Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-02-24

are mercenary!
"Not at all; but it requires no great
mathematical ability to read the facts.
Milton Davis is worth at least eighty
or ninety thousand dollars. He has
four children. Fifteen or twenty
thousand dollars will inevitably come
to each of them in the not remote
future, for Milton is about our own
age, and we neither OF US expect to
see many decades. Now, instead OF
having Walter work John Green's
farm on shares, with meagre utensils
and no capital to speak OF, and letting
his wife work herself, as she has been
doing this summer, why the dickens
doesn't he take FIVE thousand dollars
of what will eventually belong to
Walter, buy him nice little place of
his own, and give him chance to
save his wife's life? This hanging to
your money till grim death compels
you to let go is one of the greatest
farces of the day Not that I believe
in man robbing himself for his chill
dren and then being dependent upon
them. But too many provide for o
future which their children may never
live to sec, and allow the present, of
which they are sure, to be passed in
positive want. I hate canting hypo-
crites.!"
Milton Davis listened in silence to
the long TRADE, for it was nothing
else, and shook himself uncomfortably
as it proceeded. The doctor was mis-
taken, however, in calling him hypo-
crite. That he certainly was not. His
views might be incorrect, but as he
saw matters so he acted; and now n
train of thought was started that
would probably bear fruit.
"ge is SO confoundedly proud, the
doctor went on, "that l really think
he would consider it special dispen-
sation of Providence in his behalf if
Walters wife should die before any
children were born to inherit her
fathers shame"
He proud? Milton Davis denied
the accusation forclbly to himself.
Why, no man in Hilton dressed plain
er; then his mind refused to accept
the explanation. 1t was not pride of
dress, but the moro subtle pride of
station, if not of wealth, which pos
sessed him; and communing with his
conscience, which the words of Doctor
Cramer had reused as never it had
been reused before, he saw himself in
true light, and when the train drew
up at Hintonrille he hurried away, not
wishing to see the doctor, or be recog-
nized by him.
For hours he lay beside his wife that
night, not sleeping. but thinking,
thinking. till his brain grew dizzy. A
canting hypocrite-that was what the
doctor had called him. Was that what
his son and his wife called him? Some
how the pleasant subject of the
churches he had helped refused to oc.
cupy the foreground in his mind TO.
night. Nettie dying, and he IN a
measure responsible because he had
compelled his son to depend entirely
upon his own resources, not doing SO
much for him as he had done for
strangers. even, because he hal out
ragged his ideas of proprlety and
yes, his !pride-and married as his
heart bade him marry.
But the thought that ranked most
was that his children would be glad
when he was dead. He had done his
best to leave them tidy sum at his
death, but, as the doctor had said, the
present was not so we'll provided for.
He remembered hearing Matte say
once that she did not have as much
money to spend as the hired girl.
Was it true? Had he denied his fam
lily more than he ought in his effort to
leave them we'll provided for at his
death? Had he been tyrannical in his
dealings, usurping the place OF Provi-
dence TO q great extent, and making
them feel that his will must not be
crossed or dire results would follow
He resolved that q change should be
made. He began to realize that he
was giving his children a poor prep
aration for either taking care of or
enjoying competence.
When morning came lie nearly para
lyzed his wife by asking:
"When did you hear from Walter
last, Mary?"
Puzzled and astonished she faltered
out:
ell heard from him last week. y
"Did you know his wife was seri
ously ill?"
Her manner told him she had kept
in touch with them more than he had
supposed.
"Yes," she answered, driven to bay,
as it were, 'I am afraid she will never
be any better"
81 think we will go over after
breakfast" he said quietly, as if ii
were the most natural proceeding in
the world.