Dr. Lavendar came in at tea-time, as he had lately made a point of
doing, and sat down beside Mrs. Wright in Sam's chair.
"Samuel," said he, when supper was over and the little girls had
slipped away; "you must comfort your father. Nobody else can."
The senior warden drew in his breath with a start.
"He blames himself, Samuel."
"Blames himself! What reason has he got to blame himself? It was my
fault."
"Oh, my dear," said the poor mother, "you couldn't tell that he was
going to clean your pistol."
Samuel Wright looked heavily over at Dr. Lavendar.
"Well," said the old minister, "he gave Sam the money to go away. I
suppose that's on his mind, for one thing. He may think something went
wrong, you know."
"Oh," broke in the mother, beginning to cry, "he Was so glad to get
home; he said to me the night he got back, 'Mother, I just had to come
home to you and father; I couldn't stay away any longer.' I'm sure he
couldn't have said anything more loving, could he? And he kissed me.
You know he wasn't one to kiss much. Yes; he couldn't bear to be away
from us. He said so."
"Go and see him, Samuel," urged Dr. Lavendar. "You, too, have lost a
son, so you know now how he has felt for thirty-two years. His was a
loss for which he knows he was to blame. It is a cruel knowledge,
Sam?"
"It is," said the senior warden. "It is."
"Then go and comfort him."
Samuel went. A great experience had wiped the slate so clean of all
the years of multiplications and additions of resentment and
mortification, that the thought of facing his father did not stir his
dull indifference to the whole dreary matter. When Simmons saw him
coming up the garden path, he said under his breath, "Bless the Lawd!"
Then, mindful of hospitality, offered whiskey.
"Certainly not," said Samuel Wright; and the old habit of being
displeased made his voice as pompous as if he cared--one way or the
other. "Can you make him understand that I'm here, Simmons? Of course,
I won't go up-stairs unless he wants to see me."
"He'll want to see you, suh, he'll want to see you," said Simmons.
He's right smart to-day. He kin use his left hand. He dun shuck that
fist at me this mawnin'. Oh, laws, yes, he'll want to see you."