Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-07-01
HIS ENEMYiS son.

ats mighty hard ON him. said the
deacon; 'inighty hard on old Joe Badger
to have to leave his place and go to the
poor farm. But a. know but its jede-
mcnt on him, for u sourer old critter you |
won't . IN II days travel, and besides |
they IS amt nothin but an iniidcl and |
a scoffcr, und know he amt been inside |
n church for years. Yus neighbor, it's |
Judgment, for that family was once purity |
well to do, and now he, the last of en-, is |
In fair way to become pauper. 1t
shows us all that tho way of the trans
gressor is hard"
The subject OF the dcncon's remarks
came shutting down the dusty road past
the dencon's we'll filled barns and broad
fields to forlorn little house almost hid
den among the rankly growing bushes and
trees. The old man entered the house and
shut tho door hard.
"Transgressor, he muttered. well,
II I'm n transgressor and the Lord a-pun-
ishin me for my sins my measure o. pun
ishment Ia crushed down and runnin over.
But ii amt my fault, for luck's been ag'in
me every scncc Sophy threw me over and
| married the one who robbed me and was
| always my enemy, man and boy i don't
| blame her so much He overpersuaded
her, and guess her folks wouldn't let her
| wait for me. He was younger and had
| more money than me- always hoped TO
see him humbled, but there amt no jus
tice In this world for he's a-prosperin in
| the city and I've got to go TO the poor
farm. Folks shy can't support myself,
and that the young lawyers all right to
foreciose the mortgage; that his father
| q
1t seems s II my heart would break. F"
The tears were running down the old
mans checks, and his withcred frame
shook with sobs. 1t wasn't much OF q
place that he was leaving. The bright
rays of the setting sun showed poor, bare
room with great punches of herbs hanging
here and there and stretching from wall
to wall Over the tiny stove were strings
Of dried apples
"It's gettin late, " he said drearily, land
guess I'd better go out to the shed and
feed the boss. He's poor, wornout, mis-
er'ble critter like me. and the selectmen
say he ought to be killed. But hos all
have, and IN try to provide for him while
he lives
He had fed the horse and fastened the
old blanket around the wretched beast and
! Ind turned to go into. the house when he
heard slight noise behind him, as II
: some one was creeping stoalthily over the
old boards He remembered fearfully thai
3 a man had been killed at the tavern u few
nights before, and the murderer hat
) escaped.
His knees shook with terror as ho turnet
I around and saw crouching in q dark cor
: ner a man with white face and burning
, eyes. The man shrank closer to tho wal
! as the old man approached. There wa
Just light enough for Joseph Badger to se'
7. that hnggard face, and as his eyes restes
upon 1t his heart leaped within him. fl
!. knew that face! He had seen 1t hundre'
times. 1t was the face Of that mans an
o Sophy's son. Instinctively he knew VIII
q Sophy's son was crouching in the shed
4 He had killed the man in the tavern an
was hiding from justice. Well, he ha
come to the wrong place this time.
d The stranger raised his head and said u
10 a hoarse whisper: "I'm hungry and sick
4 You'll have mercy on me and give III
II something to eatt"
"Why should 1 have mercy On you, job
GrayYf said the old man harshly. "You'i
q murderer. You've killed u man."
"No, no." the dry, white lips falteres
IN "They re hunting me for 1t, but l didn
m do it; so help me God, didn't Don't Ii
them take mep
You're lyin," was the contemptuol
answer.
"Sec, I'm hurt. I'm wounded. TIL,
shot at me- I'm starving with hunger ar
4. dying with thirst. You are an old ma
N You will die some day, perhaps soon, al
1t won't make your dying hour any east
to remember you refused to be merciful
Merciful! What had this old man, +
garded by his neighbors as one out of d
fold, TO do with mercyg He who hi
brooded over his wrongs and longed (
- vengeance on his enemy-why should
ri.