The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-12-03

| grees her sobbing ceased. The effort
she had made had been great one, and
/, her soul was terribly sore from the
effects of it, but She had saved her hus-
. band from abusing himself and sinking
his dignity, and she was satisfied. OF
course she had saved him from all ex-
! pense on Mary's account and kept that
much more money for herself, but that
would not count for anything with such
a noble soul as that of the angelic Sarah.
Hiram" she said when she had rot
her feelings sufficiently under control
to be able to cease her tears and sobs.
Il hope | have not said too much.
am sorry that Your daughter cannot oc-
cupy the place in your heart that 4 child
should occupy in the heart OF parent,
and know would be the last person
to aid in estranging You from her. Per-
haps | have said too much. but have
yorr good SO deeply at heart that /
couldn't help saying what did. It was
all for the sake of your loving. generous
SELF
Il know that, Sarah. | do not mis-
understand you. / know how it pains
you to have to say such things, but you
feel it to be your duty, and you do it
thank you, my dear wife, with all nv
heart, for your disintercsted mindful
ness of me. Let us now drop the sub
ject and try to forget it. 1t is not right
that You should al.lict yourself with
thoughts of one who is so far beneath
You in point Of goodness, and / will try
and think Of her with as much charity
rs possible. It is sad thing to feel the
ingratitudc Of ones own flesh and
blood-a sad thing to be parent
spurned by the child for whom have
done SD much. But can live over it,
Sarah, and perhaps IN time forget.
There. we will say no more about it."
The good Sarah was quite willing to
let the subject rest, since she had
gained her point. Dinner being ut
that moment announced, Sic went out
and took her place at the head Of the
table, from which position she beamcd
smiles of love and tender sympathy on
the old fool, her husband, who sat OPP
positc her nursing his nartyred soul.
Not once, as he sat at that board
laden with a supcrabuadancc of the
choicest viands, did old Blatchford feel
a tinge of pity for his poor daughter,
who was an outcast from home, a
stranger in a Orange land, denied
even the food necessary to stay the
pangs of hunger. And yet he condoled
himself and imagined that he had n
wounded heart; he, a man who was as
void of heart as the veriest flint.
A week or So after the incident de-
scribed Sarah came to Hiram with a
letter from an adjoining state. in which
letter she was informed of the death of
a married sister. Her sister had left
three children. and Sarah's tender
heart prompted her to take them and
care for them if Hiram wasn't avcrsc
to it.
Bring them right along" Hiram
said; 1--WE have plenty and they must
not suffer. Send for them at once
All! old man, where was your con-
science, your sense of right, that it did
not prick you when You thus opened
your home to a horde of strangers, and
admitted them to the place that be-
longed to one who needed it morco
Where was your good angel that it did
not whisper to you of the sorrow and
trouble, the foundation of which you
that moment laid with your own hand.
Bitter, bitter will be the regrets follow
ing that act. old man. and though they
may follow at a long distance, they will
surely follow, and terrible will be their
weight when ut last they come
The orphans were duly installed in
Blatchford's house, and by him were
educated and supported. The eldest, 4
boy named Harry, was taken into the
bank, and of him we shall hear more
later on, as he figures quite extensively
in this history, which would probably
be less sad if it were less true.