The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-20

light shone through. A little boy was born
TO u.s. and was saved And the weather
suned such an expression of beneficence
as | could scarcely have believed 1t capa Bile.
"'how / nursed her. and him. said he.
AN. He who has not felt the joys of pa
ternity intensified. as this was by the relief
IL brought, does not know the full capa bill
ties of the human heart. But
the sweetest joys the heart knows
are often like the sweetest flowers. Amid
their enticinQ fragrance q serpent often
lies cOiled. and q skeleton stands there in
visible. Jennie was never very strong
afterwara. Infant jamie was the silken
thread that neutralized all of the COM
plants of her family. in tact. / think.
stopped them at least for a time. and
better. more friendly feeling reIgned. and
as between Jennie and me, | think she
ceased TO think me ugly. In the course OF
the next ten years we had Ey economy and
industry acquired some property, and Jen-
MES grandfather dying. she Inherited
farm from him. And so by one means and
another life had n brighter prospect tor US,
and we were setting great store on the
future. But it seems though it was TO
make the pain the sharper and the grief
deeper and more heartrending. that these
joys had been given US. On ar
irving home from my work one day l
found orr little jamie dead. and his mother
insensible from the shock. He had been
drowned while playing ON the banks of
the lake,
The old man was here quite overcome.
His voice saueaked and his frame shook
with the violence of his emotions Then he
took from an inside breast pocket photo
graph. gaZed at II lntently for moment,
kissed it with sad tenderness and then
handed it TO ME. placed his handkerchief to
his face and shook cOnyulsively for some
minutes. The picture was OF q tine, manly
looking boy about eight OF nine years of
age. and at the bottom was written jamie
After calming himself he continued. slowly:
Il can't tell you oil, but Jennie finally re-
covered and troubles came OH apace. Dur
ing the period of our Joys her brothers be-
came quite reconciied to me; in fact, so
much 30 that we went to the State OF KAN
sas and went into business together, the
eldest, Henry, having charge and / return
ing home. During the course of a few years
most of our property was Teinvested in and
about the town OF w, III Kansas. with
brother-in-law Henry in charge. | owned
"a hotel, butcher-shop, store building
and a farm. These were rented anu Henry
collected the rents for me. In the mean
time some other ventures having miscar-
ried, this property was all that remained TO
MS Jennie's health was not OF the best.
She seemed To have no especial ailment.
except that she was not strong, and L my
self was not robust.
About this time we received word that
brother-in-law Henry had sold all our
property in W and had given possession
and the price scarcely one-fifth of what the
property was worth. L immediately de-
nounced IL. in most unmeasured terms, as
a swindle and without my authority, and
refused TO execute any papers connected
with it, and made demand for the poses
sion of the property. This was defantly
refused.
"'How much time had been gwen in
which to make payment for the prOpertyp
asked.
mans one eye flashed, and the glass eye
glared. i will be dead before that time:
yes, and long before he continued, and
then what will become of Jennieg went
to local lawyers and they brought suit. and
suit has been brought against me, TO
Quire me TO make a deed. NV lawyers
have continued and delayed the cases and
given me such little satisfaction as leaves
me in horrible doubt, and if l lose this
property. crippled as | am. and jennie Ill
and feeble she is, my God; what 70
become of usW and his voice slipped into
the falsetto in his dispair. Now, what do
You think, and what can You do for us!
I3 there any chance tor us! This may not
he much TO you. but 1t means lire or death
to me- something for Jennie all without
giving ME chance to reply TO one OF his
many questions.
II soothed him as best could, and after
questioning, discovered that he had given
no written authority to his brOther-In- law,
".
had nevertheless entered into written
contract of sale with the parties. and had
given possession. Here. then. were some
nice legal points, and probably greater con-
fiict as to what the various witnesses would
swear To. To my mind it was clear that
there was q deep-laid scheme to swlndle the
old man ont of tho property, and that It
would ultimately come into the hands of
brother-in-law Henry. But if they would
swindio they uould lie. and in all proba-
Ia
became necessary ii the exlgency de-
not live long. and if the cases
could be delayed from time TO time. there
would be no necessity for perjury, as death
would come TO their aid. But how to meet
this, how To overcome their chicanery and
trickery, how TO prove what / was con-
WINGED was the truth. was the question. |
gave him enccuragement, and 1 bade him
To be of good cheer. After laying our plans
best we could. he departed Ior W,
having arranged to wire me when he came.
and the steps that should be taken in the
meantime looking to successful issue.
1t was only few days afterwards that
received the expected message, aud in-
mediately took the train for w. The
old man was at the station to meet me. al
though he came on clutches. whereas, when
last So him. he used only a cane. Upon
inquiry | discovered that another mis-
fortune had overtaken him, tho hand that
QaQ DeeD pOultlceO anu DoDuhgcO W0en L
last saw him had a blood poisoning. occa-
stoned by getting some red lead into q
wound produced by q hammer stroke.
AS though this was not enough, % few
days prior to my visit. q scaffold had fallen
on his foot driving rusty, protruding
spike nearly through 1t, making very pain
full and ugly wOund. Into this. the venom Of
poison. bad also crcpt. and it was DOW
swollen much worse than the hand, and
was. IN its turn. covered with pouitice and
bandage. IL must have been very painful,
for he could not bear TO touch 1t TO the
ground. His face now bore marks of suf-
fering. and he seemed ten years older than
when last saw him. lie scarcely men,
toned his physical condition, however.
and indeed seemed unmindful of the pain
he was suffering. Can you give mo any
news about my case; L am so anxious and
worried about IL, were his first words, aud
he was all excitement. PoOl man. now
pItied him. and surely it would be a hard
heart that would not have softened at the
sight of that crippled old man. weather.
beaten, ugly, repulsive, the ills of
nature threatening him. Yea. racking him
- perhaps reaching to succor him. the
schemes of men overwhelming hImi As L
gazed on him then l thought, can that old
storm-riven hulk have a soul, like the sea,
with it's storms and calmss Can that be
the habitation of a heart capable of love
and hate. OF hope and joyf Without hav-
ing my thoughts answered, / pItied him.
He took me to his lodgings. talking over,
on the way. again and again every detail of
his case. he hobbied along. He mad
rooms at a small country hotel, on the
clean and tidy with white walls and o rag
carpet.
This is Jennie said he, in al introduce
tory way, entered. n small. pale