Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-25

N0Uo ~ unoD ~ 1ontonas having
bssn IN his day . 49, - Ne 6rst wAksg.
and much sdaaEsd b. ~ lido; bat b
Wa too modest q ~ - outright bus
1t all events shs vould nos forgivs him
She refused hun ths niniatugs which
had bssn painted fox him: shs tax bach
her iock Of hxis and ssns him hnck his
letters. and in al sorts Of wzys wrsaksd
vengeance upon him Tor his svl do
ing. Yet ! believe she intended 10 TO
lent and forgive. and he also thoaxhf 20,
l am sure. He made every possible
apology and overture. but she yielded
Dot one inch
AT last her mother died. That great
sorrow, II seemed to HIM. must bow her
pride. and she must more than ever need
= comforter. = oonsoler. = protector.
Allowing time for TIN hrss burst Of
grief. he wrote 70 her. asking her TO re-
ply. whatever her fat might be. begging
her To forgive him. and once more PROM
ise 10 DO his wife,
'She never answered me- he said.
"She never gave me one word In reply"
II was on my tongue to say she had
been very vindicsive, but saw that that
would not do. Miss Nancy was sainted
in his memory. aud could DO suspected
Of no wrong whatever.
II erred beyond forgiveness, sweet
angel" he said-'I erred beyond for
giveness;" and Bachelor Barton could
not have been moved from this opinion
by the whisper Of an angel.
''Auntie." cried my little nephew,
'there's something in the crows nest"
was sitting in the garden and the
voice sounded above my head. Hooked
mp with . start. In the road outside
arose tall pole. and from time imme-
mortal great crows nest had crowned
it. How little Billy had managed to
reach its apex cannot say, but there he
was. and speechless with horror could
only implore him, in dumb show, to de-
scend.
He answered with . laugh. flung some
thing to the ground and came sliding
down after It.
'You naughty boyr' I cried, -
caught him in my arms
sits not bit like . nest, auntie," he
said. Its all ugly and muddy. There
were some feathers in it, black, and
there was . dead bird. and there was
that cap-a queer cap. Inever saw such
q funny thing"
He picked from the grass the object
he had cast down. It looked like Q
crushed leather box, and had been melt
ed by the sun and soaked by the rain
until it was shapeless; but it certainly
proved to be queer, old fashioned cap,
with apeak and lined with oiled silk, and
as Billy tossed it about and turned it
inside ont, . square, white package
dropped from some secret spot beneath
this lining. which had kept it from de-
struction adown the years.
Long years they must have besn. for
tho letter had been written before the
days when envelopes were used, was
curiously folded and sealed with large
seal on which was The letter "F." It
was addressed in . delicate, running
hand. to "Alwyn Barton, Esq, The
Oaks" etc. In fact Il had evidently
been intended for the old gentleman we
called Bachslor Barton, and to him I at
once dispatched it with note Of expla-
nation.
His answer wAs request that and
my husband would do him tho honor Of
calling. Is Mr.. Barton was unweu and
there was much to explain. And Of
course we went.
Bachelor Barton, bolstered mp with
pillows, lay upon lounge. pale ~ yell
low wax, his eyes aiming under his gray
brows.
"Dear friends. you have told me that
the letter you sent me was in the lining
! Of an old leather cap in the crows
nest" he said. II remember seeing the
cap thrown away. Miss Frees little
negro servsnt, Cato. wore it. A car
penter who was mending the barn had
sn&tched it and flung 1t in Tho cir. APP
parently it never came down again. 1t
was searched for, snd ! watched the
search from tho window, but never
dreamed that It was In the nest. The
cap was old. Cato had q new one, and
that was the end of Il. But now re-
member that in that oiled silk lining
the boy put any letters with which he
was sent to the postof1ce, in order to
keep them clean. think it was made
with sort Of pocket On purpose, and in
that lining thisletter had started ON its
way to me. when rude Jest ended my
hopes Of happiness for life. Cato forgot
or never told the fact Of its being unde-
livered.
Tho letter, dear friends, was an an
swcr to my prayer for Miss Nancy Frees
pardon--a beautiful, forgiving. angelic
reply. Had I received IL / should have
flown to her. She should have been my
BRIDE These lonely years would have
been gladstone. l might not have been
the last Leaf on . withered branch.
1T was fatsd not to be. trust she
did not sufler also. III fear that Is
possible How discourtceus she must
have deemed me. never dreamed abe
had written. r.
He paused. Tears filed his eyeA
II am sorry" began.
Don't sey you are sorry you found
itr Bachelor Barton cried. "If l was
foolish enough to faint when the truth
burst upsn me. still rejoice. Up there
think she waits for me--there, where
the truth 10 manifest without words;
and thank you---oh, 90 muchF'
We sfaid with him . little longer.
and be talked 10 rs Of Nancy and old
timssA When I lsft him he Kissed my
hand.
He died thaG night. and the letter and
Miss Nancy's miniature repose upon his
bosom. Mary Kyle Dallas in Saturday