The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-01-28
Daily Sunshine.

kltCQeQ AZ Ced-giHiC Oh N@eeiNSJ
ming, having been to the country post
Office for the weekly paper. Mr.. Sill
yer was busy iatherlng MS enln 1:S oelore
a small, square looking-glass winch
hung near the window, and showed
no interest in the letter, although let-
ters were rare in that household.
Mrs. Silver was finishing pies for the
Sunday dinner, and though she looked
a little anxiously at the letter as pos
sible bringer Of bad news, she SAID
nothing about it at the time. ~,
"Have you read the letter, John r.
she asked, some hours later, as her
husband was pulling off his boots pre-
paratory TO going to bed.
Letter p" he replied in surprise.
"Laws me, no, I forgot" and sitting
down in his stocking feet he drew out
the crushed envelope and put on his
spectacles with the sheepish air OF u
man who has recently come into the
possession of such things. ;,
His wife got ready for bed, covered
the fire, bolted the doors and win
dows, and finally put her head on the
pillow while the man still sat over his
letter, with an anxious, unhappy look
on his face. o.,
"Who is writing to. you, John"
asked Mrs. Silver, when at last the let
ter was returned to the envelope.
ats no matter" he answered brief
ly. The tone was not unkind, but the
wife relapsed into a hurt silence, and
several hot tears which would not stay
back slid down the pillow unseen by
Mr.. Silver.
They had been married fifteen years,
and the marriage had been in most re-
spects a happy one. They were kind,
conscientious and sensible people
thew loved one another sincerely; their
worldly affairs had prospered; their
children were promising. John eii-
yer, in his undemonstratlve way, was
a happy, contented man. and he
thanked God in secret, with far more
emotion than he ever showed in puo.
lie, for the blessings which crowned
q his life.
And the woman? I cannot say that
she was unhappy, but year by year the
ioyous brightness of the girl John Sill
yer had married grew DINNER; she
knew her husband loved her, but her
warm. affectionate nature needed the
expression of it, as q flower will keep
alive in cloudy weather, because the
sun is actually in the armament, but
cannot thrive and bloom 10 without
the warm shine of its rays.
Several days passed after the recep-
ton of the letter, marked only by a
restless inuuisitiveness on Johns part ::
"How's YOUR head, Mary?" or, 'Does
vour back ache ?" or, "When did you
get that cough 2"
The wife answered these unusual
queries with surprised prote-taiions
that she was perfectly we'll, and wotl-
dered in secret what had come over
John.
And now comes her turn TO receive
q letter, and to keep 1t to herself. Mr.:
Silver saw he. open the letter, and
uuickly thrust 1t in her pocket much
"a he had done himself, but it was not
until he had asked who her letter was
from that he remembered the coinci-
dence.
HIt's no matter" she had answered
in his own words, looking, however,
strangely red and confused. But 1t
did not seem TO matter at least, some
thing from that day wrought a mar
veloas change in Mary Silver. He:
eyes lost the look of patient sadness,
faint color crept back to her cheeks,
her very step seemed brisker, and ev-
cry hour in the day she might be
heard singing.
John, busy, dull, unobservaut fel-
low though he was, could not miss
seeing the change, and it so pleased
and gladdened him that he stirred out
of his ruts. He hitched up his old
buggy and took Mary out driving !;
asked her company when he went
about the farm; and finally left Reu-
ben and Molly to keep the house,
while he took the mother on visit of
several days to her old home. 1t was
while they were enjoying this unusual
holiday that Mr.. Silver fould out about
his wife's letter. 1t was from her SIS
ter. Sue, who had married and gone TO
Virginia to live:
"DEAR MARY Il don't know as ]
am doing right in sending you this
letter. but here's how it came about :
I had q letter from Caroline Coles not
long ago, and says she: Your sister
Mary amt long for this world. She's
been an unfortunate woman. has Ma
nv, and q blessed: but spite of her
comforts and earthly blessings, she
looks weakly. You wouldn't know
her for the same laughing girl that
used 10 tease John by pretending to
look another way Well, you may be
sure, sister Mary, ] felt uncommon
bad about the letter, and 80 sits down
and writes to your John to ask about
YOU, and this here letter is his answer
I don't know Just how came to send
it back to you; but I'm wife myself
and when my old man gets stirred te
say something like this to me, why.
know it does me good all over-more
than shop full of physio; 30 I've jus,
made up my mind to try it on you
and if I'm doing wrong, hope you'll
both forgive me, as know you will.
Your sister,
And the letter she inclosed. 1t was
perhaps, the longest letter John Silver
had ever written in his life, for he was
poor hand at writing letters, as he
would have told you himself; but II
hocked his wife's life with the sun
shine for which she had been pining
It gave zest to her work, it sweeteneC
her rest, brought color to her cheek:
and light to her eyes. You'll think
may be, that Mary was a poor silly
thing to care so much for such a com
monplace letter, but here it is:
DEAR SIsrER-IN-LAw Your let
ter has taken me all abaek. The ide,
that my Mary could eyer get sick ant
die Just makes baby of me, and
sick baby at that. Now ] come t
think of II abe il a long SIGHT white