The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-03-13

idle by nature; and, MS his father died
when he was only ten years old, IL
never got beat out of him as II ought
n ben. Mother Ballard hadn't no
more forcc to her than an old settin'
hen. He was her pet, and she GER
tainly did bumor him to denth. Well,
1t turned out as IL always does when
one child is petted to extremes and
the others taught to work as they'd
ought TO do; Mark got lazicr and
lazier, wouldn't do nothing about tho
farm, wouldn't go into tho mills,
wouldn't do nothing but read, read all
the time said lie wanted TO be n
scholar, which was ridiculous in poor
boy like him. He and his brothers
didn't agree, and, finally, he ran away
and went TO the bnd. He ran into
debt and took to drink, and rs we
amt heard nothing of him for nigh
onto 10 years i s'poso he's dead. No
great loss if he is" added Ida, not
unwilling to exhibit tho deep hue of
the Ballard black sheep. There was
not real sisterly love between her
and hannah.
''Did his mother give up all hope of
him before she died?" asked Laura,
pitifully.
ooh, mother nin't dead, nor won't
be for many n year." answered lam
nah, cheerfully. II was her turn now,
not Ida's. "She's beautifully settled
in the Old Ladies' Home over to
Faii field. One of us goes to see her
every year or two. You see when Alb
ner got married, bein' the oldest son,
he and Ida naturally chose to live on
the farm; and as Ida hal to have her
mother with her there want no place
there for anybody elsc's mother. In
deed, the two of EN- had always hated
one another like poison; so mother
had to give up the old house to Alb
ner. She never did like farmin', any
way. Mark took his love of idle
readin' from her. Seth said he
couldn't have her come to his house,
for there want no room for her; his
house is dreadful small, and come to
get three hired men and Seth and his
wife in them attics-for that's all his
bedrooms are-it is pretty full.
'rhe boys thought I'd ought to
have taken mother; but, dear me
how could l? l want livin' in the
old house, and what with my troop of
young ones, baby always in my
arms, and my work round the house, 1
hadn't no time to tend to invalids; for
by this time mother'd got real poorly,
So we all joined together and got her
n beautiful room in the Fairfield
Home, where she don't have thing
to do all day but just enjoy herself"
Laura was 80 shocked and panied
by this evidence of Ballard heartless-
ness that she It short her visit to
Clifton, and started for her home the
next week.
part of her journey was by water;
and happening to fall into conversa-
tion with the lady who sat next to her
on the boat, she related this incident
to her, prefacing it with the question:
"Do you know anyone in Clifton?"
"No," replied the stranger, "nor
in any part of this State. We, my
children and I, are simply passing
through it on our way home from a
visit to the mountains"
81 am glad of that, for I want to
tell you little incident which illus
trates the very trait, heartlessness, Of
which we were just speaking. But,
of course, I shall suppress all names.
Getting excited with her recital,
however, Laura involuntarily let fall
the name of Ballard as we'll as one or
two of the Christian names. When
she had finished her story the stranger
said.
''Where is this Clifton?"
'Tt is near railroad center called
Barnum? indeed, it was called Bar
nun Mills until few years ago. Per-
haps you've heard of the Barnum
match-works?"
"Oh, yes; I have. Alb, here is the
place where leave the boat. Let me
bid you good-by, with the hope that
we may meet again some time;" and
SO saying the stranger took her leave.
Early next morning this same
stranger "might have been seen" las
G. P. r. James puts it) entering the
comfortable, if lonely, little room
| assigned to Mrs. Hannah Ballard in