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Show I Father's Change of Heart I I lly INA VHIOIir-IIANH(N I I Copyrlqhtttl lot, by Tht Authort Publlthlng Conpany MBfnrtTri' 'H' i i'i i iminmftnmmKmmirwammmmr "Most ready, mother7" Carolluo ran In, her eyes sparkling with tho thought of some anticipated pleasure, but sho stopped suddenly. Her mother sat In n llttlo rocking-chnlr, rocking-chnlr, with her knitting In hor hands. "You aro not going?" Mother "knit two, seam two, nil tho wny across tho necdlo" before sho laid her work In her lap and answered Caroline "No I thought " "It Isn't what you thought, at nil," Caroline burst out. "It's father again! He's found out that jou wero going to havo a llttlo pleasure, and ho said you shouldn't go! He's Just as selfish as as I am!" "Hush," tho mother said, gently. "You must not speak so of your father. fath-er. It wouldn't bo any pleasure for him to go galllvantin' through tho woods after leaves, and he can't realize real-ize how much I wanted to. 1 ought to stay home and finish this sock anyway, and prob'ly I'd ketch cold and havo rheumatics if I went. Tho wind is going go-ing to blow, too. Maybe there'll bo a shower." "Mother, you know every word you'vo said Is what fnther told you. Wind blowing! You can't sco a loaf blowing! You can't seo n leaf stirring; nnd thero Isn't n cloud in tho sky. You couldn't take cold If you tried. It's all a burning shtimo!" Mothcr'n wistful eyes looked out on tho gnrdon. Father thought It a sinful sin-ful wasto of tlmo nnd ground to raise flowers, so tho garden was always cabbages cab-bages and tho llko, oxcept whero Care-lino Care-lino had planted some blossoming thing. Her heart yearned for tho beautiful, and tho woods, brilliant In scarlets and yellows well, sho must not think of thorn. Sho turned reso-lutoly reso-lutoly from tho clump of lings and the hollyhock. Hor eyes bilghtcncd when sho lookod at Caroline. It was no wonder that Will Archer had takon her away from them so early, and had built a llttlo homo for her whore sho had (lowers a-plenty. If Will had or-derod or-derod hor to leave tho ground for cabbages cab-bages Instead of flowers, it would havo mado no difference to Carolina. Sho wns firm llko hor father. "Mother, It makes me mad to havo you cow down ns you do! What comfort com-fort do you tako? Father works hard through thu week, but on Saturday afternoons af-ternoons ho goes to town nnd enjoys himself. You work llko a slavo all weok, and at night when ho Is slcoping you nro sowing nil tho time. Sundays you might havo a little rest, but with tho chores and tho baths nnd dinner to get, you havo but precious llttlo tlmo. If you over do think of something some-thing to givo you a llttlo plen ture. father knocks It nil over. Sometimes I think I hnto him." "Caroline!" Mother's olco was shocked. "IIo'3 your fnthor, child!" "I don't caro If ho's my groat grand- W 1 XtJD M WE "You couldn't take cold If you tried." fnthor! If I'd hnd my way, I'd havo had a fnthor who wasn't bo selfish. Thero, mother, I nm sorry I hurt you. You shall havo a bunch of protty leaves " Mother's work lay Idlo ns Cnrollno walked out of sight Her mind trnv-I trnv-I oled back to the day she had entered thut bourn- a-i lair and ns yuung as Caroline 1 at her was so proud of his young wifi nnd she fairly worshiped hor busbami Her hands wero willing 1 nnd her bod was strung bo she helped fnthor with tho chores, and ran errands er-rands for him, besides doing her own work. Sho was contented with a kind word or a caress for her pay. Sho did it now without kind words and caresses, ca-resses, but men get over thoso sent!-mental sent!-mental feelings quicker than womon do. "Mother!" Sho started, guiltily, and ran to the door. "What Is It, father? "Git supper as quick as you kin. I'm going to drlvo thorn steers ovor to Hrlghton I kin ns well as not. fer It's moonlight nights now. Then I'll go an' see Ilrothcr Caleb, so I may not git to 1 I "7 She shook hands with her neighbors, back toll to-morrow night. You kin tend to things around here." Mother ruso early noxt morning, as was her custom. As sho went to the barn with tho milk pails, she romem-bored romem-bored that It was Sunday, It seemed llko Sunday, too; sho felt tho peace of tho day In her soul. As tho white streams went steadily into tho pall, a daring thought camo to hor. She would go to church! It sho worked fast sho could go. She was out of breath when sho got to tho meeting house, but It rested her to look over tho congregation. Sary Ann Mason had on a now bonnot; and that must bo Janle Williams with her steady beau. Sho had almost lost track of tho young folks since Caroline Caro-line had married Sho folt half re lieved that Catollno and Will woro not there. They would look to surprised to seo her. Fathor would bo angry if ho know, but what the eyes don't soo, tho heart don't crlevu over. Tho preacher was talking, and sho composed herself to listen. As sho heard tho famill.tr words, tho vnguo longing, lj Ing dormant In her heart for many years, becamo definite., and, strung as a mighty torrent, thero swept through tho parched plains of her being a resolve. "Kottirn ye, return ye," tho preacher wns eaylng, ar.d sho would return. She shook hands with , Uerinelgh-hors Uerinelgh-hors as In a droim. She refused n rldo homo that sho mlsht-ilio alono with hor now-foun Joy. Not until sho saw her father upon tho doorstep did sho loso her exaltation, and then only for a moment. "Whor'vo you bon?" ho demanded "To mectln', father." "After all 1'vo told you about thorn drlvelln', sneakln' preuchors! I s'posod you had moro sonse. I won't have no Illblo readln', prayln' folks 'round mo!" Mother made no reply, but wont quietly to getting dinner. It did not occur to her to ask why ho had come homo so early. When fnther wnnted her to know anything, ho told hor; It ho said nothing, sho never nsked. Tho noxt Sunday, futhor stared, open-mouthed, us ho saw unmlstak-ablo unmlstak-ablo signs thnt sho was going to meeting. Would sho daro dlsohoy his ordorh? Ho would about as soon expect ex-pect to seo tlw sun rlso in tho west. Whon sho hnd actually gono, he snld. grimly: "Just wnlt till sho comos back!" Truth wns, mother dreadod tho coming com-ing hack. Tho brief lifting up, "as on eaglo wings," had glvon plnco to gloom. Sho was going to do her duty - sho would not fall lu that now but thr blessed Joy had, for tho tlmo, departed de-parted As sho camo hack, with lagging lag-ging stops fathor mot her nt tho door. ! Sho tried to smllo as she wt-nt toward to-ward him, but It was n miserable attempt. at-tempt. As sho would have passed 1 liu, ho caught her roughly by tno shoulder. "I tolled you I'd have lo prnyin', pious folks round mo an' I meant it! You kin git right out of hero!" Ito gave her a push, and sho would havo fallen had sho not grasped tho ehlrt nanglng loosely upon his bosom. With that clutch, her smoldering spirit blazed forth. "Father! You shan't keep mo out! I'll stick to you so long ns thoy's a breath In your body! ' Somothlng very llko ndmlratlon shono in fnther's eyes, ns ho vulnly tried to loosen her hold; nnd somothlng somo-thlng very llko a chucklo sounded In father's throat ns ho retreated into the house, saying very grullly: "Well, stay if you want to! Nobody No-body enros!" After this, father watehod her narrowly. nar-rowly. Ho wondered If sho would ns-sor ns-sor her Independence In othor wnys; but In all matters savo this ono, sho was tho snme meek, quiot wotnnn. Tho fourth Sunday of tho month was set nsldo for tho baptism oi converts. A brief discourse was given nt the r.ctiool house, then tho congregation was to repair to tho river, a quarter of a mllo distant. Thero wns n coodly number fathers fath-ers nnd daughters, mothers nnd sons, husbands and wives. It scorned natural nat-ural that they should follow tho preacher In couples, and natural thnt timid, retiring, little mother should bo last, and alone. Alono? Sho had taken a fow steps, repressing, wltn characteristic pn-tlcnco, pn-tlcnco, tho sigh which rose to her lips, when someone stopped forwnrd, nnd awkwardly took her nrm. Then henv-en's henv-en's own glory filled to overflowing her poor, starved soul, for "somcono" wns lather! |