Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-07-09

Each charged the loss upon the
earelessness of the other, and a quar-
rel followed. If not the first. by fa
the most bitter they had ever known
and in this quarrel words had been
said on both sides which neither
would forget. If there had been chill
dren to stretch soft hands across the
breach and draw them together again
bv these 1t might have been different.
As 1t was, they had come TO believe
that there was no healing. But long
each brooded over the stranger chill
dren's unconscious words, and the
mockery OF the happiness that they
thought was here And as they brood
ed the more each longed that this
were true.
But neither would move one inch 20
ward making ii so.
AS the days went by Mrs. Morrison
grew TO love the voices of the little
strangers, which, if untutored, were
yet sweet and full of childhood's
music. Perhaps her husband con-
sented the more readily TO her pro-
posal that they should be kept another
two weeks because he dreaded. as she
did, the return to the gloomy silence
OF the house, broken only by the cold
! words that their mutual interests die
tated. However this may have been,
her heart was breaking with new
consciousness of the sin and the sor-
row of the estrangement. AS she had
never prayed before, she prayed for
pardon and sweet peace, If the old love
might not return. But as she looked
into the face of her husband, with
its stern lines and its cold eyes, hope
died within her.
But the children had peeped behind
his mask; they knew that he had a
heart; they now and then made him
laugh and talk. What strange force
held his wife that she listened to the
merry tones with JOY that he could
utter them, even if she had not power
to call them forth?
And so the days went on, until the
last morning came. That afternoon
Nan and Nell and Jakey were to re-
turn to the city. Mr.. Morrison was
sitting at the breakfast table still with
time tables before him, looking up
trains and connections, when Jakey
limped in; Jakey always would limp,
for, two years before, a cart had run
over his leg and broken it. But. for
all his uneven step, he came up quick
ly to Mr.. Morrison.
Jus see what found up in the hay
mow," he began. They let me feed
the cows, yer know; an this mornin'
z l took up an armful er hay, JUS
2 wuz a-goin' to shove it down ter
Brindle, somethin' catched my eye
an here it is"
He laid down before Mr.. Morrison
the long-lost pocketbook.
II thought it must belong ter you, "
he said. See, it's all scratched up
an full er hayseed; but l kinder think
yer'll like what's inside. l haint
touched it, but l JUS peeped in, yer
know" And the city boys eyes twin
killed. keenly as he stood looking on.
Dumb with shame and joy, Mr.. Nor
rison opened the book. Yes, there
were his two hundred dollars intact.
At last, with kind word of thanks,
he sent Jakey off to play. And then
he called his wife. Something in his
tone quickened her steps.
He rose and went forward TO her as
she came into the room.
"See here, Anna" he said. 1T was
all my own doing-my own careless
ness. / dropped it in the hay, and for
got even that l had run up to look
at this. All these three years has the
fresh hay been thrown in on top of ii.
1t has been all my fault from the
first, Anna. Can you forgive me, my
wife,"
But as the last words were uttered
she was sobbing in his arms and con-
Tossing her own hardness of heart and
her suffering.
1t was half an hour afterward as
they were seated side by side that she
asked him if Jakey had known what
was in the pocketbook. AS he told
her the boys words she looked into
his face eagerly and uttered the
thought that would have its way
Henry" she said, don't let us throw
away our blessings; don't let us send
those children back TO their misery
Let us keep them with us and send
them to school and teach them to be
good citizens. They have brought back
heaven to us; let us give them a
! little something good of earth"
1t proved easy to carry out this
purpose, for their father had been sent
to prison for drunkenness and as
sault, and the children were thus
thrown upon the society that had sent
them TO the farmhouse.
But this was not the way in which
Jakey viewed the matter.
"I'll tell yer what" he confded to
Nan and Nell "the only thing what
made me think p'raps this wuzn't
heaven wuz cos we had ter go back
n when yer git to heaven yer don
have ter; n now, yer see, we don't
n"
M so tbs heaven" cried the Others
in chorus. I'VE knowed 1t! we
knowed it,
Mr.. Morrison did not wonder when
the following week, his wife reciteo
her verse in the prayer-meeting, thai
II was:
BE not forpetful 10 entertain stran