And Grace, as she saw the tender
| light in the eyes looking down at
| her so pityingly, felt all her hard feelings
! toward him melting away. and lcnged TO
| weep out the griefs which she had borne so
patiently alone upon his friendly bosom.
"nOes he come III peace or in anger"
| asked the widow, tremUlousl%, when Grace
| suddenlt trohc the unexpected news to her
! In peace, laughter, and anxious tt
make atonement for the long years of bit
| tcrncss and neglect in the past" replied the
! old man, who had heard the question anC
answered for himself.
This was the beginning of better days
for the family; the mothera disease had
progressed 50 far that her case was. hope
less but every thing t"tirh wealth and
! love cOEld procure vas provided to allcvi.
! tatc hey su1ferings, and when at last
! her spirit took its flight, Holroyd Graham 8
hand closed the tired eyes and crossed
I the weary hands over the breast which
would never more be disturbed by cart ~
| preiudiCes or lifes stern necessities
They laid her beside her soldier husband
in Green BroOksde, and then the orphans
were made ready fol- loag trip among the
mountains to recover from the effects OF
the long confinement and the griefs and
, anXictics of the past; and it was nearly
| autumn before the old home mansion was
reached, and the great house echoed once
more with young voices, and was br ght
ened by loves warming atmosphere.
The children became the very darings
of their grandfather's heart and their
education, which poverty had seriously in
tcrfcrcd with was resumed with renewed
zeal and Gracic's musical talent in partic-
ular was carefully cultivated, though nc
longer a necessity as Il means of support.
There is only one drawback to the com,
pletencss of their happiness and that is the
thought that the dear mother can not share
IT, and HolroNd Graham signs as he thinks
Of the many years of happiness which, in
his cruel prejudice and unfOrgiving spirit
he has deprived himself Of and also thinks
OF the many years Of privation and suffer.
ing lie caused the gentle woman whom he
came to love so well, before she left him.
and the hard and unaccustomed tasks
which, through his neglect, the feeble
hands were forced to perform, when a
1.-THE of the wealth which he would never
have missed, and a little of his love, which
should have been hers by right, could have
made her life an easy and happy one,
Mas. F. NJ HOwARD.