Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-07-22

always on the alert against danger to
the children. So this mother had
slipped downstairs and had heard
the whole story. For Il III she
hated the sordid old man. Then she
let her love for her boy, her only one,
blot u the detestable character of
her husband. But she determined to
undo the misery he had wrought. She
hastily rehearsed the whole story. She
knew he was unjust and ~prejudiced
against Laurena, who was a whole
some, healthy, lovely and noble girl.
The two children loved one another.
She had known it for years by the
unerring instinct Of Il mother. She
had pictured to herself the happiness
of the WE and of herself. and she
was going to undo the mischief if she
could. SO III into the darkness she
flew to L%aurena's home.
Laurena had stumbled to the step
ping stone near the gate of her home
and sunk down ON it to sob out her
hearts great grief, The poor child
had played her last poor little trump
card. and it had failed. Now she
would give up end accept Bert. but it
must be q long engagement. she deter
mined. Perhaps she would get over
this in time. But somehow she felt in
her heart of hearts that Charlie did
love her. So she sat sobbing in this
lonely place. and here Mrs. BeardSley
found her.
What words passed between these
two women should he sacred. but after
awhile the tears ceased TO flow. The
two embraced with great fervor. and
Mrs. B~eardsley went home prepared
to give Il hattie that should know no
surrender and no quarter Her boy
should he no longer treated like an ir-
responsible child. He should he free.
So. With her whole being aroused in
she reached the Kitchen door and stop
ped for Il few seconds while in her
mind she ran over the whole of her
life With her avari' iuuS husband She
now knew that in the first Year of lel
life with him she had been almost
slayish in her acceptance of his supe.
rior wisdom Perhaps she had uncon
~sciously @iven her child the same all
iect obedience 10 his fathers orders
From his earliest days Charlie had ap
peared to consider his father the Dbl
being in the world whose wisdom nc
one could question. and his miSer!
now was due to this unquestionin2
oha1iapoo p,t ~ should lost M loppar
With u firm step and with her. lips
drawn in one tense line she opened
the door to the parlor. with her hea(
high. But all her battle with hersel
was futile as she saw that her hus
band had fallen over in his chair. help
less. She knew instantly that he ha(
had a stroke" as his own father had
and that he would never speak again
He would die with the refusal Of hi
sons happiness as his last words. Sh'
knew Charlie we'll enough to know
that he would feel bound to obey tina
formal and decisive refusal Of his hap
piness even if it broke his heart.
AS soon as the old man was laid il
his bed and the doctor called the moth
er sat down beside him and considere'
the case from all sides. She took
heroic resolution. She whispered
few words to him, asking his consen
to Charles marriage. we'll KNOWN
} that he could never reply, and the
stood up, looking much as a marty
might have done. A wild animal wi
fight for its young, a partridge d.
ceive t o save her brood. Should sh
be weaker than they? Whether he
lie could ever be justified OF not sh
could not tell. but she was willing I
leave the issue with the great Jude
who made mothers. So she told be
= boy that his father at last had not n
fused his consent. His last words O
earth had been: Bah! You go to bed!