The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-09-19

the savings of many long days OF toll
and privation. Out of the hoard the
husband and father, too, must be well
clothed and provided with railway
ticket. He had added but little to
the fund, possibly five dollars in all
but then he was the husband and
father. Mrs, Tarsney was afraid of
banks, and so the slowly growing
hoard was kept in the old pewter
sugar bowl.
at won't be so very long now, i" the
poor woman said, hopefully, and then
a paroxysm of coughing shook her.
my dollar day will count up pretty
fast, and Johnny and Jimmy will
make great deal while grapes last.
Lyman Tarsuey lay awake all night
long, torn by doubts and indecision.
He believed he loved his little flock.
He would have done right by them
long ago, he told himself, if only some
thing had turned up to give him
chance to do so. The something for
which he had SO patiently waited had
been long time in turning up. But
now, he thought, the opportunity had
come he had his chance at last.
just as the first faint gray was Creep
ing up in the east, Lyman Tarsney
arose from beside his sleeping wife
and stole the battered old pewter
sugar-bowl and its contents, every
penny of which represented 80 much
of patient self-denial, of toll and pri-
walton.
AS he skunk through the room Mrs.
Tarsney, disturbed by some slight
noise that he made, stirred uneasily
and coughed in her sleep, and the
wretched man paused suddenly, as if
a reproachful voice had called to him.
But the poor woman did not awaken,
and he crept out of the house with the
precious hoard in his clutch.
He started to slink rapidly away,
and then stopped, he knew not why.
The gray of the early morning hung
over the sleeping earth and dimmed
the stars, fading slowly before the
coming day. Soft sounds of the pass
ing night were borne to his ears with
seemingly unaccustomed clearness.
1t would be train time in o few min
utes. Tarsney took two or three
slouching steps toward the gate, and
then stopped again. The patient wife
and mother, the little flock of white
heads-how terribly they would be
cast down when they discovered the
loss Their grief
But was he not acting for the best,
doing the best for them? he asked
himself. 1t would not be for long,
and then he would come back with a
much greater sum of money than he
had taken away. He would make it
all up to them then, and they would
all go back to the old home State.
Still he did not go on. He turned
and crept cautiously to the window,
left open for the admission of the
breeze. The loom was wrapped in
darkness.
He could hear the regular breath
ing of its sleeping inmates, Mrs.
Tarsney coughed again feebly in her
sleep. Disturbed by the sound, one
of the little white heads in the trun.
dle-bed almost beneath the window
stirred uneasily and murmured,
"Poppy!"
Lyman Tarsney clutched the win
dow-sill, and then there came the
long-drawn, far-off whistle of the east
bound train, admonishing him that he
had but just time to reach the station.
He turned and slouched quickly to
the rickety, alf-hingeless gate, then
paused with his hand on its top. The
little white heads murmured 'Pop-
pyl" seemed still sounding in his
ears.
He stood there for little while,
then his hand dropped from the top
OF the gate and he looked up at the
far, far-off, fading stars in the grazing
sky-looked up helplessly, dumbly for
little time, and in that time he knew
himself for what he was.
He saw his utter worthlessness. The
cruel, criminal neglect of years was
made as clear to him as ifa great voice
had shouted the truth in his ears.
Lyman Tarsney gasped, barred his
head and stood up straight beneath
the stars.
Therumble of the approaching train
grew louder and louder, but the man
turned and tiptoed into the house, and
replaced the battered old pewter sugar
bowl in the little cupboard beside the
chimney,
When the rest of the family awoke
with the coming of the sun, the hus.
band and father was sleeping as
soundly as any of the white heads had
slept. The frugal breakfast was kept
waiting for him as he slept on, and the
clamor of the white heads was hushed
Poppy was sleeping. A goodly part
of the forenoon had slipped away be-
fore he awoke.
81 dunno but you ought to have
walked me sooner" he said TO his wife,
in a half-shamefaced way. 'I'm goin'
to work to-day. I've been thinkin'
about-wal, if we're goin' east we've
got to work. I-er-you don't need
to take that washin' from the hotel,
Marthy. You'd better rest--Pm goin
to work.
And he worked that day and foI
many days thereafter worked with a
zeal and faithfulness all the more
marked because of his idleness o
many a day before.
, If there was any touch of heroisu
, in this, think it was augmented by