The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-11-29
"Who has been telling father these false


hoods?' she asked.
Nobody told him. Lefty answered.
Everybody keeps away as if we had the
plague and they knew it, We read it in
the paper this morning. Oh, Mahala, it
was such an awful moment!'
"You don't believe it, do you, Letty?"
asked Mahala, scorn in her tones. "You
cont believe it of our Enosl"
"You can read it for yourself, sister, I"
said Lefty, taking a newspaper from lit
tie secretary built into dark corner be-
hind the door after the remarkable fashion
that obtains in most farmhouses. "You
can read it ii you can bear to, Mahala."
"Im not afraid. Lies without any foun-
dation, spiteful hints and innuendoes that
have frightened you ALL 1 feel sure" And
Mahala seized the paper, marched straight
to her room, lit lamp and began to read:
&c Through the efforts of a bright men,
Der of our staff we find ourselves in po-
sition to give the full particulars of the
robbery of the Longtown Savings bank in
advance of any of our contemporaries
Last evening the cashier, Enos Pynchon,
the son of a highly respected resident of
Elmbridge, absconded with all the cash in
the bank and many negotiable papers,
having previously falsif1ed his accounts to
an amount not yet definitely known.
"'He went away, as usual, on his bicy-
Gle, and the facts were not discovered I'M
til next day, when the assistant cashier
entered upon the discharge of his duties.
"'What makes this breach of trust more
painful is that Enos Pynchon was an init
mate friend of the bank president Mr.
Cyrus Percival, and that the sister of the
guilty man, Miss Mahala Pynchon, was
about to be married to Mr.. Edward Perci-
val, the presidents only son. Of course
this engagement is now at an end.
"'Young Mr.. Percival and the worthy
assistant cashier have accompanied the
detectives who are in pursuit of the fugi-
tive"
Mahala had said that she would not be-
Ieve an angel who told her an evil tale Of
her brother, but as she read this column
of the Elmbridge Gazette it had the effect
upon her that anything printed in black
and white has on most people.
SIT is too cruel-too cruelp' she cried,
casting the paper from her and flinging
herself across her bed. "How could heaven
be so cruel to us?''
Thus she lay, dry eyed and feverish, I'M
til the door opened and Lefty came softly
to the bedside and began to remove the
hat which Mahala had forgotten she still
wore.
"Do come to tea, DEAR" the girl pleaded
tearfully. Mother ought to have some
Perhaps you can coax her to take it;
can't" Mahala complied. She kissed her
mother, but they dared not meet each
others eyes
When the meal was done they all sat
about the room and waited until the last
train came in, and though assuredly they
expected nothing they were conscious of a
new despair when it was gone.
The next day Mahala and her parents
sat together in the living room, as people
at sea gather together in the cabin of q
vessel when storm is raging They heard
the church bells ring, and the wheels of
carriages on their way to the Thanksgiv
ing service.
81 shan't never have the face to go to
meeting again, said Mrs. Pynchon. They
were the first words she had spoken since
breakfast time. And again there was 81
lence, for they would not speak Of that of
which their thoughts were full and had no
interest in anything else in the wide, wide
world.
AS the evening train came in Mahala
thought of how she had looked from the
windows of the car the night before, think
ing of her happy home and her lover
thinking herself the happiest girl alive
Now she believed herself to be the most
miserable.
"Light lamp said old Mr.. Pynchon.
eff we cannot rejoice on this Thanksgiv-
ing day, at least we can pray" He took
a Bible from the shelf where it was kept
and opened it and read aloud the psalm he
thought most fitting. Then the women
knelt, each before chair, and the old
man, standing, lifted his voice in prayer
He had intended to make it petition for
mercy, prayer for the sinful and sorrow
full in general, but his heart was too full
and he soon found himself uttering agon-
lied petitions for his poor, lost boy.
He prayed with his hands clasped, his
eyes closed. The sobs of the kneeling wom-
en- filled the room, and some one who had
opened the door Stood one hand on the,
lock, the other on the door jamb, gazing
at the scene with astonished eyes.
so God, have mercy upon my poor,
wandering Enos. Though he has brought
his parents gray hairs with sorrow to the