The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1893-03-31


Examination and battle. He had little
faith In drugs mud nursing and pro.
fessionol skill: he remembered that
upon previous occasion. cures had
been wrought by means of money;
teeth had been brought through. tho
panrs OF collie beruiied. and numerous
other ailments to which infancy Is
heir had by tho same specific been
baffled. So now old Growly set about
wooing his little boy from tile en-
brace OF deatb-soupht to coax him
back to health with money. and the
dimes became dollars. and the tin
bank was like to burst of fullness.
But little Abel dropped and dropped,
and he lost all interest in other
things. and he was content to lie,
drooping-cyed and listless, in his
mothers arms all day. At last tho
little flame went out with hardly so
much us futter and tho hope of the
house of Dunklee was dissipated for
ever. But even in those last moments
of the little cripp!e's suffering the
father struggled to call back tho old
look into the fading eyes and the old
smile into the dear, white face. He
brought treasures from his vaults
ana held 1t up before those fnding
eyes and promised 1t all, all, all
everything he possessed = gold,
houses, lands-all he had he would
give to that little child II that little
child would only live. But the fad
ing eyes saw other things and the
ears that were deaf to the old mans
lamentations heard voices that
soothed the anguish OF that last
solemn hour And so little Abel
knew the mystery.
Then the old man crept away from
that vestige of his love and stood
alone in the night and lifted up his
face and beat his bosom and moancd
at the stars, asking over and over
again why he had been so bercaved,
and while he agonized in this wise
and cried there came to him voice
"a voice SO small that none else
could hear; voice seemingly from
God, for from infinite space beyond
those stars it sped its instantaneous
way to the old mans soul and lodged
there.
"Abel. have touched tbv bcars,n
And so. COMING into the darl,ncss
of night. old Dunklee wen. hack into
the liyht of dnv and fopnd life he,u-
,iful. for the touch was In his heart.
After that. Old Growly's way of
dealing with tho world clangad He
had always been nm honest man
honest as the world goes. But now
he was somewhat better than honest;
he was kind. considernte. msrciful
People saw and felt the chance and
they knew WHY Il was so Rut Tho
pathetic part II all was that Old
Growly would mover odmit-po M,
even 10 himself-tbat he WINS The
least changed from his old grinding
hard self. Tho good doods bo aid
were not his own: they were his little
boy's-at least so he said. And /,
was his within when doing some kind
and tender thing to lay it TO little
Abel, OF whom he always spoke as il
he were still living. His worltmcn.
his neighbors, his townsmcn-all
alike felt the graciousness of the
wondrous change, and many, nh.
many lowly sufferer blessed iha,
broken old man for succor In
little Abcl's name And the old man
was indeed much broken: not ,ha,
he had parted with his shrcwdness
and acumen. Tor us of old his every ven.
turc prospercd; but in this particular
his mind seemed weakened; that as |
have said. he fancicd his child lived.
that he was given to low mu,,erings
ana incoheront mumblings Of which
the burden seemed to be that child Of
his. and that his greatest pleasure
appeared now 70 be watching other
! little one. nt their play. In fact. 80