The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-10-28

man that he was. And YOU not know
Ing he was your own father. why, T.;
! Just couldn't keep 1t pack. A1ack
II has cost him nothing, nor has he
gained more than he had before, but
! nave lost my laddiel have lost my
She buried her face In her hands and
rocked back and forth in the chair,
moaning as old women moan when
stricken deep. Old womenl The years
nave spared them the strength to
tnelr tribute to pain or grief. And yet
What Shrek of despair Is more potent
than the humble groan Of an old wom-
an?
He put his arm about her thin shout
GERS and drew her head close to his
breast.
Don't say that. mother dear" he
said, with infinite gentleness. You
Will always be mother to me. There
never Will come a time when / will
hin of you as anything else. You are
!, my dear little mother. Why, how can
l think of you as being anything but
mother? 1t is not possible. Do you
think that a single day can wipe out
the thing / have believed ever since I
AN remember? Haven't you always
me to forget that you are mother and
then look upon that strange man over
there as father? 1t isn't possible. 1t
never can be possible. He is not father
TO me, nor can you ever be anything
but mother"
"Ah, John. you do not understand"
she argued patiently. THE truth is
out. Nothing can overcome that-not
your reasoning, mol your love, nor your
loyalty. l am not your mother. You
may say what o Like, but down deep
in your heart / am not what was to
you yesterday-and all the years before
yesterday. You have lost q mother.
You annot put me back where / was
yesterday. | did not bring you into
the world. You never saw your mother.
but you never can put away from you
the fact that she once lived and bore
you. You cannot think Of me as you
must think of her
Listen, mother" he interrupted,
listen to me. Haven't always thought
OF Henry Payson as my father? In
spite OF that man there, in spite of
what l know to be true, / shall always
think of Henry Payson as father I
cannot help 1t. It's in here somewhere
in my brain, in my heart. Just as
you are in here. What was the other
woman to me? Not even a memory. I
never saw Henry Payson, yet you know
what he has always been to me. My
father"
Hush, John" she cautioned, with a
quick glance at The pallid face of Adam
Carr. II may be able to hear. He
may understand"
Understand? What If he does? He
has always understood. 1t would be
nothing new to him. He has expected
nothing OF me-he has asked for moth
ing except my friendship. All, l begin
to understand some things myself. I
know now why 1 have always liked, al
ways admired Adam Carr. T know why
nave always depended on him, and
been guided by lin. He had the right
to govern; he had the right to claim
what nature had given him.
Poor man. sighed the widow Pay
son. He was a better father to you
than most fathers are to the boys who
has been thinking of you, doing
for you, saving for you. I have
seen his will. In it there is no
mention Of the relationship that
exists, but everything he possesses
goes to John Payson, son of my old
friend, Henry Payson, deceased Even
after his death, you We're not to know.
He has told me 1000 times that it
would wreck your life If you ever came
to know. 1t was his will and I obeyed.
could break him. I never knew a man
SO set in his ways. But you could tell
that by his face. And you, John. are
like him in a good many ways. You
never finch, you never give in. All,
how many times have 1 said to my
self like father, like SON."
Like him in every way" said he
bitterly. "Midthorne noticed it, He
threw 1t in my face-he threw Adam
Carr's face in mine. I shall never for
get that. Nor shall l ever forget that
l resented it more on Adam Cars ac-
count than my own, strange as it may
SEEM. You see, mother, I've known my
real father all my life and I've loved
him always.
you must ask God to forgive you
for the harsh, cruel things you said to
him last night, before the stroke
came" she said.
God understands everything" said
he. MY heart was full of misery. For
the first time in his life, Adam Carr
tainted me. He laughed at me when
commanded him to dispel the doubts
my mind had fixed on"
He was beside himself" she ex-
planned. you were driving him too
hard. 1 could see the sweat on his
brow A'
H s%huddered. what a horrible
thing it was! What a dreadful night!"
1T came upon him, even as he
laughed. II wonder If God struck
him for that" There was awe in the
old wcman's face.
Il wonder" he repeated after her.
n events Of the preceding night
may be ~chronicled in a few words.
tCont1nued next week.