The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-06-14

/ injury. Each emitted short but pregnant
remark.
| Father-what What Destroyed Mr.
Bigelow's paper How could you do such {
thoughtless thing? And he hadnt read il
yet! Really, William, don't know how yot
| can explain it to him. Most awkward Mos
! awkward 10
Mother (dolefully)-Dear Dear! And tt
think that lay awake all night and tortured
myself about it when it was burned up all the
time! If you had only gone to the cupboard
under the bookshelves Willie! You know
very well that I always keep the old papers
piled up there"
| Jack-Tt isn't likely Billy will take an extra
| step if he can help himself"
| Charlie-Speaking Of helping himself"
wish you would be good enough to leave my
| socks alone, Billy; / never have decent pair.
I got six new pairs the other day, and /
| haven't one in my drawer this week. F."
Walter-And my collars Just because
our necks happen to be the same size is no
excuse for your cribbing every blessed collar
of mine as fast as it comes up from the wash.
I'll collar you if you do it again"
Fred-Oh, that's mere trife to Billy
He calls it borrowing. That reminds me that
L haven't seen the double of that little name
sake lent you the other day, Bill. l may
need it if father insists upon turning me out
of the house.
Amy-Oh, dear! Everybody's so cross
it's all because you burned that old paper,
and insisted upon coming down and upsetting
US all by telling all about it. l think you
mightn't have been so unkind think you
might have had little tact, Willie, and kept
it to YOURSELF do"
Bless my soul ! If didn't cover down as
cakes, expecting to receive a blow from his
black fist
But fortunately Fred's sly dig at father
turned the attention of the public from me for
season. Father twisted about in his chair,
and glared at his youngest with q savageness
j have never before seen in his kind old face.
You are carrying in your mind all this time,
| trust, my dear aunt the mild and affection
ate disposition of that father of mine Ah!
but beware the fury of a patient mani"
1T would be a good medicine for you" !"
he growled like the father bear in the fairy
tale. Perhaps if you had to shift for your
self, as did at your age you would appreci-
ate the advantages and Injuries l have pur-
chased for you with long life of labor-and
which you take without word Of thanks or
thought of gratitude
Gratitude :" echoed Fred with exasperat-
ing sang froid-they say Fred is very like me
in that / don't consider myself indebted.
consider that you owe it to me.n
Many fathers, " said ours, growing rigid
with rage would not want any more ground
for turning son loose at once, sir"
Very well, sir" said Fred, folding his
napkin. am quite ready to go. Wilson,
bring my portmanteau up to my room at once.
You'll find it in the trunk ROOM"
Freddie Freddie :" burst in chorus
from mother and Amy, both leaping from
their chairs to detain him. Father turned on
them with command to keep their seats, :"
after the manner of theater manager in a
panic-and they sank back again timidly,
quelled by the look in his eyes, and burst into
tears.
Fred left the room jauntily. Walter soon
precipitated himself after him. The rest dis
persed by degrees in utter silence, and finally
1 too pushed back MY chair, and left father
sitting alone at the table, savagely peppering
his coffee.
/ shall never forget the next half hour. I
stood warming my coattails all alone in the
sitting room. The house was drearily quiet.
l could hear Fred humping things about in
his room overhead. l thought l could hear a
faint sound of sebbing from another direction.
Midget shrunk from room to room with his
tail between his legs, and stopped on the
threshold to look in at me with woe-begone,
reproachful gaze, as if to say, I" How could
you do if, Billy?"
Finally father came into the hall and took
his overcoat from the rack. As he shrugged
his arms into the sleeves he stepped to the
door and looked in at me like Midget. His
face was so haggard and hard and old, and
his voice so harsh, that | should never have
recognized them.
''I / am going over to Mr.. Bigelow's," " he
said sepulchralIy. "This thing must be end
ed-something must be done !"
AS he spoke he thrust his hand mechanic
ally into his coat pocket. As it came in con-
tact with Something there, and as he drew
that Something out and held it before him,
staring yacantly at it, change came over his
face marvellous to watch.
All its hard lines fell away, as the solid
outlines of burned log suddenly fall into
ashes His hand shook so that the paper rat
tled-for it was The Paper-and his face and
features were so agitated that feared they
were about to become totally disintegrated.
eli! Presto - L cried in amazement.
''Its the--it's the evening paper" he
suffered. 81 p-put it there last night,
ready to t-take b-back the first thing before
b-breakfast | forgot it u
And so saying he suddenly sat down in a
chair and dropped his face in his hands and
burst into tears.
This my dear aunt, is the true version of
the conflict. OF course you will guess that
Fred did not go away. He had only got as
far as the station. The storm had blocked
the road, and no trains were going out; and
he was having pretty cold and dOleful time
of it when brought the news that father was
sick, and he must return at once.
You can fancy how the family crowded
about father. / had artfully decoyed him on
to sofa, and he looked truly ILL, stretched
out with an afghan over him. / explained
that he had had a chill and stroke-Of what,
l did not say-and his poor old face, peering
out over the afghan, looked SO desolate with
the tears streaming down it that the family
voice was lifted in alarmed sympathy
How we petted him How Fred bawled
over him, and how he bawled over Fred
And how we all kissed each other and shook
hands again and again We never allude to
the incident of the paper. Indeed, we never
mentioned word of the whole affair outside
our own walls, and yet the village was ring
ing the next day with the scandal-how Fred
insulted father (some went further and de-
clared that he had disgraeed the family name
by some wild misdeed or other); how father
drove him from home with horsewhip; how
| pursued him and brought him back at the
point of revolver; and so forth, dd hbitum.
1t is needless to go on; as doubtless the story