The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1905-12-01
CHAPTER XXI.


over"
CHAPTER XXI.
Mary went to plead with David for
her uncle. He was In the deserted farm
yard Of Berry, with its tumble-down
buildings. He leaned against the gate,
thinking always Of the fields he had lost,
and the way in which they had been
taken from him. OF course his first
thought was to get out Of her way.
"Don't run away. David" she said;
II came to talk with you"
swell. come through the gate then,
Mary. VIII you talk In the cottage, or
will yeu talk here?"
"Let us stay outside-here In the
shade, David. When will you cease to
worry your uncie%
"Did he tell You that worry him?
Has he been complaining"
me. He even denies that you have
any share In the new trouble that seems
to have fallen upon him. But I know
that 1t is caused by you. After every
one Of your morning visits he Is miser-
able. Every day he grows more nervous
and more irritable. BE sheds tears when
he is alone. am quite sure that you are
the cause Of his trouble"
swell, Mary, perhaps you are right.
1 may be the cause of it. Perhaps
may be the cause of a good deal more
trouble than I have DONE"
"Oh! David, think--he Is an old man
he is afflicted with paralysis; you are
fastening his end. What good will it
do to you IL you worry him into his
grave? Will that restore the past? Will
that make you what you used to be-"
may, that it will not do. But when
l see him at nay mercy, crying for pity,
/ think Of the day when / came to ask
him to lend me poor fifty pounds. with
| which to try my luck in Canada, and he
laughed me in the face"
"Well, then. David, does it do you
any good to remember that day? Let
the past be dead, David, and live for the
future"
"You don't know what you are saying
Mary. What should you know about it
You are only girp'-he spoke roughly
and rudely, but not unkindly-"what dc
you know? Let the past be dead. Why
all the world is crying because the past
won't die. l only wish the past would
die" Here, 1t seems to me, David hi
upon a profound truth; for very nearly
all the world-not quite-it would be
unhappily, far better if the past would
die. IF the past should die, Mary,
should forget that was once a substan
lial man, who sat respected at the mar
ket ordinary, rode my own horse, ant
farmed my own land. l should forge
that had to go away from my nativ,
place and take ship with the lowest emf
grants. l should forget-Mary," h,
whispered, II can trust you'll have tolt
no one else-I should forget that l hat
been in prison-yes, in prison"
"Davidw She shrank from him, bu
recovered, and laid her hand softly upol
his.
Eyes; ip prison. And now l am n
longer fit to sit and talk with Georg
and you. But / am fit to talk with m
uncle, because, bad as am, he is worse
"But if he liz, David, forgive him."
81 will worry him." said David, "a
long as l can. / will never spare him
I've got another But never mind
Oh! when you are gone, Mary, he sha
have life that he little dreams of now /!
David! 1t is terrible. Can nothin
move your
| 4NOtulh6t NV wen yOus All
mind you, don't try to put yourself b,
tween him and me, because he won
stand 1t. 1t isn't me that won't stand i
because don't greatly care who knows
but It's him. He likes me to come; b
watches for me and waits for m,
though he knows that when / am gon
! he will turn and wriggle in his chat
and cry and curse. Yet he wants n
back. Say no more about it, Mary"
!. 1t was indeed useless to try furtht
persuasions. Mary was silent. HI
, cousin, worked up by his wrath, stoo
before her with purple cheeks and fan
ing eyes.
, 81 must go away soon," she said.
cannot let George go out into the worl
without any one. And then must lea,
! him-alone."
Eyes; but he will have me-" said D.
vid. grimly.
I swell, have said what came to sa
f David, and have done no good. If yc
4 would only forget"
e 81 cannot forget. Stay, Mary: oil
: thing l must say. Remember afterwal
a that l said it in time. Then, perhap
a you'll think that if it hadn't been f
a him might have been different man
"What is it, David?"
e al is this" His face softened Il
s moment he ceased to think upon b
r wrongs. 1t was but the wreck of ia
l. which had once been handsome and fl
of hope; but it was better and health
f to look upon than the face black wi
revenge. 'Will tells me that you Il
d going to marry George without your u
r cle's consentT
!. YES"
:, "You know that he must then give Il
/. the whole of my aunt's money!"
III Yes"