The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1908-07-23
The Meeting Of Two
Of Fate's Currents.
[Original.l

woman lay dying. NO one was
with her except her son, boy OF ten
years She looked at shelf over
fireplace and tried to speak. The boy,
knowing she wished to speak of some
thing on the shelf, took up various ar
ticles on it. at every one of which his
mother gave a negative sign till he
came to a small lacquered box, at
which she began to mutter. He took
down the box, went to the bedside, put
his ear close to her lips and tried to
distinguish what she wished to say to
him. But he failed. The mother died
before she could make herself under
stood
After all was over and the dead had
been laid away the little fellow closely
examined the lacquered box. 1t was
locked. and he had no key to open it,
Taking it to a locksmith. he procured
a kew and unlocked the box, but found
it empty.
The boy was left with nothing and
was obliged to make his own living
The few articles of furniture were
sold, realizing only few dollars. His
home had always been in the country,
and he sought an abiding, place and
work on a farm.
Farmer Simpson agreed to take him.
He was to do chores and such light
farm work rs a boy Of his age might
be able to do. such as feeding the
stock, lnilking the COWS and wedding.
He was permitted to go to school for
a portion of each day. though this was
for his employers as we'll as his own
benefit, for little Belle Simpson, seven
years old. was sent to school, and the
boy was her protector over the two
miles between the farm and the school
house.
And so Benny Rengeralt grew up the
protector of child who came to be a
woman. Strange that her father should
not have expected that the two would
pass from the friendship Of childhood
to the love Of youth. In truth he never
realized that his daughter had grown
to wOmanhOod till after it was too
late. Then when he began TO consider
which one of the neighboring we'll to
do farmers SONS she would take for a
husband he discovered that she and
Ben were welded together. They might
be parted. but it would be like tearing
up two clinging plants by the roots.
Nevertheless he resolved to do So
Ben was twenty-five years old and
had accumulated nothing. Indeed. he
had never been paid anything to accu-
mulate. He was told to go. and there
seemed nothing for him to do but get
work as farm hand wherever he
might. But he had been an apt scholar
and was fairly we'll educated. He re-
solved to 90 to the city and seek a
business situation. When he parted
from his sweetheart she told him that
she would never marry unless at some
future time she might marry him.
Five yeats passed. Ben was receiv-
ing a small salary. Neither he nor
Belle had married. but Farmer Simp-
son was as ineXOrable as ever
Fate works in strange grooves.
While all this was passing one of her
other currents was flowing on to meet
the one recorded. One day woman.
seeing a red flag before a house. en-
tered and found an auction She
bought several kni kknackS. including
an old lacQueTed box. 1t was coming to
pieces, and she secured it for II cents
Some months after this purchase one
of Ben RenGeraltS friends called his
attention to a personal advertisement
which concerned him. 1t said that if
he would call at a certain street and
number of certain town he would
hear something to his advantage. He
was naturally very much surprised
and went at once to the place desig-
mated. He was received by an elderly
lady.
Are you Benjamin Rengeralt?" she
asked.
Il am"
did you ever see that box?' point
ing
Ben looked at the box.
NO" he said. II never saw it be-
fore
She saw that he was endeavoring to
recall something and gave him time.
That quick springing plant memory
had taken root in his brain, and while
seconds were being licked away it was
growing 1t had been excited by the
box, which he had not seen for nearly
twenty years. Again it stood on the
shelf over the fireplace hen he saw
his mother looking toward ii, her eff
forts to tell him something concerning
it. her failure
Yes he said 1T belonged to nv
mother When she was dying she
tried to tell me something about it,
but her voice failed her before she
could do so. Where did you get it?''
Il bought it at an auction, intending
to use it for trinkets. But it was COM
ing to pieces. and l tried to glue it to-
gether. Failing in this. tried to fas-
ten it with nails. Under the hammer
ing it broke apart and revealed false
bottom. See
She took out the upper bottom and
disclosed small paper book with a
number printed on the cover. She