Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-12-06

quite so new nor 10 SHINY - us coui'
panions; and, as she was glancing over
its contents, she came upon = photo
graph which represented q bright
eyed, curly.haired, good-looking fel-
low about nineteen or twenty years
old.
"Who Is this good-looking young
man, Izannahp His face Is very f.
miliar," said she. showing the picture
to Mrs. Martin.
mo one whom you ever saw an
swered Izannsh, with q flushed face
and confused air.
"Ah ha! One of your old beaux, ehP
! must say that he is ten times as good
looking as Rufus am surprised you
didn't take him instead Of my worthy
but very homely cousin. Do tell me
about him."
"Nonseusel he wasn't any beau OF
mine. Put the picture away; ! don't
want to talk about him." answered
Izannah, In the abrupt, snappish man.
ner common TO her when she was tired
or busy or worried or sleepy, in fact,
her usual manner when at home.
Laura fully appreciated the many 90.
nestle excellences which hannah pos
esscd; she saw that, like her brothers,
she worked early and late and could
make a dollar go as far as five times
Its value would under the manlpula'
ton Of most people. The Ballards
were proverbial in Clifton for their In
dustry. their ability to do everything
quickly and we'll, their sobriety and
promptitude, and, also, for their econ
omy; only most people thought that in
them that virtue had degenerated into
the viceof stinginess. Success was the
standard by which they measured
everything and everybody; and sue
cess to them had none but Pc
cuniary meaning
At that moment Ida entered the
room, and Laura appealed to her tc
know who was the mysterious orig
inal Of the picture.
THAT? Why, that's Mark Ballard
my husbands youngest brother I'm
sure, hannah, you needn't try to dis
own him, for everybody in the county
knew him. lie was the youngest o.
the family, and no more like the Bal
lards than chalk's like cheese lie wal
idle by nature; and, as his father dice
when he was only ten years old, j
never got beat out Of him as 1t ough
to a. ben. Mother Ballard hadn't nj
more force to her than an old scttin
hen. lie was her pet, and she certain
ly did humor him TO death. Well, i
turned out as II always does when ont
child is pettcd to extremes and thu
others taught to work as they ough
TO do; Mark got lazier and lazier
wouldn't do nothing about the farm
wouldn't 20 into the mills, wouldn't d
nothing but read, read all the time
said he wanted to be scholar, whic
was ridiculous in q poor boy like him
He and his brothers didn't agree, and
finally, he ran away and went to tn
bad. He ran into debt and took t
drink, and as we amt heard nothin
of him for nigh onto fifteen years
s'pose he's dead. No great loss II h
Is" added Ida, not unwilling to 81
hibit the deep hue Of the Ballard blac
sheep
"Did his mother give up all hope q
him before she died9" asked Laur'
pitifully.
"Oh, mother amt dead, nor won
be for many a year" answered lzaI
nah, chcerfully. 1t was her turn nov
not ldas. "She's beautifully settle
In the Old Ladies' home over to Fai
field. One Of us goes to see her ever
year or two. You see, when Abnt
got married. bein the Oldest son, b
and Ida naturally chose to live on th
farm; and as Ida had to have hi
mother with her, there want no plat
there for anybody else's mother. Ii
deed the two Of em had always hate
one another like poison; SO mother ha
to give up the old house to Abne
She never did like farmin' anywa
Mark took his love Of idle readi
from her. Seth said he couldn't ha'
her 10 his house, for there want
room for her; his house Is dretf
small, and come to get three hired me
and Seth and his wife in their attics
for that's all his bedrooms are-it
pretty full
1.-THE boys thought I'd ought to ha'
taken mother; but, dear mel ho
could ~ | want Twin In the o
house, and what with my troop
young ones, a baby always 10 n
arms, and my work round the hous
| hadn't no time TO tend to invalid
for mother'd got real poorly So
all Joined together and got her a bea
tiful room in the Fairfield home, whe
she didn't have thing TO do all d
but just enjoy herself"
Laura was SO shocked and panied
this evidence Of Ballard heartlessne
that she cut short her visit to Clifto
-xl L. L.. hama Tho M