Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-12


ler," the woman said. There is moth
ing for you to do here"
The old man was keen enough to
mark the sarcasm beneath her quiet
words Il am not too late for what L
come to do" he said. where Is the
child?"
The woman walked toward the place
where her dead husband lay. There
is your child" she said, pointing down.
ward.
Asa Cutler did not move from his
place.
where's the boy, his boy?" he de-
manded.
The woman lifted her white face and
breathed deeply. you have nothing
to do with his boy, thank God" she
said very quietly. Here Is your boy"
The old mans anger flashed out and
he stood before her threateningly. He
was no son of mine. disowned him.
It can't ever be said that any of mine
went to the devil like he did"
"Ah," said the woman, "he was no
son of yours? Then what claim have
you to a son Of his?"
He's my grandson" Asa Cutler said
'T came here to get him. Where is
he?"
you say. you disowned your son,
she said quietly. "Then you have no
grandson; this mans child is my child,
and now belongs to me-"
It was evident that Asa Cutler must
acknowledge the first relationship If ne
would claim the second. well, say he
was my son." he said hardly, in loud
er tone. HE was my son, he was my
son. No, he's dead, amt he? Then I'm
the natural guardeen Of his child.
didn't come here to talk" he added
brutally. II come here to get that boy.
I'm going to take him home with me-"
The woman was still looking at hin,
unfalteringly. You are going to take
him home with you?" she asked, mild
ly. "And what are you going to do
with him when you get him homer"
I'm going to keep him out Of the
way of the devil. But. I didn't come
here to talk" he cried.
The woman looked down upon the
face of her husband and stopped to
move a lock of hair upon his forehead.
"You did not come here to talk?" she
cried. You did not come here to talk,
but you shall hear some talk! Look
there! Look at him! That man was
your son and he Is dead! Why? Be
cause he was your son, because he had
you for father!"
"You are crazy!" the old man said.
The woman ignored his words. u
know all about you," she said. 'Tknow
what sort of a father you were. You
began to kill Ralph the day you took
him away from school because you
wanted him to be under you. You were
afraid he might become a man, with
a will of his own, and you wanted him
to be like your cattle, just to belong to
you. Oh, I know what he did them!
But who could blame him? And you
you, who set yourself up as model,
the deacon, the man Of God, the fine ex-
ample Of the hborhood-would
rather have him a drunkard than give
him a chance to become anything else,
because If he were to become anything
else he would not be a possession of
yours. Haven't you known that to be
the truth? You let Ralph become a
drunkard, you let him be mark of
scorn, rather than give him chance
to get beyond you! Besides. having
him near you like that made you seem
all the finer. The poor deacon-such a
model, such a good man to be afflicted
with such a son. That's what you
thought, wasn't it? It wasn't so bad,
being a martyr, was it?'
The old man was glaring at her, too
angry and too bewildered to speak. But
she did not pause long. ..
"And when he did, finally, have cour.
age enough to break away from that
what did you do? Did 1t ever occur to
you that he might be going away to try
to do better? No, you only thought
that he was going away from you, when
he ought to have stayed and become
a hired man without pay; it didn't oc-
cur to the deacon that his son could
wish to go to a place where he would
not be the black sheep Of the neigh
borhood, where he might have some
chance of becoming a man. You'd
think any father would have given his
son a chance for that; but what did
you do? You said he was dead to you!
You wouldn't help him when he wanted
to try; you only said he was dead!"
Asa Cutters head had dropped, and
he was looking up at her from be-
meath his brows. He was keen
enough to realize that much Of what
she said was true; his own virtue
had indeed seemed to him greater
by comparison with the vice Of his
son. Besides, there had been times
when he had wondered whether he
had done right by Ralph; that was
partly the reason for his coming to
rescue Ralph's son. AS his sons
widow poured forth her reproaches
and accusations, therefore, he began
to feel himself a little misjudged, and
consequently, hurt in another way.
She watched the changes in his
face, and went on: What did you
know Of the things he cared for?'
she cried. You declared without
knowing anything about it, that art
and the life Of an artist were the evi
one and his works! What right have
you to say that a thing is bad wher
many other people say 1t is good
Ralph never did harm to anyone but
himself. Will you be able to say as
much for yourself when you stand be-
fore your Maker? Did you remember
the good things Ralph did? No, yor
only remember the bad ones! He haG
temptations within himself Of which
you never dreamed, and yet yor
think you are a better man, because
you escaped all temptations, thar
Ralph was because he couldn't over