Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-01-16

schoolmates on the road. and is having
a play-spell. Boys will be boys, you
know said the kind-heacted Mrs
Green.
At five o'clock Mark had not made
his appearance, and the farmer vent
out to milk alone. Tain like him to
dilly-dally when on an Grand" he mutt
tered to himself, as he took down his
milking-stool. Il hope he hasn't run
away with that money. He's been
good boy since being here, but what do
1 know about his past record? L do
hope he hasn't run away. Not that L
care so much for the money; but l had
learned to like the boy"
The chores done, the Green family
sat down to supper. All were silent
until tie farmer said:
THAT boy had twenty dollars in an
envelope in his inside pocket. and there
can't be any further doubt but that he's
run away with it. I'd give another
twenty dollars, cheerfully, if 1 could
think otherwise
Mark is honest, father" said Arthur.
HELL come back all right, see if he don't.
l don't know. what, but something has
happened to him. know it, He'll return
some day, if not tonight, and clear up
the mystery"
81 think so, too,'' sa id Mrs. Green.
s'Perhaps he has met with an accident.
Hadn't yor better drive to Mr.. Perry's
in the morning and see?"
'.Yes. I'd go tonight if it wasn't so
stormy replied the farmer.
But when in the morning he drove
up to Mr.. Perry's door he found the
house locked up. The whole family
had gone to Ohio. He inquired at the
few houses on the road between Mr..
Perry's and his own home, but could
hear nothing of the missing boy. Sadly
he unhitched his horse. firmly con-
WINGED he had seen the last of Mark and
his twenty dollars
One day about the middle of January,
just as the Greens had sat down to din
ner, the kitchen door slowly opened and
Mark Bloomer stepped in He was
poor as crow" as Arthur expressed
it; his eyes and cheeks were hollow and
he was so weak he could hardly walk!
At this unexpected apparition Mrs.
Green arose from her chair SO suddenly
as to nearly overturn the table. Arthur
uttered loud ''Hurrah! 1 told you sou
while Mr.. Green could only sit and stare
in open-eyed wonder.
''Why, where have you been, and
what makes you so thin and pale?'
asked the good housewife as she placed
plate and cup and saucer for Mark.
I've been in the pest-house and I've
had the smallpox said the boy.
'When I've had something to eat I'll
tell you all about it. I'm awful hun
cry"
After dinner Mark told his story as
follows:
"Altbough I didn't say any thing
about it, hadn't been feeling we'll for
some time before 1 went away.
thought it wasn't nothing more than
cold until that day 1 went to Mr.. Per-
rvs. I felt sick enough to die before
got half way there. My head and back
burned and ached, and the trees and
houses and things looked as though they
were just spinnin' round. l couldn't
think what was the matter with me at
first. but soon made up my mind / was
coming down with the smallpox. The
day before 1 went to Mr.. Perry's Ike
Pier told me that Sam Smith was down
with the smallpox and in the pest
house. About a fortnight before, you
remember, Sam and 1 had worked to-
gether in 1.-THE woods. When that came
into my mind 1 knew what was the mat
ter of me, and 1 says to myself it won't
never do for me to go back home and
give Arthur the smallpox. Weak and
sickly as he is, he would die sure. I'll
just go to the pest-house and bear Sam
Smith company. 1 managed, somehow.
to get to Mr.. Perry's and give him the
envelope. l told him all about it, and
where l was going, and made him prom
Use to tell you; but he was so fright
ened and in such a big hurry to get rid
of me that 1 don't believe he realized
what he said"
'He went West that very day. broke
in the farmer, land l got letter from
him yesterday, in which he says he got
| the money all right, and told me all
about your-your-"
Heroic behavior" said Mrs Green,
| who used to be a ''schoolma am" and
| prided herself on having better educa-
| ton than her husband.
We'll" continued Mark, 81 got to
the pest-house somehow can't re-
member how myself-and the doctors
said 1T was fine case;' though what
there was fine about it is more than I,
| for one, can tell, for was sick s horse
They pulled me through all right, how
ever, anu mere L am, ana GnaC s ali there
| is about it,
"Well, Mark" said Mr. Green, ST
will say this much: your home is here
just as long as you care to stay. When
you get strong enough you can go to
work, and Pll pay you ten dollars a
| month the first year, and more the next,
and you can go to school winters. feel
that your presence of mind saved my
| sons life. for he never could have lived
through what you've endured God bless
YOU" and to hide his emotion the farm
er abruptly left the room.
Good Mrs. Green, with the tears
streaming down her cheeks, clasped the
two boys in her arms and said:
''Henceforth. instead of one son, I
have two. Arthur, you must love Mark
| as a brother, for he just the same as
| saved your life
Il knew he wasn't thief" said Ar
| thur. squirming from his mothers arms.
''Hurrah. for brother Mark! Hurrah,
for every body!'-Thomas Burke, in
Yankee Blade.
War Relic.
General 81. V. Boynton has a section