The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-02-06

calm, but it was some little time before
they could make a success of it.
PART III.
One Sunday afternoon as Mrs Ferrel
was sitting on the porch at the old home
stead, she leaned back in her easy chair.
and closing her eyes she fell into a rev.
erie, in which the one Thought and hope
OF her life, Martin, figured above all
other things. She thought she heard the
hired man come in the gate, and when
he came up on the porch and stopped in
front OF her she wished he would 90 on
and not disturb her, and then she heard
that one word spoken which she had so
longed to hear agaln,-"Motherr Low
ing arms were thrown around her, and
as fond lips were pressed to hers a gentle
voice whispered, ave come back to YOU,
mother, and I'll never, never leave YOU
again. and Mrs. Ferrel whispered, 81
knew you would, Martin; | knew YOU
would"
Yes, Martin had come back, but not to
stay. There was not one single spot in
the vicinity of Hampton which was as
sociated with anything pleasant in Mar
TINS memory, except the old front porch.
where he had again met his mother.
Mother" he said one day, you can
sell this farm tor enough to buy great
deal better one in Iowa. | can't settle
down here, and besides l think YOU
would be better satisfied with me there
than here
1t did not take Martin long to gain his
mothers consent To leave HAMPTON. for
had he asked her TO go up in balloon
with him she certainly would have agreed
to do 1t. So in two months from the
time Martin returned, mother and son
were on their way 10 Iowa
The Black boys Rugged and kissed
Mrs. Ferrcll rs though she was their own |
mother, and Mrs. Black said it seemed |
like home again.
Miss Baird never made as much fuss |
over any one in her life as she did when |
Martin came back. Uncle Arnold took |
Martin all over the place, showing him
changes he had made and asked his opin-
ION on everything as though Martin was
OF great Importance.
Mrs. Ferrell bought farm in the
Baird neighborhood, but as she could
not got possession for nearly year she
lived with Mrs. Black for awhile. and
Martin divided himself between the
Balrds and the Blacks, until Miss Baird
persuaded Mrs. Terrell to make her
home with her
Martin and his mother were to move
on their farm as soon as they could get
possession, but before that time came. a
very remarkable thing happened. One
evening, when the family had gathered
around the stove for the evening, Miss
Baird said, "I've got something to tell
you all. Mind, now, it's no secret. 1
don't care who knows it or what they
think of it. I'm going to be married in
the spring"
Harpers' Magazine fell out of Mr..
Baird's hands and he sat staring at his
sister as though she had predicted the
exact moment when the world would
be cremated
"You needn't look that way; it's true.
told Fred Martin, 0he only man who
ever promised to be a success) eleven
years ago, that whenever he would come
to me and say he was sorry for what he
had done would marry him, and yes
terday he followed me out of church and
said it, and I'm not going to break my
word"
Why should she? Suppose her hero
had proved failure for eleven wears.
When he did come to time and proved
him self to be a success should he not be
encouraged in his good resolutions?
As spring approached Arnold Baird,
for the first time in his life, began to give
himself up to the blues. He took long
'trolls by himself on Sunday afternoons,
md then in the evenings, when the fam
ly were all together, he read much less
Ind talked great deal more than he {
lsed to, and he discovered that Mrs. Ferrel l
vas wonderful woman, and that she
eemed altogether too young for Martins I
mother, and he did not wonder now how ,
Martin happened to be so much better
han other boys. Queer thoughts began
o come into his mind, and then he I
bought: what fool I amp t
But time seemed to convince him that v
here is far more real common sense in {
icing happy old fool than lnelan- q
holy wise man. So, after committing i
little speech TO memory and forgetting O
very word of it when he came to the :,
cratch, he managed to ask Mrs Ferret i
she thought-if she supposed-did g
he reckon-that was, provided Martin .
ias willing-wouldn't it be better for =
er not to move On her farm-didnt she
link they could all live here better? J
md then he wondered if she understood Il
I'M, for he was all frustrated and hadn't q
lc slightest idea whether he had been q
liking about the moon or green peas or II
we. tC
Mrs. Ferret did understand him. tits u
easy to understand pleasant things:
nd she said, "Yes, as you say, if Martin cI
willing" e.
Martin was more willing than Barkis I
'er was, and several years later Mrs. Mar y.
came over one evening to see her boy, OF
she still called Martin, and as they fl
t on the porch talking, the subject of p
ok came up. ii
What do you consider the most lucky
me of your life, Martin - said she. d.
"When l came in that gate and asked az
r work" said Martin, pointing to the 81 %
I'm lot. "And you 90 he continued. of
well, think 1 had just come out of ne
Iurch, and some one followed me.n al