The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-01-22
SOMERSET, PA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22 1896

off to Big Rock chapel, a good ten
miles away, where another itinerant
brother dispensed what she esteemed
the sincere milk of the word. The
road ran past the Keith farm, where
Alan and Mary Frances lived and were
happy as the day was long. If by
chance Mrs. Southall encountered
them, she gave them a severely cOurte-
Gus greeting and passed on. She had
hardened at all points even 10 Dan
iel she was now sometimes a pitiless
judge, although she weakened visibly
as the months went by.
He was gentle easy-natured fellow,
the exact moral complement of his
wife's stern fibre. He had for her an
odd clinging dependent affection,
which she returned with the worship
| that is both dover and curse of mar
row intense soul. So when, three years
after Mary Frances married, he fell
/ into a low state, over which the doc
! tor looked grave and shook his head,
it is not surprising that his wife felt the
solid earth slipping from under her
feet. With all her strength she fought
the thought of loss. Day and night
she watched, tended, soothed him,
humOred sick fancies, and sought to
coax him into the expression of his
lightest whim, feeling the while a
band of lead gripping the heart in her
bosom, till not even "A suppliant song
could come from her throat.
One Sunday morning early he grew
very restless. ''You must go to yO'
meetin' ter-day," he said. ''You've
missed three Sundays runnin' on count
o. me. l tell you / amt wuth it.
You oughter ter go-you must go. l
sha'n't have er minit's peace unless
you do.n
"But what's ter become of you while
I'm gone Dan'l dear, don't ask it.
It's sinful ter let anything come be
tween us an our God, an | couldn't
worship rightly fer thinkin' of you"
the wife said, so gently that few who
knew her would have recognized the
tone. The sick man patted her hand
and smiled.
'Oh I'll do first rate" he said.
Jus you try it and an see ef you don't
find me better when you come home.
Pm partly worried over yo' stayin' i'll
so close. Git ready an go now, right
off,
Demur was vain, refusal out of the
question against his weak persistence.
With her heart in her throat the wife
left him, actually went halfway before
her breaking courage drew her back to
him.
The house stood wide. Within
there was only emptiness. After one
wild look at the vacant bed and chair,
Mrs. Southall turned and ran toward
the church. What instinct guided her
she never knew. At the door she
stopped short, partly that the hated
organ was filling the low building
with throbbing waves of sound, partly
that well in front of the pulpit she saw
her husband propped snug between
Alan and Mary Frances, with a gold
en-haired toddler upon his knee, who
played decorOusly with the old mans
open faced watch.
As the voluntary ceased, the sing
ers, the minister even, were cOnstrain-
cd to silence For Mrs. Southali glid-
ed up the aisle to her husbands side,
knelt halfminute in silent prayer,
then dropped into her old seat at his
elbow. Her face was white, and WORK
ing tears were washing out the hard
brilliance of her eyes. Her husband
drew little coutented sigh, then laid
a hand on hers, saying, weakly, yet 50
all might hear:
$50 you caught me, Llcindy Well,
you see, twas this way. I've been
meanin' all along ter ask you ter bury
me here, an LET the music play. I've
come ter hear the practisin' heap o.
times on the sly. Me an Danny
here's had good times lis'enin'.
wanted ter hear il of a Sund'y, so the
golden harps in Parydise wouldn't
sound SO strange
"Dan'l, Dan'l, you needn't go way
ter hear 'em," Mrs. Southall sobbed,
clinging fast to his hand. ''Stay,
wen come ev'ry Sunday" 3" she pleaded.
"Only don't leave me-doa't Dan'l,
dpa'tr'
Daniel smiled family. For min-
ute his eyes closed cOnvulsively. Then
n looked straight into hers and said
'Lucindy, I've been or coward-the
worst sort-but jest erbout this enc
thing. Twas me pat Alan in mind
ter cit the machine. Now We know
the truth. Maybe can live er die in
in peace. l never lied ter ye about
nothin' else. May Frances knew it
all the time but she give her boy my
name"
"Irs the best name i'm the wOrid,n
Aio- I,outuiti Sdiif piphthlN Sdthtii.lS
the baby to her breast. Holding him
fast she turned to face the congrega-
ton, saying: Brethren an sisters,
let me speak truth too. In this time
OF trouble I've searched my heart an
found that what | called zeal fer pure
worship WIS mostly mean low-down
jealousy. I'd sung down everybody
fer thirty years, but knew | couldn't
sing down the organ. I've asked God
ter fergive me. Now | ask you, and
pray that you mean to do it,"
Everybody said, "Amen. ."-Ha5pcr's
Weekly.
The Fly in Amber.