The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-10-31
MARK

bBEeSUeu IN nGf SClOOl7 ueL muoiN- It's
sons, and her play, thatfor a long while
she did not notice what a cloud was
gathering over her home.
But one morning she overheard her
father and mother talking in low voices
in their room, which was next to hers.
II don't see any way out of it," said
her father. eff he insists upon it, we
are ruined"
"WiIl it take e~verything?" her
mother asked.
Everything" said her father, I'VE
shant have a roof to our heads. God
knows what will become of us all"
AZ wouldn't mind for myself" said
Mrs. Townsend, weeping; "but the chill
dren! Oh, / am sure Mr.. Kingdom can
not be so cruel"
"You don't know Kingdom" her hus-
band replied, bitterly. II took the
contract to build the block six months
ago, and should have made g moderate
profit. But the price of labor and the
cost of everything have gone up ~atleast
twenty per cent. He isn't to blame for
that, he says; and though others can't
keep their agreement with me, he sees
no reason why l shouldn't keep mine
with him. He doesn'tme to be cruel;
but business is business.
Poor little Rhoda listened with grief
and terror. Then she rememberedhO how
careworn her father had looked of late,
and how often she had seen her mother
sad and fearful.
She waited till he was gone, then ran
and threw herself on her mothers
neck.
II didn't mean to" she said, "but [
couldn't help hearing something! o
mother. is it true. Must we lose the
house and everything? Shall we be
very poor?"
my daughter" said Mrs. Townsend,
folding the dear child in her arms. II
am afraid So"
"Why didn't you tell me, mother ?"
Because you were happy, and 1
wanted you to remain so as long as you
could. And | hoped till now that Mr..
Kingdom would not insist upon your
fathers fulflIment the contract. He
can well afford not TO insist upon it,
He is very rich. The loss would not be
much to him, but it will ruin us"
docs he know it?" cried Rhoda,
eagerly. "Oh, / am sure he doesn't!
Why, mother, it is Mark Kingdoms
fatker; and Mark is just the incest,
kindest, best hearted boy you ever saw.
"But his father is a hard man, for all
that, " sighed Mrs. Townsend. II fear
there is no hope of him. And, now
that you know all, my child, / want to
say TO you that We must be prepared
for the worst. You are the oldest of the
children. Your father will have to be-
gin life again, and we must do all we
can to help him. We must give up
many things, perhaps have to work
sery hard. am sure you viii do all
you can to help take care of your dear
little brothers and sisters"
The mother and daughter wept in
each others arms; but with her high
opinion of Mark, Rhoda did not believe
that Mr.. Kingdom could deal so harshly
with her father.
@Tm sure he doesn't know" she re-
peated to herself. And she formed a
bold resolution. She would speak to
Mark about the affair.
They went to the same school, and it
was easy enough for her to find an OPP
p~Ortunity 10 speak to him. But It was
not 50 easy to think just what she
should say.
Mark. who was a bright, quick-sight-
Cd boy, n0ti6Ed that sue mad kept her
eyes on him with q troubled look. AS
she walked slowly away from the
eLHNDl-&1OncH t&Aab AttEEuODE lie IOl-
lowed and overlook her.
What's the matter. Rhoda? y he said.
@You act as If you had something
against me.
"Oh no; I've nothing against you"
ssBut there's some troubled" he in
sisted. Have ! anything to do with
it2r
mo, but you may have. O Markp
said Rhoda. beginning to CRY. 1T is
80 hardl and / am sure you don't know
anything about it; for it wouldn't be so,
IL you did,
What IS it said Mark, growing anx-
ious.
.sYour father and mine-something
about their business" And Rhoda told
him her story as well as she could.
Mark was sRrorised and distressed.
k<Nn r 1i1nsk knnmf 10 ha axclasunl