The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-12-31

was building a fire, but his face
looked as if a fire was quite unnec-
essary. lie Looked hot aud he fsH SO.
His wife sat down without remoy-
ing her things, and tore open the
letter. Before she had read far she
began to cry. The deacon was fright
ened.
He amt sick or nothin', is he %
he asked. But Mrs. Jones didn't
answer. She kept ON reading and
crying. When she had finished the
letter, she turned to the deacon and
looked him straight in the face.
"Lem' vel Jones, do you know
what's happened to that poor boy Of
our'n? pll tell ye: He had to
mortgage everything he had last
year, but he wouldn't let us know it
fer fear we'd worry, m he hoped
he'd have good luck Pm fetch things
out all right this year. But luck
was ag'nst him, M he'd have lost
every blessed thing eff it hadn't been
fer a friend that found out the trou-
BILE he was in m helped him out o.
the difficulty M set him right on
his feet, 81 that he's likely to do
better'n ever, he says. Now, who dc
20 s'pose that friend was, Lem'wel
Jones ?"
"I'm sure | hain't no idee, said
the deacon.
"Well, I'll tell ye," said his wife.
"'Twas the man you've been omar
relin' with to-day. You've had
words with Mr.. Snyder, but he was
the very man hat behaved like a
father to u poor boy, m Henry
writes that he said he did it because
he hadn't no grudge ag'inst him, M
he used to think you one O. his best
friends, m he was willin' to do it
fer the sake of old times. 1 don'4
know but Mr.. Snyder's to blame for
the trouble between you jest as much
as you be, but Pm goin' right back
to Mis- Williams's to thank him fer
helpin' my boy, m tell him that L
shan't never forgit it. To think of
what would have happened to Henry
eft It hadn't ha' been fer him! Idon't
see how you a feel hard lords him
after you read that letter. An to
' think that he never let on that he'd
' done anythingl Ill warrant you'd
ha' twitted him about it if you'd
\ been in his place m he in y%ourn,"
( and Mrs. Jones wiped her eyes again
! and took her departure.
b Deacon Jones took up the letter
and sat down by the fire to read it.
AS he did so, and the knowledge of
t his old enemy's kindness to the boy
+ so far away from home and in such
sore trouble became clear to him,
bitter and angry thoughts began to
die away. For the sake of old times
n How he remembered the days when
d he and John Snyder had been the
O best of friends! The memorv Of
it them seemed to burst the hood-gates
Ie of resentment and sweep down upon
It him in a mighty torrent that over.
whelmed him. Could he have done
1t what his enemy had ?
,e He sat there and thought it al
over; and as he did so, it seemed a,
1T if the spirit of the Christmas season
n came into his heart and took posses
sion of it, and drove out the old
bitter thoughts. Deacon Jones love,
e. the boy who had been befriended a
he loved no one else on earth, an,
i'd the kindness done him by the ma
'y with whom he had so long been a
:" enmity, broke down the fences O
lg hatred that had kept them apart.
u GIVE been an old foolr" he said
as "What If we didr't see alike! Tha
ne was no reason ~ we should hat
each other. I've been ashamed of
I'd more N once, though l don't believ
he l ever admitted it to myself. 1t ain
Christian to feel so to'rd a brothe
a in the church, as M'lindy IS sal
re time N ag'in, N I've knowed it al
along; butt let the devil into m
i'd heart, N there he staid; butt
as and there was a lot .}of grim deter
lg mination on the deacon's face as h
said it-"he's got to get out. 1 ain
rs goin' to hold a grudge against a ma
I'll that g helped my boy when h
hadn't a friend to look to. Eff Ae'
1t. drop the old difikilty, I will"
n The deacon heard the sound q
IN voices in the road. He looked out
in Mrs. Jones was shaking hands wit
Mr.. Snyder at the gate.
id ''Now or never!" he said, with
It. r%esolute look on his face as h
ct opened the door and stepped out.
Ill cost him a great effort to do what h
did, but he was not the man to pu
n his hand to the pillow and look back
as "Hello!" he sang out. Mr.. Snyde
he and Mrs. Jones looked that way i
tie great surprise. Ell don't kno,
er what yow think about it, but I'd lik
* to be friends again." he said. ..I'n
m willin' to let bygones be bygones j
n SaW be. III amt right to not b
r frienS& sence I've found out wha
you've dane for Henry"
it He was half way down the pat]
as he said this. Mr.. Snyder didn'
t. wait for him to reach the gate, bu
le met him irsi,e it wigh outsG etched
hands. bSMs -.
re >@Eriends it shall be, Them" b,
o. said, and his face had a glad look il