Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-08-09

II Ezra had felt any trepidation at
first, the last vestige of the feeling
| disappeared as his father grew more
| vehement.
Father, you have got to be reason.
able" Ezra repeated. And first,
want you to tell me how the trouble
between you and Josiah Willard began,
so that l may Judge which Of you is
, the most to blame
How it begun; why, it didn't really
begin betwiXt us at all. Your grand
father and Ruths-but what is the use
OF going into the history Of it?
They're a detestable tribe, the whole
of them: and Josiah can't even speak
in meeting without flouting at my faith
and garbling Gods word to suit his
notions But he darent stand up and
quote scripture against me, line for line
and text for text, as l have challenged
him to do"
! between you, after all. And you hold
| against each other the old feud Of your
fathers. and you hate him and he
hates you for the difference in your
faiths? When il comes to scripture,
| father, there is that in it to send you
straight to the Willard dwelling with
suit of peace and friendship. Agree
with thine adversary quickly. "
Mr.. Hager shuff1ed his big feet on
the braided mat, which his wife would
have in the passage from the inner
door to the outer one for the father
and son to trip over and kick into
heap For the first time in is life the
gaze of the older man was unable
steadily to meet that of the younger.
EZras memory was trained to quote
the phrases whose solemnity and
authority were made more sure by
their associations, and he did not
hesitate now to pursue the advantage
which he had gained.
IF Gods Word is true for one, so it
is just as true for the other" Ezra
went on. Then, as he recalled more
lines, he could hardly help smiling at
their fitness: If thou bring thy gift
to the altar, and there remembered
that thy brother had aught against
thee, leave thy gift before the altar
and go thy way; first to be reconciled
to thy brother and then come and offer
thy gift
Levi Hager's feet became entangled
in the mat, which had a hole in it, and
he kicked viciously to free himself.
But there was a bitter thrall from
which the kicks of heavy boots would
not liberate him.
81 don't see, father, how you could
be happy all these years, believing as
you do and hating man and his
entire family because your father
hated them before you! I have often
wondered at it. Now the time has
come for making up. Ruth becomes a
daughter to you one Of these days.
Had you forgotten little Margaret,
father? She would have been 20 if
she had lived-just Ruth's age"
The mans face became so suddenly
pale at the mention of the child who
had died when she was only four that
Ezra became silent It was the one
grief of Levi Hager's life, and it
seemed to become fresher as he grew
older. The anxiety to meet again the
him study and ponder the portents of
scroll and sky, which were SO precious
to his faith, with an eagerness that ap-
preached Impotence. The wars and
rumOrs of wars-the swift march OF
events-the drought of one season and
the freshet of the neXt-the winter
mildness succeeded by the blight Of
l.; al ba of
frosts should have been past-all had
one trend to him. All the predictions
were being fulfilled, it seemed to him,
as they were never were before.
Ezra did not mean to play upon the
tender feelings of his father in a way
to hurt Yet Levi Hager heard his
son speaking again, and there was an
indescribable gentleness in his tones.
"Have you never marked how sweet
Ruth Willard is in her way? And
today she said that she had often
though: that her family and mine
would have been reconciled before this
if my sister Margaret had only lived to
grow up. Can you imagine Margaret
refusing to be friends with Ruth,
! father?"
Don't, Ezra!" The man was lean
ing against the door post, and it
seemed as if he must have fallen but
| for the support Ezra took hold of his
! fathers arm and said, in a voice o.,
| command
Come, father, we will go and make
| up with the Willards and have it over
| D11+h I1n To
You will not let Josiah Willard say.
For the hurt of the daughter of my
! peolpe am hurt -
They went down the path together,
and no word was spoken until they
reached the Willard gate, which, in
stead of being shut and fastened as
usual, swung sQueakingly on its
| hinges.
AS they went up the walk they heard
footsteps behind them, and looking
back, there was Ruth and her father
hurrying toward them.
eve were coming to see you, father
and l." Ruth breathlessly cried. He
said Levi Hager would not see him Il
he went; and here he is, meeting him
more than half way!"
The two men stared aWkwardly at
each other, and there was no swing
! from GOODNESS to warmth in that first
| greeting. There was a conventional
meeting of hands, a silence, and then a
few words about the weather.
Il came about by something that
said of your sister Margaret" Ruth
| afterWard explained to Ear. II asked