Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1891-11-25


mortgagef Seems to me Sam mirhter
helped US little thar But sence he's
got out 70 Montanny he don't care
whether his old parents ever hear nom
him agin or not OF all the plague, a
poor man ever had an ungratoful child
= the wust"
I'm sure Sam don't mean to be nm.
GRATEFUL" said Mrs. Ware. over ready
to defend their absent boy. "You WAS
allus hard on Sam. because he wa,
rather wild. But have faith In Sam
yit, nd feel to thank the Lord for
givin' us scch boy"
tue way with You women"
grunted Silas. Tho wuss n boy gifts
70 oe, the more You stick up for him.
ana . this want enough, the best
steer on the place must lay down and
die Just whom / was n needin' him to
haul In tho fodder. Thar haint his
match in the country"
oh well, father. you said you was
goin to make beef out'n both the yoke.
Wen get the fodder hauled somehow.
Let us go to church and do our part
The Lordll be sure to do his'n any
how"
Go yourself, II you want TO. Maria,
out don't bother me about thanlxin' the
Lord for what He hain't done, md
from what can see hain't goin' TO do
nuther."
Silas got up rs he spoke. put away
his pipe and went into the sitting-room.
lie picked up the county paper and lay
down upon lounge by tho window.
Though he ignored attending church,
he did not feel like going out to work.
but grumblcd himself into some sort OF
interest over the market reports. The
sound of Mrs. Ware. ut her work in the
kitchen, mingled softly with the gen
tier flow his reveries soon fell into. He
felt sleepy. yet he did not wish to sleep.
II seemed as IL he lay n long while
wondering what would happen next
Then he rose, put on his hat and went
out doorA
The sky was overloaded and cold
wind was blowing. The promise of n
bright day had not been kept He
wandered slowly over tho farm. otto.
Ing the stones, the stumps, the ragged
fences and tho general poverty OF the
soil. Ho felt moro than ever what an
il-used man he was. Nothing good
could he see in anything.
And yet Maria thinks we ought TO
be thankful. That's about all the
sense n woman has"
On the way back TO the house he
passed through the barn. The mate to
the dead steer looked ut him mildly,
from over the manger.
I'm make sure of you ter-morrer,"
grum bled Silas. You'll have to make
beef, whether you're fat or not Hit
don't do TO risk too many chances these
hard times"
lie went through the woodshed and
into the kitchen. Everything was in
order, yet the house seemed strangely
silent within, though outside the wind
mourned dolefully. In the kitchen,
the fire had gone down, though the tea
kettle was on, and in the cooling oven
lay the Thanksgiving turkey.
PLAGUE take itr' exclaimed Silas,
after examining into the state of the
culinary affairs. "Ef Maria hain't got
TO be as shiftless as the rest"
He pushed on into the sitting-room,
charged with n connubial reprimand.
But rs he opened the door, he STUN blcd
against something soft and yielding,
yet which sent an unaccountable SILVER
from his feet to the very crown of his
head. He looked down. 1t was a wom-
ans recumbent form. With q great
fear at his heart he bent down. turned
the pale, white face To- the light, then
staggered back, trembling in every
limb, while cold drops stood out upon
his forehead.
"You-Maria?" he gasped. az with a
sudden wild hope he shook the still
form violently. awake up, Maria.
The idea of you agoin' to sleep and let
ting the turkey get cold in the oven"
No response. The figure that had
worn itself out working for him lay as
nerveless In his arms as block Of
stone. The closed eyes. the purple
lips, the drawn, white features, told
their terrible story. His wife was dead
-dead-and he had parted from her
not two hours before, with selfish
grumblings upon his lips.
Silas Ware rose to his full height. and
uttering ho.rse, inarticulate cry, fell
back upon the lounge from which he
had recently risen. Thanksgiving day!
At breakfast he thought himself an ILL
used and an unfortunate man.
'Oh. Godi Oh, Godr' he moaued.
What would not give TO have IL all
baclS?"
All what2 What but Maria - his
wife, the faithful companion of the
tolls, the joys and the sorrows OF
thirty years! What did he care
now for all other troubles and
losses? They were invisible beneath
the overwhelming cloud OF this one
great loss. without her nothing would
be good With her, all other trials
were trivial. lie knew IL now; nc re-
allied IL In every agonizing culver as
his heart recognized and felt its utter
and hopeless loneliness
And even this was not the worst II
he had parted from her with smile
instead Of frown-in kindness rather
than with reproacb. the agony Of sepa-
ration might be blunted little. But In
the coming years he must 90 down 70
meet old age alone. the memory OF his
harshness would ever be singing.
IF ! had only known" he cried.
dragging himself upon his knees 20 her
side once more; ''if had only known
Known what? Ifhe had only known
how great his blessings were. in the
| possession Of his true, tender. patient.