The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-05-14

ueau. i nave come here TO rest and
have found some work to do. / am bet
ter now. Have seen Sally. She is very
beautiful and kind. She does not know
that l am the old witch, have changed
so. The others do not know-it IL
better that way. / think II was the
Lord that brought me here. He has
way of taking care of some people,
my boy. Do you remember when be-
gan to call you my boy-you were very
little. 1t Is long, long ago since first
saw you In your fathers dooryard-
you said you we're going to mill on
butterfiy's back. You looked just as
thought my boy would look. You gave
me kiss. What wonderful gift II
was to me thenl / began to love you.
have no one else to think of now. ]
hope you won't mind my thinking SO
much Of you.
"God bless you.
KATE FULLERTON"
understood now why the strong
will and singular insight of this wom-
an had so often exercised themselves
the far day and the happy circum-
stance of which she spoke, but wrote
her letter which must have warmed
her heart am sure.
Silas Wright arrived In Canton and
drove up to our home. He reached
our door at eight in the morning with
his hound and rifle. He had aged rap
idly since had seen him last. His
hair was almost white. There were
many new lines In his face. He
seemed more grave and dignified. He
did not lapse into the dialect of his
fathers when he spoke of the ancient
pestimes of hunting and fishing as he
had been wont to do.
Bart" he said when the greetings
were over, 'let's you and me go and
spend a day In the woods. I'll leave
my man here to help your uncle while
you're gone"
We went by driving south a few
miles and tramping in to the foot of
the saltwater on our rivera trail
long familiar to me. The dog left us
soon after we took it and began to
range over thick wooded hills. We sat
down among small, spirelike spruces
at the rivers edge with long stretch
of water i'm sight while the music Of
the hounds voice came family to our
ears from the distant forest.
ooh, I've been dreaming of this for
a long time," said the senator as he
leaned back against a tree and filled
his lungs and looked out upon the wa
ter, green with lily pads along the
edge and fiecked with the last of the
white blossoms. 81 believe you want
to leave this lovely country"
81 am waiting for the call to CO."
! said.
i've been thinking about your
uncle" he said by and by. "He is one
of the greatest men have ever known.
You knew of that foolish gossip about
him-didn't your"
"Yes," / answered.
swell, now. he's gone about his busi-
ness the same as ever and showed by
his life that IL couldn't be true. Not
word out of him! But Dave Ramsey
fell sick-down on the fiat last winter.
BY and by his children were crying for
bread and the poormaster was going
to take charge of them. Well, who
should turn up there, just In the nick
Of dime, but Della and Peabody
Baynes. They fed those children all
winter and kept them in clothes so
that they could 60 to school. The
strange thing about IL is this: 1t was
Dave Ramsey who really started that
story. He got up In church the other
night and confessed his crime. His
conscience wouldn't let him keep 1t.
He said that he had not seen Peabody
Baynes on that road the day the
money was lost but had only heard
that he was there. He knew now that
he couldn't have been there. Gosh
talmightyl as your uncle used to
say when there was nothing else to be
said"
1t touched me to the soul--thls long
delayed vindication of my beloved
Uncle Peabody.
The senator ate supper with us and
sent his hired man out for his horse
and buggy. When he had put on his
overcoat and was about to go he
turned to my uncle and said:
Peabody Baynes, II have had any
success In the world 1t is because I
have had the exalted honor and con-
seriousness that represented men like
you"
He left us and we sat down by the
glowing candles. Soon told them what
Ramsey had done. There was mo-
ment Of silence. Uncle Peabody rose
and went to the water pail for drink.
Bart, I believe I'll plant corn on
that ten-arce lot next spring-darned
II don't" he said as he returned to
his chair.
None Of us ever spoke Of the matter
again, to my knowledge.