Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-31

~ MuOys IN 8UlR NOME. hVo coA
come with me, or stay n t1cc q hand
In abusin' me Jest as you drink best"
And the angry deacon strobe out Of
| the room, banging the door behind
him. Mr.. Winisms followed him into
the h02l and tried to prevent him 60
ing, but he was Obdurate. Go he would
and go he did, leaving poor Mrs. Jones
| to follow ut her leisure.
II knew how 'twould be-" she said
as she wiped her eyes as she babe Mrs
Williams goodbye. II aiut q mite
s'pridse MT the way IT'S turned out.
sh'd ha' been dreuful disappointed ef
t hadn't happened"
Just as she reached the gate OF her
home q neighbor drove up and called
out uhat he had letter for her.
"From Henry, reckon" he said.
"M's from DakOty, anyway"
Mrs. Jones took the long loOked-for
letter and ran into the house with
eager impotence to find out what her
boy had TO write. The deacon was
budding a fire, but his face looked as
II fire was quite unnecessary. He
looked hot and he felt 50.
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 amt sick or n0thin', is hep" he
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 of our'n? I'll
tell We: He had to mortgage every
thing he had last year, but he wouldn't
let us know 1t fer fear we'd worry, n
he hoped he'd have good luck N fetch
things out all right this year. But
luck was ag'fnst him, mn he'd have
lost every blessed thing eff 1t hadn't
been fer a friend tlrat found out the
trouble he was INN helped him out o.
the difficulty N set him right on his
feet, so than he's likely to do better'n
ever, he says. Now, who do you s'pose
that friend was, Lem'wel JonesY
'I'm sure haint no ddee," said the
deacon.
"Well, I'll tell ye," said his Wife.
'"Twas the man you're been quar-
relin' with to-day. You've had words
with Mr.. Snyder, but he was the very
man that behaved like father to our
poor bay, N Henry writes that he
said he did it, because he hadn't no
grudge against him, n he used to thdnk
you one o. his best friends, N ne was
within to do it fer the sake OF old
times. l don't know burt Mr.. Snyder's
TO blame for the trouble between you
jest as much as you be, but I'm goin'
right back to Mis- Williams to thank
him fer helpin' my boy, N tel him
that shall never forgit it. To think
OF what would have happened to Hen
ry Of t hadn't been fer him! l don't
see how you can feel hard lords him
after you read that letter. An to
think that he never let ON that he'd
done anything! I'll warrant you'd ha'
twdtted him about it II you'd been in
his place N he in yourn," and Mrs.
Jones wiped her eyes and took her de-
parture.
Deacon Jones took up the letter and
sat down by the fire to read it. AS
he did so, and the knowledge of his
Old enemy's kindness to the boy so far
away from home and in sore trouble
became clear to him, bitter and angry
Thoughts began to die away. For the
sake Of oed times How he remem-
bered the days when he and John Sny-
der had been the best OF friends! The
memory OF them seemed to burst the
hood gates Of resentment and sweet
down upon him in a mighty torrent
that overwhelmed him. Gould he have
done what his enemy had?
He sat there and thought 1t all over;
and as he did so, 1t seemed as IL the
spirit of the Christmas season came in
to his heart and took possession Of 1t.
and drove out the old, bitter thoughts.
Deacon Jones loved the boy who had
been befriended as he loved no one
else on earth, and the kindness done
him by the man with whom he had 30
long been at enmity broke down the
fences of hatred that had kept them
apart.
1--WE been an old foolw he said.
"What IL we didn't see alike! That
was no reason why we should hate
each ether. I've been ashamed of it
more'n once, though l don't believe |
ever admitted to myself. 1t amt
Christian to fecl so to'rd a brother in
the church, as Mlindy's said time'n
ag'in, N I've know'd 1t all along; but
Il let The devil into my heart, n
there he's stalid; but''-and there was
look of grim determination on the dea-
cons face as he said it-''he's got TO
get out. l amt goin' to hold a gr,rdge
against n man that's helped my boy
when he hadn't n friend to look to.
Eff he'll drop the old diffikilty, WILL"
The deason heard the sound Of voices
in the road. He looked out. Mrs.
Jones was shaking hands with Mr..
Snyder ut the gate.
Now or never. he said, with a
resolute LOOK on his face as he opened
the door and stepped out. 1t cost him
a great effort to do what he did, but
he was not the man to put his hand
10 the pillow and look back.
"Hellow he said out. Mr.. Snyder
and Mrs. Jones looked that way in
great surprise. IL don't know what
you think about it, but I'D Nike TO be
friends again." he said. I'm within