Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-09-18

upon lue poS USuluu tuo uOoT, ILL .,
Petit, suspending the kettle high IL
air from the operation OF pouring
boiling water upon, the tea, said, IN 9
tone of conviction: ..Ephraim, you've
got a letter from john"
swell, now, / want to know!' sait
Mr. Petit, throwing an appealing
glance around upon an imaginary and
admiring audience, 'If women dom
beat oil I was saving thst letter til
after supper.
eve can Just as we'll have it will
our tea, said Mrs. Petit, pulling the
cosy over the teapot, and leading the
way to the supper table. sJohn must
have something particular to say. We
had letter from him this week."
The two snow crowned heads were
bowed for a moment III simple grace,
and then, as Mrs. Petit poured the
fragrant Hyson into the old-fashioned
china cups. her husband proceeded to
open tho letter.
Not very much, after all. Two
square yellow tickets and one ol
those short notes that are always por-
tentous: .
CHICAGO, ILL.,, June 10th, 1895.
Dear Father and Mother: inclose yor
two round-trip tickets for Chicago, which
expect you TO make use Of right away. Oul
boy is to Ee christened next week, and the
christening can't go on without you. Youl
loving SON, JOHN PETIT.
P. s.-Telegraph me when you start.
j. P.
Mrs. Petit dropped her hands into
her lap with look of blank dismay.
tsWhy, Ephraim, I" she protested, 50
can't CO."
"John wouldu't like IT," said Mr..
Petit, softly, confning his gaze to
careful stirring OF his tea, SITS our
first grandchild, you know"
Involuntarily Mrs. Pettit's gaze
wandered through the open window to
a tiny hillock, which, with its mar
Bile shaft showing dimly through the
twilight, told its own tale of Eleanor,
aged seven"
81 have never left her." she said,
with troubled eyes.
''She would wish it, "said Ephraim,
gently. "John knows all, and he
wishes it. Sixteen years is a long
time for grieving, mother. She is q
grown woman in heaven by this
time"
Nothing more was said after this.
Tie soft darkness of June night be-
gan to fall. The katydids called from
the grasses; huge June bug beat it.
self noisily against the window screen
the COW lowed from the meadow with.
out.
At. last Mrs. Petit pushed aside her
untasted food and said, with pitiful
tremor in her old voice: "We'n 60,
Ephraim. It's wicked of me to be
staying at home grlevlng, and neglect.
ing the loved ones that need me. We
will write to John tonight and tell
him Sc"
Thus it came to pass that few days
later certain train pulling out oi
Wilson's Ferry carried with it quaint
old couple with whom We have to do.
The old gentleman wore his whiskers
after good old country style, and
looked over his silver-bowed glasses
with the most benignant eyes in the
world. AS for the old lady, fellow.
passengers glanced idly upon her, and
then turned to gaze again. Such 9
sweet old face, scanned with added
years and care, but beautiful withal
in its frame of clustering gray curls.
No one smiled at the old-fashioned
bonnet, the long, slender. wasted
black dress, or neatly folded shoulder
shawl. No one seemed to think ol
the oddity OF the black silk mltts with
their short fingers, although they had
not been put on before since Eleanor's
funeral. Every one seemed kindly
interested in the big brown basket
with cover and two handles. Before
the journey ended it had opened wide
its hospitable cover to soothe with
ginger cakes and tarts the cries ol
more than half a dozen travel-worr
babes, and had won the earnest bless,
ings OF as many tired mothers.
Six hours of rumble and noise ant
dust, glimpses of waving green fields
and distant towns, a heeting acquaint
ance with strange faces and Other
lives, good-bys mid youth and laugh
ter and silent good-bys with tears
and the train steamed slowly into Chi
cago.
It seemed to be the final destination
of all humanity. Such crowds of peo
pie, such noise and bustlel But for
tunately the trend OF humanity
seemed in general direction.
Maybe you ought to have tele
graphed, John, as he said to-" re
marked Mrs. Petit, in dubious
voice. "He would have been here t,
meet us"
"s know the way. We've got t,
take the suburban train," said Mr.
Petit, grasping the big carpetsach
with one hand, and parcels. bags ant
the umbrella with the other. "Yol
just keep close to me, Lucy. Tha
suburban train doesn't wait NOR
than five minutes"
Through the big iron gates and ul
The wide stairs, everybody meeting
and greeting everybody else, boy
shouting and cabmen crying thei
iares, and at last open air. That is
not open air like the broad meadow
aud sunny garden plots OF Wilson
Ferry, but open air much like gazing
up from the bottom of good cid
fashioned chimney. so tall were tn