The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1896-12-24

|
His wife sat down without remov-
ing her things. and tore open the let.
ter. Before she had read far She be.
gan to cry. The deacon was fright
ened
He ain't sick or Iroihin'. is he:' hs
asked But Mrs. Jones did not 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'wel Jones. do you know what's
happened TO that poor boy Gf 0urn? I'll
tell ye: He had to mortgage every
thing he had last year. bat he wouldn't
let us know it fer fear We'd worry. n
lie hoped he'd have %o0d luck n fetch
Things out aN right CHS year. But
luck was ag'iIsJt him. mn he'd have
lost every blessed thing ef it hadn't
been fer friend tliat fosTnd out the
erouble he WAS inn heipel him cut o
the difficulty n SET HIM right on his
feet. so that he's H.;,'ly to do better'n
ever, he says. Now. who do you s'pOse
that friend was Lem'wel Jones!"
I'm sure l l.aint 10 idce,' said the
! deacon.
i We'll, I'll tell ye.'' said his wife.
'"Twas the man ycu're been quar-
relin' With today. You've had words
with Mr.. Snyder. but he was the very
man that behaved like i father TO our
poor bay, N Henry writes THAT he
said he did it. because he hadn't no
| grIdge ag' inst him, II he uSel to think
you one o his best friends, N he was
willin' to do it fer the sake of Old
times. l don't know but Mr.. Snyders
Ito blame for the trouble between you
| jest as much as YOU be. but I'm goin'
riglrt back TO Mis- Williams to thank
him fer helPin' my boy, n tell him
that | Shall never forgit it. To think
of what would have happened to Hen
ry of t hadn't been fer him! 1 don't
see how you can feel hard lords him
after you read that letter An to
| tllrink that he never let ON that he'd
done anything! I'll warrant you'd ha'
! twftted him about 1T if you'd been in
his place N he in yCsrrn.' and Mrs.
Jones wiped her eyes and took her de-
| partuwe.
Deacon Jones took up the letter and
sat down by the fire to read it. AS
he dii so, and the knowledge of his
onl onemy's Kindness to the boy so far
away from home AMI in sore trouble
became clear to him. BITTER and angry
Thoughts began to die away For the
sake OF cd times. How he remem-
bered the days when he and John Sny-
der had been the best CT friends! The
memory of thom seemed to burst the
food gates Of resentment and SWEEP
down upon him in Il mighty torrent
that overwhelmed Trim. Could he have
done what his enemy had?
He sat there and Thought it all over;
and as he did so. it seemed as If the
spirit of the Christmas season came in
to his heart and took possession of it,
and drove out the old. bFtter thoughts
Deacon Jones loved the boy who had
been befriended as he loved NO one
else OH earth. and the kindness done
him by the man with whom he had so
long been at enmity broke down the
fences of hatred that had kept them
apart.
I've been an CID fOCl!' he said.
What if we didn't see alike! That
wds no reason why we should hate
each CHER I've been Ashamed OF it
mcre'n Cnce. though l don't believe l
ever adnJitted to myself. 1t amt
Christian to fed so to'ri a brother in
the Church, as M'lindy's said time'n
ag'in, n I've kmcw'd it all along; but
j lei The devil into my heart, n
there he's staid; but''-ard there was
lock Cf grim determination ON the dea-
cGn's face as he slid it-"hes got to
get out. l ain't gOin' to lrcitd a grrldge
against a man that's helped my boy
when he hadn't Il friend TO look to.
Ell he'll drop the old diffikilty, l WILL
Tire deason hearl the sound of voices
in the road. He locked out Mrs.
Jones was shaking hands with Mr..
Snyder at the gate.
Now or neyUr.' he stid with
resolute LOOK on his face as he opened
the door and stepped out. 1t cost him
Il great effort to do what he did, but
he was not the man to put his hand
to the plcw and look back.
Hello he said out Mr.. Snyder
anu Mrs. Jones looked that way in
great surprise. IL don't know what
you think about it. but III like to be
friends again." he said I'm within
to let bysoneS be bygOnes if you be.
'TTin't right to not be friends sence
Eve found out what you've done for
Henry"
He was halfway down the path as
he said this. Mr.. Snyder didn't wait
for irim to reach rhe gate, but met
him inside it with Outstretdhed hands.
''Flien,ls it shall be, then" he said,
AMI his face lr!l glad look on it.
ITS high time we quit Om foolish
ness. reckon. I've been sorry for it.
but 1 was too contrary to say So"
''Stume here said the deacon. as he
grasped Mr.. Snyler's hand in grip
itilat made lrim vince. Il can't tel |
you how much Obleeged l am fer what |
you've done fer my boy
Don't menlion it, said Mr.. Sny- |
der. You'd have done the same for |
one o my boys. if I'd had any an
they needed help. l know you would"
Il dunno bout th.ut,'' said the dea- |
con. Il guess l feel a gruIge mcre'n
you do"
"No you don't! No you don't!' said |
Mr.. Snyder. allowing the deacon to |
pull him. not unwf.lngly. into the
house Il like this! Its something |
IKE Christmas, amt ft?''
Mrs. Jcles hal stepped at the gate to
Sn.Iisirten out n.:lllters with herself
Was she drealEing? Was She crazy,
Or-hld the 'merricle' of whose pos
siblity she had had grave doubts,
really taken pace?
Wall, l Iec.ulre.' She said, and She
could go no farther. 1t seemed too
good to be possible. Just then the