Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1891-11-26

we goin' TO pay the intruss on that
mortgage7 Seems to me Sam mighter
helped Us n little thar. But sence he's
got out to Moutanny he don't rare
whether his old parents ever hear from
him agin or not OF all the plaques a
poor man eve had an ~ungrateful child
Is the wust-
I'm sure sam don't mean 10 be IN
grateful said Mrs Ware. ever ready
Ia defend their absent boy. - GU was
allus hard on sam, because he was
rather wild But I have faith in Sam
yit nd l feel to thank tho Lord for
giviu' rs Sech a boy"
That's the way with 700 women
gruntcd SiiaS The wuss a boy gifts
TO b.. the more you stick mp for him
And ; If this want enough. the best
steer on the place must lay down and
die, just when / was a needin' him 10
haul in the fodder. Thar hain't his
match in the country"
q well. father. you said you was
goin' tn make beef out'n both the yoke
Well get the fodder hauled somehow.
Let US go IN church and do our part
The Lord1l be sure to do his'n any
how"
60 yourself, IL you want to. Maria,
but don't bother me about thankin' the
Lord for what lie hain't done. and
from what ! can see hain't goin' to do
nuther.-
Silas got mp rs he spoke. put away
his pipe and went into the sitting-room.
He picked up the county paper and lay
down upon a lounge by the window.
Though he ignored attending church,
he did not feel like going out to work.
but grumbled himself into some sort of
interest over the market reports. The
sound OF Mrs Ware. ct her work in the
kitchen. mingled softly with the gen
tier flow his ~reveries soon fell into. lie
felt sleepy. yet he did not wish to sleep.
IL seemed as IL he lay n long while
wondering what would happen next
Then he rose. put on his hat and went
ost doors
The sky was overciouded and n cold
wind was blowing. The promise OF a
bright day had not been kept He
wandered slowly over the farm. no;ic-
ing the stones. the stumps. the ragged
fences and the general poverty Of the
soil He felt more han ever what an
ii-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 10
the dead steer looked at him mildly.
rom over the man-er
IN make sun Of you ter-morrer.-
grumbled 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
He went through the woo<ishei and
into the kitchen Everything was in
order. yet the house seemed strangely
silent within. though outside the wind
mourned dnlefully. In the kitchen.
the fire had gone down. though the tea
kettle wa an. and in the cooling oven
lay the Thanksgiving turkey.
Plague take it, exclaimed SilaS.
after examining into the state Of the
culinary affairs "Ef Maria hain't got
W - - -tAAAAAF~~ a. ttlG EESA
He pushed on into the Sit;ing-room-
charged with a connubial reprimand-
But a. he opened the door. he stumbled
against something soft and yielding.
yet which sent an unaceountabIe shivcr
from his feet to the very crown Of his
head lie looked down IL was n won-
ans recumbent form With n great
fear at his heart he bent down. turned
the pale, white face 10 the light. then
staggered back. trembling in every
limb. while cold drops stood out upon
his forehead
"Iou-MarIas- he gasped. a. with a
Sudden wild hope he shook the still
form violently. Wake up. Maria
The idea of you agoin' 10 sleep AMI let
ting the turkey get cold in the wen"
No response. The fgur. that had
worn itself out working for Inn lay as
nerveless in his arms Is 4 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 a hoarse. inarticulate cry. fell
back upon the lounge from which he
had recently risen Thanksgiving day.
Al breakfast he thought himself an i'll
used and an unfortunate man.
.Oh. God, On, God.' he moaned
What would I not give 10 have il all
back"
All whate What but Maria - his
wife, the faithful companion of the
tolls. the Joys and the sorrows of
thirty years. What did he care
nov 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 He knew IL now: he 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 III
he had parted from her with a smile
instead of n frown-in kindness rather
than with reproach. the agony of sepa-
ration might be blunted \ little But in
the coming years he must 20 down to
meet old age alone. the memory of his
harshness would veT be singing.
IF | had only known" he cried.
dragging himself upon his knees to her
side once more; IF I had only known
known-what7 IL he had only known
how great his blessings were, in the
possession of his true. tender. patient
faithful wife. But he sel6shly declined
to know; and now the curse of his e,er-
nal deprivation must wi,her him for
ever.