The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-04-21

casions for fully an hour; and
more than once, it had been OBJ
served that he did not go on over
the bluff, as was his usual custom,
but turned and came back. To
that these circumstances
no attention AMI provok-
ed no comment would be to fancy
Seward Center q community of
winged creatures with crowns and
harps, which it was not. The mat
ter had gradually assumed an in
terest in the public mind second
only to that of the pending strife
for the county seat between the
Center and the rival town of Ko-
homo. Hence the religious pa
thence with which Aunt Naomi
Seybold watched Perky's move
ments from behind her window
hence, also, the signifi-
canoe that had been attached to
his casual remarks in the Clarion
office on the subject of matrimony.
The Center really believed that
Perky was in love with the wild
oW.
The widow Hainline, it is prop
er to say, was not widow at all.
She was a divorced wife, who had
resumed her maiden name, but
still retained the title of "Mrs."
on account of her son Benny, a
glad-eyed little lad Of eight years.
Her husband had abandoned her
when Benny was but two years
old; she had obtained a divorce
three years later, and the next
summer she had come to Kansas,
hoping in time to get farm for
the boy. This was substantially
all they knew about her, except
that during her nearly three years
residence in the Center she had
been a well-behaved, hard working
woman. 1t seemed strange that,
with her bitter experience and her
frigid and methodIcal ways, she
should be thinking Of marriage;
much stranger than that Perky.
who was so lonely and so peculiar.
should be contemplating such a
thing. To be sure, there was no
absolute evidence that her thoughts
were running in that direction.
But, is there ever any but circun-
stancial testimony in such cases?
Perky had been seen going to and
coming from her house very often
she spoke of him always-when
she spoke of him at all-with no
ticeable kindness; her face flushed
with evident pleasure whenever
anybody praised him a little for
his known good qualities, or made
generous excuse for his faults
And then, had she not bought 6
dress with gaudy pink stripe in
it. and did she not lately wear ar
unusual bow Of bright ribbon al
her throat, and sometimes a big
red rose in her hair? Surely these
signs, meaning so much with 9th
er people. could not be mere acct
dents or idle freaks with her. Sc
the verdict OF the Center soon
came to be unanimous, that if thu
widow thought she did not low,
Perky, she was very much mis:ak
l en-.
The Center having made up it
mind, there was no more doub
and no more discussion. And yet
as matter of fact, Perky had new
er been known to go into the wild
ow's house, nor had he and tn
widow ever been seen to SO mucl
as chat together at the gate
When Perky stopped there it wa
the boy, Benny, who came out t,
see him, and talked with him b,
the hour and often accompanied
him as he went on over the blu
and down into the river bottom
where the large trees were, and tn
birds and the squirrels, and tn
queer sound of the running water
For Perky and Benny had com
to be close companions and friends
The one was rarely seen withou
the other. The boy had caugh
something of the mans besettin
spirit of unrest, and the man ha
borrowed bit of the boys gent
cheeriness, so that they blende,
very happily. They spent muc
of their time wandering about tn
woods, over the hills, and out o
the breezy sweep of the uplan
overlooking the river from the oil
Ter side.
4 Their falkland they talked
f great deal--was of the things the
had seen and heard and though
together-of the flowers, the star
r the psalms, the miracles, the prin
: ing office, and the farm Benn
!, was going to have when he got I
> be man. Sometimes the boy
q swift questions went far beyon
: Perky's power of answering, an
. then there would be a silence an,
\ a change of the subject. Some
: times, too, Benny could not quit
r understand why his friend stan
: mered and looked ashamed whe
e making inquiry of him about b
i mother. But there was no di
e trust between them and no dis
: greement; and as they were spea
# ing one day of the boys lathe
r and Perky said suddenly, as if
! had just thought of 1t, sHo
: would you like to have me for
y father?' Benny replied witho
O hesitation and with feeling, SO
!. that would be splendid" The
e they walked home without sayin
: another word, and when they par
e ed at the gate there were tears
n Perky's eyes. Benny lay awal
s a long time that night wonderil
l. what it could mean, and fell aisle
II to dream that his father came
% him in the vague white robe of 6
e angel, with q face that shone Ii
: the sun. And the face was Il
It face of Perky.
e As the summer wore slew
t; away, Perky's gloominess gr'
+ upon him day by day, and he cou
a not shake it of. It seemed to hi
o also, that it took very little ex'