The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-09-29

, hours before Doctor Grey returned. Even
in the midst of the pain of setting the broken
limb-it proved to be a compound fracture
the boys love and pride in his father was
uppermost. How neatly he went to work:
how quick and strong was his touch
Have Doctor Barrows touch him, indeed!
Why, compared with his father, he was q
bungler, quack, homeopothist! But
when it was over, and he was lying there
exhausted. another thought came over him:
with broken leg, how the dickens am
; l to run away~
He had not thought of it before. The
pain and the strangeness had swallowed up
everything else. But now the whole thing
came back over him with crush and the
misery of it drew groan from him such as
all the pain had not done.
why, my boy, was it as bad as thatU
and the clever surgeons hand brushed the
hair off Bobby's forehead with as much
tenderness as a woman.
There are plenty of mothers in America.
| There are fewer fathers than in any other
civilized country. 1t was Bobby'S great
good fortune that he had one of them. He
had never so realized it as at that moment.
genuine hero-worshipper though he had
been all his life. There was a wonder in
his mind, TOO, that in his admiration he had
overlooked the fact that even more than
''otficer and gentleman" was Doctor GREY
father" Why, it sesmed the most
| natural thing in the world to tell him all
his trouble. How could he ever have been
such jack as to have been afraid? Bobby's
| language was never heroic.
| He blurted out everything from heocin
| ming to end-even how he had planned to
leave them all. DIR. Grey, listening at first.
not understanding, tlen gradually coming
to an insight, said rot word. Only that
look that Bobby had dreaded more than
anything that could happen to him, did
come into his face, and, manhood or no
'aN2 hood, Baahx did l,aEst ,s.rsTl4
pdrying his face in the sofa-pillow, cried
like baby-''like great grill"
"How much did you say it was:"
"Forty-four dollars and sixty cents"
From the low Bobby heard his father
go to his desk unlock it, then after short
pause go 10 the door and call to Jack.
Poor TaHy's feelings were relieved by
Doctor Grey's few CHEEKY words, and he
} wento off feeling less like Cain. Jack went,
too, with the funds of the Debating Society
and School Register, for Bobby would not,
of course, be able to attend the meeting,
and wished him to take his place. Bobby
} heard it all. When he closed the door, he
!, spoke:
"Father, only say something! 1 wish
Taffy had knocked me on my head in
: stead"
'You must not talk. shall have you in
high fever" Doctor Grey was putting
his instruments in their places; his face
| was from the lounge, but there was strain
? in his voice that gave Bobby great deal
l more pain than his leg.
} II shall be if you won't say something
to me about it,"
= Perhaps DR.. Gray realized the truth of
that, for in a minute or two he had drawn
up his chair to the lounge.
''Your fault was when you borrowed
that first cent for postal card"
but put that straight backp' Bobby
had his fathers hand close in his. He
{ would not have liked the fellows to have
| known it, but it was astonishing how much
help there was in that strong nerve-clasp.
81 thought thought -when-when |
fooled away all that money yesterday
, afternoon''-
| Doctors probably understand human ma
ture better than most people, they see so
much of the underneath. So what Doctor
Gray said now was this:
"That was the natural end. The sur
, prising part would have been had you not
done something of the kind. But in the
beginning YOU were tampering with n
. trust, and you knew it. 1t does not do to
) be careless in such things particularly as
, there is no example in the world so easy to
! follow as ones own. | acquit you of any
thought of stealing, BUTT is just that loose
ness that works so much more mischief
than deliberate evil-doins. Half the defal.
cations and forgeries and embezzlements
begin in some such way. Now don't talk
any more, my boy. We must be getting
you into bed"
~ He ufd not allude to it again. Nor did
Bobby, but he thought all the more as he
lay through that summer, for he did not
get to Rangely, or anywhere else, and it
was well into fall before his leg was fit for
use again.
Almost the first use he made of his
mended limb was to sell off:
A gun that had been slowed away in the
corner of his closet, and had never been
fired by its then owner.
A small revolver.
A Russia leather pocket inkstand.
dog whip, pocket-book, and belt.
And then he fell to work at odd Jobs:
saving and splitting wood for the neigh
borS, running errandS, working after school
for Buffum, Sitting coal, taking care of any
furnace that offered, taking care of two
horses, and going around with the morning
and evening papers. And Doctor GREY I'M
dersuood why it was that Bobby had now
no time for football; why he had even re-
| signed on the Glee Club and the School
Register, though he did not say a word.
Just as Bobby understood why it was the
old microscope still stood on the office
table.
1t was not till just before Christmas
he had at last succeeded in scraping
together forty-four dollars and sixty cents,
that he felt he could look into his fathers
eyes without shrinking. He put it down
on the desk by him without saying word.
Doctor Grey held out his hand and the two
shook hands. That was all, but both I'M
, derstood.
Aunt Melissa never sent any more birth
day presents, for though she had many
thousands, that fall of Western bonds had
convinced her she was on the brink of ruin,
and could not afford twenty-five dollars to
her granddaughter.
There was another odd result. To this
day Bobby hates the name of Rangeley,
and nothing makes him so miserable as the
air of captain John."-Edith Robinson.
in Vide Atcdke.
|