The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-24

Eitlck rlDDOn. as w i't >iA4@o
mas, and I'd been to the we'll for water, l
was sittin down on the stone under the
lilac bushes to rest me, for l amt very
strong nowadays, when 1 saw him. He
seemed to be weepin and wailin softly to
himself oh, my happy home.' he said;
'oh, mother, mother and l couldn't move.
turned giddy, and it's only five minutes
ago that managed to get in the house.
Either I've lost my mind or I'm going to
die within the year. They come for warn.
ings."
"Do they:" said Marjorie dreamily.
"Then am to die also, for he came to ma
there in the churchyard."
"God have mercy on usP' gasped the old
woman.
There are moments when hearts open to
each other. This WAS one. Sitting there
| upon the little back stairs in the darkness,
| the two women made confession to each
| other
II must tell somebody" said poor Mar
| jorie 1T seems as if the way l acted to
| Herford, the last day of his life, was burn
| ing into my heart like a coal of fire.
went on about not being rich; | talked
| about rich husbands as if | wanted one.
He must have thought didn't care for him,
and that day he didn't kiss me when he
| left ME, and never saw him again
How used to nag my husband; how
| used to wish Herford was ambitious!' said
/ Mrs Wayne. After grandfather left me
| his little money educated him well as
could. l wanted him to get rich, to get
some kind of political office, to be some
body. 1 always felt as if his father might,
il he'd just buckle to. l was SO disap-
pointed when he took a clerks place at the
factory that l cried Now, only to have
him there again, coming home to tea, call
| ing 'Hullo, little Mamsy,' in at the kitchen
windowr'
"Ah! if he could only come to take me
! out tomorrow afternoon, shouldn't envy
any rich woman sighed Marjorie. Il
want to tell you something. l refused Mr..
Stanisland today. I shall refuse any one
who asks me-if any one does agaip. I'll
live and die as If I was Herford's widow"
| at couldn't be expected of you." salt
the old woman. $50 young and real pretty
too But I love you for loving my Fordy
60 l guess we'd have got along real good
eff it had been tho Lords will you should
marry him"
Anything will startle people already over
wrought.
A foot upon the path, a touch upon
the door caused these two women to cry
out, to clasp each other fast, but Mrs.
Wayne arose and lit a lamp and opened
the door to Dominic Thawler, who had
preached in the rickety little building in
5 which she worshiped for thirty years, who
had married her to her husband, christened
Herford and prayed over his coffin.
''It's good of you to come, dominic" she
said; "come in" and led the way to the
parlor, q tidy room, little close with dis
use.
II noticed, Sister Wayne the minister
said without preface, that you keep
mourning on your shutters still. Why do
you do it?'
II couldn't tell you SO that you'd under
stand, dominic" she answered. Il
couldn't tell any one that hadn't been a
mother"
"Take the black ribbons off your shut
ters," said the preacher; keep Christmas
as Christian this year, Sister Wayne
"My Christmas is fasting and tears, y
said the widow. Can you remember the
day you stood here last and expect me to
rejoice when Christmas time comes round
Seems to me you ought to respect my feel
ings more"
The minister went to the window and
raised it, and united the black ribbons from
, the shutters and flung the latter open.
Let the light shine out upon the road
this Chstmas eve," he said. LET it cheer
, the belated traveller on his way-some one
, that might be going home to his mother
perhaps-home to spend Christmas with
. his mother"
"Let her light her lamp then" said Mrs
Wayne. "Why should II My son will
come to me no more" The minister turned
, about and faced her.
, "If it was the Lords will that he should
, return to you he would come, Sister
Wavnn ~ he said
= ''The Lord himself can't undo death, y
| she answered.
"A young man called upon me tonight
{ who thought his mother Dead" said the
minister. "When told him that she lived
| and mourned for him, you should have
seen his happy face. He had seen he1
house closed, with black ribbons on the
shutters, and in the graveyard, side by
side, three stones-his fathers, his sisters
and his mothers, he supposed. 1t was toe
dark to read the names. He believed that
|, In his absence his mother had departed
t this life, and he came to me to ask partic
ulars. What said to him was: Young
!, man, preached yeur funeral sermon five
years ago. These cases of mistaken iden
2 tity sometimes occur. The stone you saw
? is over your own remains"
; The widow uttered cry and clasped hel
} hands. There, l cannot keep him out
r any longer. do not believe that Joy ever
Z kills." said Dominic Thawer He stepped
> away from the French window agains
t which he had set his back, and as he did
!, SO Herford Wayne rushed into the room
9 sank at his mothers feet and knelt there
s with his arms about her waist and hi:
! head upon her bosom, sobbing like child
D The old preacher slipped away. A littl
' figure stood trembling outside the door
e A miracle had happened. Herford lived
I was here before her eyes again. But, alas
he did not think Of her His mother wa!
. all to him.
O Il never knew of the destruction of thu
factory" he was saying. II had been of
t fered a chance to make my fortune, an,
had to be on board seagoing vessel tina
evening to join Robins, If l took it, l fel
that women needed to be rich, that for
poor man there could be neither love no
respect nor happiness. l felt like that
mother. l wrote to you, wrote to Mar
jorie, and gave the letters to old Mix
Flanagan to deliver. Yours never reache,
you of course. But l thought you were to
angry to answer. As for marjorie, she ha
found her millionaire. as I happen t
know. And, at all events, since 1 hav
come home no richer than l went, I shouI
not aspire to her hand, know her view
too well.
No richer than he went The words fel
upon Majorie's ear like the sound of 10
bells. If Herford had made his fortune
had returned a wealthy man, then. indeed
he must have wooed Marjorie long an
ardently before she would have smiles
~ upon him. But since he was still boo,
only the knowledge that he had seen he
in the church when Stanisland was maxim
mis- offer OF marriage, and that he mus
, have fancied them lovers, restrained he
n no" from obeying the dictates Of her hear,
h MarJorIe.' cried the mother. WIN
: Marjorie is here How could forget her
Va MaIj"rie. Marjorie.'
4 She moved forward. He turned and say
n her, and she uttered his name and held OF,
q her arms TO him, and no words were need
% ed TO tell him that Of all men She love
e hln, and him only, and that, thinking hin
e uead, she had still been true to him Al
d that she told him afterward did not con
d vince him more completely than that on
loo.r