The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-07
THE INHERI7ANClES.
a Clear Case Of the Reward Of Merit
as Exempliaed@in the Days When
& mi L + IILf,. 3, - l. ~. ----..

There is Little Reward.
Chicago TlmesSHerald: Now 1t came
to pass that in a eeFtain city there lived
an old man whq:hpd three sons and a
daughter. He whs feeble. and his white
beard fell upon his breast like a table
cloth hanging oYsEthe side OF cracker
box. His sons chad married, and his
daughter had mafFied. and they had
gone away and left him alone. and were
busy belonging ,t6t clubs and raising
families of theiraoTn.
And 1t befell upRn a day that the old
man arose and Capped HIS hands, and
ran. his fingers Though the long strands
of his beard a5au hmIled. And he 20.
him down to write. and he wrote four
letters, one to John and one to Lemuel
and one to Isaac, and one to Margaret,
and this is wha t:,Ii, wrote in the letter
to each: s,llIi
Come home at once, for I have great
news. have inhesited s1oO, 900 in cash."
First he sent aiitcopy Of the letter to
John. and 1t camea to pass that John
took the next trtf4 back to see dear old
father. And when he was come into
the presence of thf5'old man they threw
their arms each ABOUT the other, and at
last the old man.said: & I2
II have sent fort you because I would
favor you over hfgtother children. To
them each shalg1ye $4,000, but to you
my dear son. L shall give twice $40, o0o."
And John ANSWERED him, saying:
my good fatMH,I have tried to be a
dutiful son. Do my brothers and my
sister know of this thing? For II they
do MOI. I beg ofyoe let them believe I
share equally WITH them. so that they
shall not rise up III anger against me"
And the old man promised that It
should be so. and Iohn went away step
ping like q man Who is upstairs but
thinks there Is one more.
And so the oldchau sent for Lemuel
and for Isaac separately and spake
unto them as he had spoken to
John. and they made answer praisinS
him for his goodness and reminding
him that they hadJalways been dutiful
sons. and prayipg that he might not
permit their brothers and their sister
to know how they, had been favored.
lest there should BE rumpus.
And as Isaac, at last, departed with
his chest bullying -into space after the
manner OF sail that Is full of wind,
the old man sat, him down and wept,
insomuch that his beard was as limp
as a womans frl8sles on foggy night
Last Of all. he sent for Margaret, but
Margaret was Ill and could not go. and
SO she sent her husband, and when he
stood in the old man'- presence and
heard what John and Lemuel and Isaac
had heard before him he said:
DO the others know OF your desire to
i give Margaret twice as much as any OF
her brothers shall receiver"
And the old man shook his head and
sighed and answered NO"
Then the man who stood before him
said: i,l
you must notso this thing that you
propose. You must divide the money
equally. so that one shall not be favor
ed above the others, for your daughter
left you In your oltltage and your help.
lessness. even as her brothers did, and
deserves no more from you than any of
them" H
And then the paElarch fell upon tho
neck of his son-in-law and moIstened
the latter's brislS with tears, and
cried aloud saying,i,
You are goodman and an honest
man. You put my sons to shame. I
have inherited nosmoney; but 1 shall
give you n pricelcsa gem, which Is my
confidence. I shTlliput myself In your
keeping for the LITTLE while that 1 have
to remain upon this earth. and trust
you to give me decent burial when I
am dead. Come, ragn ready to go home
with you." sSS
Good for "Your pnclo'sp Business.
1.-THE election is q good thing for my
business" remarkefsn pawnbroher the
other day. Just FsSfore an election we
are usually busler~<bflnn MT onv otber