Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-04-02

day the rural delivery stopped before
Simeon's door and left q letter. He
eyed 1t suspiciously as he tore the en-
velope open. When he had read IL
the sheets dropped from his nerveless
hands, and he sat shaking like a man
in a palsy. He had thought he had
faced the worst. But worse was still
coming.
The letter was from a sister whom
he had not seen for twenty years, his
youngest sister, who had married and
gone west when she was a pretty, rosy
checked girl of eighteen. Whatever
tenderness his nature had was for this
, fair young creature, who had hung
crying around his neck when he bade
her good-by. And now she was COM
ing back to the old town for visit,
bringing with her her son. who was
almost a grown man. 81 want him to
see the old place." she wrote, where
his mother spent her girlhood, and
the old schoolhouse where she learned
the little she ever knew, and, most Of
all, his Uncle Simeon"
"And he'll see the picture" Simeon
French told himself. He'll see me
up in that pear tree, stealing from the
widow and the fatherless. He cow
cred and shivered in the warm sun
light as If he were facing the accusing
eyes of Betty's son.
Lucy saw him hurrying across the
grass as If pursued. She stepped to the
door, struggling to appear quite calm
and collected. But his first words took
her breath away. Lucy" he said,
I've given UP. I've come to make
things square"
It was not until Lucy had made
deposit in the savings bank Of the
amount that her trusting father had
given into the hands Of Simeon French
without taking a receipt that she car
ried to Simeon's home a large parcel
wrapped in brown paper. The old man
met her on the steps and took the
package from her. Solemnly, like one
engaged in a mysterious rite, he ad-
vanced to the woodpile, Lucy follow
ing him under the spell of a fascina-
ton she did not altogether understand.
The axe raised far above Simeon's
head descended again and again, till
glass and strong oak and paper were
beaten into an indistinguishable pulp.
When Simeon turned his flushed face
upon the girl, she handed him little
square Of glass. TITS the plate" she
explained. You'd better destroy that,
too, so that no others can be made
from It,"
The axe descended again, and the
work of destruction was complete.
Simeon stood up, looking like man
from whose shoulders an intolerable
burden had suddenly fallen. He looked
at the grave face Of the girl beside
him, then at the ruin below.
II began wrong" said Simeon French
quite Unexpectedly. when I was
a boy, 1 made up my mind that
wouldn't marry, like so many of the
others. was going to get start first.
made money, and by and by that
was all I cared for. Money was wife
and children to me. Yes, and comfort,
too" he said. Getting rich made up
to me for all of the things other men
enjoyed Maybe IL I'd had home and
children growing up around me, I'd
have been different"
1t was not thing to answer. and he
did not seem to resent her silence. Il
got so after a while that I didn't stop
at cheating a man. If I could get the
better Of him. it only showed that 1
was smarter than he was. I was kind
Of proud Of 1t. But when your father
let me have that money the way he
did. it kind of touched me. 1t most
seemed to me that 1t would pay to be
worth trusting, the way he trusted
me-" His face worked. "I guess that
was a sort of turning point with me.
I've done lots Of things since I never
did before"
He studied the downcast face Of the
girl before him in silence for mo-
ment. you've beaten me, Lucy. I've
been proud of my smartness, but you
are smarter. I ought to hate you for
1t, but 1 don't somehow" He shook his
head as if in wonder, and his tone
changed Lucy"
"A sister Of mine is coming here
next week. I haven't seen her for
twenty years, but your mother knew
her when she was a girl. I don't
suppose you'd care to come over
Simeon French stopped and cleared his
throat. you see, as long as you're
the only near neighbors, she might
think it queer If you didn't run in"
"Of course. Mr. French. Well both
come. Well try to be real neighbor-
ly."
His breath came hard as he met her
frank gray eyes. II don't suppose,
Lucy, that you'd care to shake hands
with me-"
Yes. I would, Mr.. French"
Her hand was extended promptly.
And there was something in the pres
sure of her strong, warm fingers, the
candid gaze Of her eyes, that told
Simeon French that even now 1t was
not too late to win back the respect
of his fellow men.-Christian Endeav-
or World
To Reclaim Mesopotamia.-Me
tamia, that somewhat inaccessible re-
gion, will, it is claimed, be brought
.ooal Tho troual -