San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-08-31

| "6"h' to" h"so hpuor Worbo tnuu
do anything on earth, and / won't
have you or any man around me drink
ing. If you cane stop you've go. to
leave, that's all"
While Phillips was talking old Pete
had gradually drawn himself into one
corner of the cabin where it was dark.
When Phillips stopped speaking, there
was silence for a few minutes, and
then the old man said, in rather un.
steady voice:
"Was your mothers name Polly?"
"Yes; how did you know itp"
"Was your fathers name Phillips?"
"No; mother took her own name
after he left her. His name was Parks"
Old Pete got up, left the cabin, and
did not return that night.
While marvelling much at his strange
manner, the. young man went to bed.
The next day he spoke about it, but old
Pete turned it off with casual remark.
But from that day old Pete stopped
drinking. Nothing that could be said
to him could induce him to enter the
saloon or touch anything at all. The
men in the camp wondered, doubling
that it would last, and finally, as the
weeks slipped past, accepted the mira
Gle of Pete's reformation as being fact.
They ceased to call him Pete, and
began to address him as Farley, or Mr.,
Farley. The passion for comforting
brevet titles being strong in the west,
in time he began to be called Squire,
and ten months after his visit to Phil
lips to borrow some money, there was
actually talk of electing him justice of
the peace. The old mans devotion to
the younger one was apparent to every
one, and the affection was warmly re-
turned. One day he said to him:
Pete, seems to me that our names
being similar kinder mixes things up"
"That's true" answered young Pete
with a laugh. "They're calling you
Squire now; s'pose I do the same?"
"Jess Us you like. bout that, only I
dunno as I cares very much for the
name. Iwish I had a sou, cause 1
kinder like some one to call me daddy.
I amt ashamed now of bein' q daddy
that is, of course" he added hastily, eff
I were one"
"Well," said Pete, good naturally,
"Ill call you daddy if you like"
"Will you, now?" said the old man
eagerly. "Will you really?"
Certainly. I amt got no daddy as
I knows"
And from that time out it was dad
dy." The name seemed to give the old
man the strangest delight, and some
times he would, rather timidly at first,
call young Pete "Son." He never did
this, though, unless they were alone.
About two years after Pete Phillips
had come into camp, he told his "dad-
dy." as he always called the Squire, for
the election was fact by this time
that his mother had written to say she
was coming out to see him.
The intelligence moved the old man
strongly. He seemed to have alternate
periods of the greatest joy and the
most intense melancholy. Young Pete
would detect the Squire looking at him
as though he would say something, but
on being questioned the old man would
generally get up and leave the cabin.
Mrs. Phillips was to arrive on Tues
day, and Monday morning, after an I'M
usually prolonged fit of musing, the
Squire pronounced his intention of
going over to neighboring camp for
few days. He probably would have
done SO had not the stage stopped that
afternoon at the cabin, and after two
years and half, young Phillips was
once mole clasped in his mothers
arms. After the two had talked as
mother and son would talk under such
circumstances, Mrs. Phillips suddenly
said:
where's Mr.. Farley, dear?"
II don't know, mother. suppose
he'll be here before long"
As he spoke the door opened, and the
Squire stepped in.
Pete began-"Squire, this is my"
when Mrs. Phillips gasped out:
@Peter!"