The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1918-05-24

yourself. ] meanT
Captain Elisha grinned in apprecia"
ton Of private poke. '"There is some
body else" he admitted, who'll pay
share, anyhow. But, anyhow, you saw
wood or bones or whatever you have
TO do and leave the rest to me. And
don't tell Caroline or anybody else
word"
News from the Moriarty sick room
continued favorable for time. Then
with alarming suddenness a change
came. The broken hip was mending
slowly, but poor Pats age was against
him. and the shock and long illness
were too much for his system to nght.
DR.. Henry shook his head dublousiy
when the cal tain asked questions.
And one morning at Breakfast Edwarcs
informed him that tne old man was
dead.
Captain Elisha, though not greatly
surprised. was shocked and grieved
II seemed such needless tragedy. al
most like murder, although there was
no malice in it. And the thought OF the
fatherless children and the poverty or
the stricken family made him shudder.
But lust before evening his blueness
had disappeared. He had just returned
to his room, after stepping into the hall
TO drop his letter in the mail chute,
when his niece Knocked at the door.
Captain Warren" she began nur-
riedly. "the last time l came to YOU
the last time I came here, ! came to
ask a favor, and you'll thought YOU
Eyes. Caroline" he said gravely, Il
know what you mean. Won't you
won't you sit DOWN.
Captain Warren" she began once
more, 'the time I came to you in TINS
room you were, so I thought, unreason'
able and unkind. / asked you Iol
money to help poor family in trou'
BILE. and you refused to give it to me-
mo. Caroline" he interrupted,
didn't refuse: you only thought did
She held up her hand. please let
me go on" she begged. Il thought you
refused, and / couldn't understand
why. I was hurt and angry l knew
that father never would have refused
me under such circumstances, and you
were his brother. But since then, only
today, 1 have learned that was wrong
/ have learned
She paused. The captain was silent
He was beginning to hope. to believe
once more in his judgment OF charac'
fer. and yet with his hope and growing
ioy there was trife Of anxiety.
II have learned" went on his niece,
that was mistaken. cant under
stand yet why you wished to wait be
fore saying 'yes,' but do know that il
must have been neither because sou
were slnkind nor ungeAerous- ! have
Just come from those poor people. and
they have told me everything"
Captain Elisha started. What did
they tell your he asked quickly. "Whe
told your"
annie and her mother. They told
me what you had done and were doing
for them, how kind you had been al
through the illness and today. Oh.
know you made them promise not tt
tell me, and you made the doctor and
nurse promise too. But l knew some
one had helped, and Annie dropped a
hint. Then l suspected, and now
know. Those poor people!'
The captain, who had been looking AT
the floor and frowning bit, suddenly
glanced up to find his niece's eyes fixed
upon him, and they were filled with
tears.
"Will you forgive me?" she asked,
rising from her chair and coming i'm.
pulsively toward him. I'm sorry
misiudged you and treated you so.
You must be very good man. Please
forgive me-"
He took her hand, which was swaL
lowed up in his big one. His eyes
were moist also.
Lord love you, dearie," he said,
there's nothing to forgive. realized
tl4at must have seemed like a mean
stingy old scamp. Yet didn't mean to
be. l only wanted to look into this
thing just nttle-just as matter OF
business. you know. And L Caro-
line. did that doctor tell you anything
morew
ANY more?" she repeated in Devil
derment. HE told me that you were
the kindest man he had ever seem"
"Yes, yes. Well. maybe his eyesight's
poor. What 1 mean is did he tell you
anything about anybody else bein' In
this with me?'
Anybody else? What do you mean?'
"Oh, nothin', nothin'. / joked with
him a spell ago about wealthy rela-
ton of the Moriarty tribe turnin' up.
Twas only a joke, of course. And yet
Caroline, IL think I'd ought to say
He hesitated. What could he sayi
Even a hint might lead to embarrass