The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-04-12

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to sing her to sleep with its sobbing
and the melancholy double-strokes of
the bells to mark of the great eter-
nifty of time and horizon when
the distance slipped away. . past
the eye and into the soul > and
each low-hung sun on the rim of the
world created a shadow-ship that kept
them convoy into the mysterious
depths of the evening.
With long sturdy roll the ship now
swung onward. Wonderful stars
came out after supper in the glory
span of the turquoise heavens above
her. Sea-gulls winged in the gloom.
The officers silhouetted shadow
moved ceaselessly backward and for
ward on the forward deck, standing
guard sleeplessly over the distances
ahead, over the souls entrusted TO his
vigilence one of the unsung
heroes of commerce and peace. On
and on---into the east and the night
moved the great ship. The little
thumb-nail glimmers of the lights of
man peered out a little way into the
salty void of the great waters; the
lights of Almighty God looked down
their passwords over the ocean He
had made.
But He kept them in the hollow Of
His hand.
She stood by the rail of the gently
swaying vessel in the late evening.
And Tom came and stood by her side.
"Havin' a good time, mother?" he
asked cheerily.
But she could not reply.
1t meant something to her-this
"Going Abroad" She had indeed
paid for her passage.
Mother, was just going through
my black suit to have the boy press
it when l came across q letter q
woman gave me for you the night
you knuckled under and we thought
you were going to leave us. She
wanted to see you but we wouldn't
let her in. She went off and returned
with this envelope. Maybe you ought
to open it. 1t might be something
important"
There were many lights on deck.
Tom led his mother to her steamer
chair and she got her glasses. She
tore open the envelope. Two papers
came out. One was crumpled and
wrinkled with long keeping. The
other was a blotchy letter but re-
Gently written. She read the last
first.
Dear Mary: ..-
Iheard Thomas Joshua
speak at the Tabernacle tonight
and some of the things he said
hurt me badly. You have SIX
like Tom. I haven't even one.
1t ought to seem unfair but it
isn't. You paid the price for
them. L refused. It's a pretty
square world after ALL We get
just about what we deserve.
| may not see you again,
Mary. But for the sake of
soul l want TO say something
for the man l sent to.
the bad. | want someone
besides me to appreciate him.
When ] went through his things
after he disappeared twenty odd
years ago, l found the enclosure.
| didn't say anything about it at
the time. Mean and dirty like I
was, l intended to keep it and
trot it out to laud it over you and
make you feel bad. i don't send
it in that spirit now. | send it
for square deal for Herbert
some sort of poor compensation.
Goodbye, Mary Purse. won't
say God Bless You for that is
superhuous. He has done that
already and amply. l say, pray
God Tor me,-a lonely woman.
My cup of sorrow and remorse
is very very full
Mabel Henderson.
Mary's old hand trembled bit
a. she slowly lowered the letter.
Wonderingly, she picked up the en-
1t was plainly a receipt for money
'closure from her black-slik lap.
paid. Across the top in big type we're
the names:
PITS, HULING, DONOVAN &
WILEY, Attorneys.
Chicago, Ill.
And on the face of the receipt was
the information:
Received of Herbert Truman,
Paris, VT, $4,000 for transfer
to Mrs. John Purse, under terms
and conditions specified in cor
respondence, Jan. 18th to May 10