The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-06-23

always on the alert against danger te
the children. So this mother had
slipped downstairs and had heard
the whole story. For a moment she
hated the sordid old man. Then she
let her love for her boy, her only one
blot out 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 whole
some, healthy, lovely and noble girl
The two children loved one another.
She had known it for years by the
unerring instinct Of a mother She
had pictured to herself the happiness
Of the two and Of herself, and she
was going to undo the mischief If she
could. So out into the darkness she
1ew to Laurena'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 1t had failed. Now she
would give up and accept Bert, but it
must be 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 be sacred, but after
awhile the tears ceased to flow. The
two embraced with great fervor, and
Mrs. Beardsley went home prepared
to give battle that should know nc
surrender and no quarter. Her boy
should be no longer treated like an ir'
responsible child. He should be free
So, with her whole being aroused in
defense Of her one joy and comfort
she reached the kitchen door and stop
ped for a few seconds while in hel
mind she ran over the whole Of he1
life with her avaricious husband. She
now knew that in the first year Of hel
life with him she had been almost
slavish in her acceptance Of his supe
rior wisdom. Perhaps she had uncon
sciously given her child the same alb
ject obedience to his fathers orders
From his earliest days Charlie had ap
peared to consider his father the one
being in the world whose wisdom M
one could question, and his miser!
now was due to this unquestionine
obedience. But 1t should last no longer
With a firm step and with her lipE
drawn In one tense line she opened
the door to the parlor, with her head
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 hat
chad 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 well 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 II
his bed and the doctor called the moth
er sat down beside him and considered
the case from all sides. She took
heroic resolution. She whispered
i! few words to him, asking his consen
( to Charles marriage, we'll knowing
that he could never reply, and the
stood up, looking much as a marty
might have done. A wild animal wi
| fight for IFS Young partridge d.
F, ceive to save her brood. Should sh
be weaker than they? Whether he
lie could ever be justified or not sh
could not tell, but she was willing t
leave the issue with the great Judg
who made mothers. So she told he
boy that his father at last had not n
fused his consent. His last words o
earth had been: ''Bahl You 60 to bed