Evening star., 1908-01-17
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
| Benjamin Wright lay in his great bed.
| that had four mahogany posts like four
| dark obelisks. He had not spoken
| distinctly since the night OF his seizure.
| though in about fortnight he began to
| babble something which nobody could un-
derstand. Simmons said he wanted his
| birds. and brought two cages and hung
them in the window where the rowing,
| unhappy eyes could rest upon them. He
| mumhled tiercely when he saw them. and
Simmons cried out delishtedly: There
| now, he's better-hes swearin' at me-.
The first Ineligible words he spoke We're
! thcse that had last passed his lips:
| 'M-in-my f-f-' And from lis melan-
choly eyes meager tear slid into wrin-
/ kla and was lost
DR.. Lavendar. sitting beside him. put his
1 old hand over the other old hand that
| coverlet. Yes. Benjamin. il was your
| fault. and mine and Samuels. We We're
! all responsible because We did not do our
! best for the boy. But remember. his
! Heavenly Father will do His best.
| m -m-my f" the stammering tongue
1 began again. but the misery lessened in
! the drawn face. Any denial of the fact
he tried to state would have maddened
/ him. But DIR. Lavendar never denied
/ facts: apart from the question OF right
/ and wrong. he used to say 1t was not
worth while. He accepted old Mi
Wright's responsibility as meekly he had
accepted own, but he saw in II an
| open door.
And that was why he went that evening
to the Wright house. II was melan-
cEoly house. When their father was at
| home the little girls whispered to each
other and slipped away TO their rooms.
| and when they were alone with their
| mother they quivered at the sight of her
| tears, that seemed to flow and flow and
i Iar tal all nf "a
| ness and affection and cleyernesS. He
read such learned books, Why, that Very
| last afternoon. when we were all taking
maps. he was reading a big leather-cov-
| cred book from your fathers library. all
about the nations. And he could make
beautiful poetry" she would tell them.
reading over and over with blinded
| eyes some scraps of verse she had found
among the boys possessions. But most
| of all she talked of Sans gladness in get
| ting home, and how strange ii was he
had taken that notion to clean that
| dreadful pistol. No wonder LYDIA and
| her sisters kept to themselves. and wan
| dered little scared. fitting creatures.
| through the silent house. or out into the
| garden. yellowing now and gorgeous in
| the September heats and chills
| DR.. Lavendar came in at teatime. as he
! had lately made point of doing. and sat
down beside Mrs. Wright in Sans chair.
Samuel said he. when supper was
/ over and the little girls had slipped away.
else can"
The senior warden drew in his breath
| with a start.
He blamas himself Samuel"
"Blames himself! What reason has he
got to blame himself? 1t was my fault"
"Oh, my dear" said the poor mother.
you couldn't tell that he was going to
| clean your pistol.
Samuel Wright looked heavily over at
| DR.. Iavendar.
Well" said the old minister, 'he gave
| Sam the money to go away. | suppose
that's on his mind, for one thing. He
may think something went wrong, you
know"
oh" broke in the mother beginning to
cry. ''he was SO glad to get home: he said
to me the night he got back Mother, l
/ just had to come home to you and
father; l couldn't stay away any longer.
| I'm sure he couldn't have said Anything
me. You know he wasn't one to kiss
much. Yes. he couldn't bear to be away
| from US. He said So.
Go and see him. Samuel" urged DR..
| Lavendar "You, too, have lost a son,
SO you know now how he has felt for
| thirty-two years. His was a loss for
which he knows he was to blame. 1t is
/ cruel knowledge. SAM
1T is said the senior warden. 1T is. "
Then go and comfort him.
Samuel went A great experience had
| wiped the slate clean of an the years
of multiplications and additions of re-
/ sentiment anu IHoIIillcalioI. tHdl tnc
thought of facing his father did not stir
| his dull Indifference to the whole dreary
| matter. When Simmons saw him COM
ing up the garden path. he said, under
| his breath BLESS the Lawd.' Then
mindful of hospitality. offered whisky
Certainly not" said Samuel Wright
And the old habit of being displeased
made his voice as pompous as If he cared
| one way or the other. Can you make
him understand that I'm here. Simmons?
| OF course. l won't go upstairs unless he
! wants to me-.
Hell want to see you, sub, he'll want
| to see YOU" said Simmons. He's right
smart today. He kin use his left hand.
He dun shuck that fist at me this
mawnin. oh. laws. yes, he'll want to
see you.
"Go and ask him.
Simmons went. and came back triumph
So it's all right
The visitor went ponderously upstairs.
On the first landing he caught his breath
and stood still.
Directly opposite him. across the win
dow of the upper hall. was a horsehair-
covered sofa. with great, shiny slippery
mahogany ends. Samuel Wright put his
hand up to his throat II he were
smothering. He used to lie that
declensions. 1t had no springs: he felt
the hardness of it in his bones now. and
the scratch of the horsehsir on his cheek.
Instantly words forgotten for a genera
tion, leaped up:
Stella
Stellm
Stelln
Stellam-
Mechanically his eyes turned to the side
wall. an old secretary stood there. Its