Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1900-01-20
THE GRACE OF FORGIVENESS

''I'll never forgive john. I can't. He's
gone too far for forgiveness from me. u
."Oh, my dear, don't say that. You
really. can't afford to harbor such a
feeling. Do try to have the grace OF
forgiveness, for your own sake as well
as his" - 80 E5&2aSe.e,
1t was Aunt Myra's soft voice-the
woman so gentle and self-poised, so I'M
tried and Uninterrupted, it seemed to 9th
er mortals, who were often so harass-
ed and fretted; 1T hardly seemed as il
she knew enough of veXation to give
counsel about it. ,s>-~
Don't, auntie! you can't judge me by
any common rule, for there never was
a case like this, so full of aggravation
and--and-yes insult! And to think il
should be John, my own half-brother!
And you talk about the grace of for
g&VeneSs. Why, you, never we're used
hSM $3.50 mean in all your life, Aunt
Myra."
Hadn't she been? She slowly rocked
and for moment her thought went
back to a time when the seas had wei
night gone over her, and the quiet she
had attained was the calm of victory
instead of stagnation-but not many
knew OF this.
Perhaps not, in just this way, Lot
tie; but I've lived twice your years anG
found that life is too short for strife, es
peciAAy among kindred"
"WeIl, I haven't started strife. I've
been misused. And to think how
went over to Johns and helped him and
his wife through typhoid, and left my
own concerns and work, and now af-
ter pretending to be so grateful and
owing his life to me, now he repays me
in this way"
Lottie Haines was too indignant fol
many tears, but she wiped her eyes and
glared across the road at a pretty
Queen Anne house, the innocent object
of offense
After the widowed mothers death
and Johns marriage, he and Lottie had
divided the property, she keeping the
homestead and garden and orchard ad-
joining, and he the most of the land,
and building himself nice house on
the end of it nearest the village. Lot
ties house was old and needed fire.
quent repairs, and her brother some
times advised her to give it up and live
with him; but she loved independence
and she loved the old place, and more
than all she delighted in the view, for
in front the long, gentle Slope of the
fields ended in the blue waters of the
Sound
If the house only stood across the
road, she sometimes said; the view was
a little the best there Others thought
so too. Lawyer Jacobs had been try
ing for quite some time to buy few
of those acres from John. and in the
face of stern denials had from time to
time increased his offer, and it looked
at last as if he had succeeded in his
object, for in a very snort space of time
a cellar had been dug and the frame
of cottage had gone up before the
and indignant eyes of Lottie
Haines. She had spoken her mind free
ly to the school mistress and the dress
maker who sometimes boarded with
ner, and they had fully agreed with
her that it was the meanest kind OF /
treatment.
But now Aunt Myra, who had come
Tor long visit, and who had always
'easted on the beautiful view during
>ther visits, pursued her unrufiled ways
about the house and calmly talked OF
me grace Of forgiveness and the folly
If strife.
Well, Lottfe thought she could for
give much and often, but not this great
,ffense, and that John should be the Of
ender. He had kept away from her
ince that luckless morning wnen he
lad stood for while watching the men
ig the cellar and had then come across
o her and met such storm of ques-
ions and scathing reproach that he
airly covered under it, and without
explanation or excuse had hurried
way. She had seen him over at the
ouse sometimes and once had met him
ace to face, but had given him no no.