The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-12-03
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ED'ARD.

Mr.. Brush sat down in a kitchen
chair heavily. 1T isn't any use, pa"
abe said. II don't know how we're go
ling to get along with hin-I don't. for
the life of mel" She looked tragic. She,
weighed 200 pounds, and when gloom
took possession of her it was serious
matter.
Mr.. Brush gave an uneasy chuckle. He
was blowing for winter wheat, but he
had come in for drink of milk, and
sat down. Out by the smokehouse Ed
ard sat sprawled out, eating large
slice of bread and butter spread with
warm apple-sauce.
"What's the matter with him. map"
said Mr.. Brush. The Brushes had never
had any children, but to each other
they were pa and ma. 'I've seen worse
looking children" Mr.. Brush asserted.
"Where?" his wife demanded, and he
,grinned feebly.
"T'other day." he persisted, II was
looking at him, and-and seemed as
though he looked real kind O. pretty"
Mrs. Brush laughed shortly. "Pitch-
dark, wasn't ito" she observed. Then
she fell to serious speech. cts not his
uooks," she said. "Idon't care anything
sabout that; I'm not overburdened with
beauty myself. It's him. Oh, dear me"
nhe burst out, shaken out of her GUS
tomary calmness. I'm most afraid we
made an awful mistake, taking him!"
"Pshaw! Pshaw!" said Mr.. Brush.
Slow CONSERVATION sat upon him.
II guess we did. He's not like us,
pa; he isn't one of us. I don't know
: how to take him, nor how to talk to
him, either. He's been here month,
and I haven't spoken y natural word
to him, nor he to me. I feel as if he was
standing off from us and looking us
Through and through with those eyes
of his. don't know how to explain it,
Just, but I'm kind of afraid of him."
Mr.. Brush essayed a response which
did not come. The truth is he, too, was
afraid of Ed'ard.
IF that was ALL" Mrs. Brush went on,
"why, could stand it; hope I've got
some principle. But I've tried to see
some promising sign in him, and I
.can't!'
Mr.. Brush regarded her. "You aren't
thinking of sending him back, ma, are
your" he said.
"What are we going TO do?" said Mrs.
Brush, desperately. IF it was matter
Of duty-if we could do him any good by
keeping Eim-but don't feel as if we
could, I declare don't, pa. We can't in
fluence him. We can't get at him.
declare, I feel as though sooner than
~ve'd make him good he'd be likely to
make us bad as he is"
Mrs. Brush made a solemn pause, and
then went on: 1--WE took him thinking
he'd be a pleasure and comfort to us;
:and he's not been. I've thought it over.
II can't make it seem best to keep him.
And should think you'd see it in the
same light, pa"
She was faithful adherent to her
duty. She had upright principles and
a motherly heart. But she had likewise
the keen judgment of a practical mind.
and capacity for decisive action where
action was needed. Her husband, less
acute, more given to temporizing, de-
ferred to her in matters in his own
province-matters of crops and cattle
and never regretted it.
He lowered his chin into his hands,
in the speechlessness of his helpless con-
viction, and cast sombcr eyes on the
pleasant back-door view. The grass
was taking on its first yellow tinge;
their motley leaves lay in broad circles
around the trees; the far blue hills
were lost against the blue sky. Ed'ard,
munching on the sunny side of the
smoke-house, seemed to Mr.. Brush's
troubled gaze to be the one blot on the
fair and peaceful landscape.
Ed'ard, when he had finished his bread
and butter, settled back against the
sun-warmed bricks in stolid content
~,nent, with his hands deep in the pock-
.ets of his trousers.
Mrs. Brush had made these trousers;
'Ed'ard had come to her in disreputable
ragged garments. She had never made
any boys clothes, and she had patterned
Ed'ard's after the fashions of 30 years
ago.
Ed'ard sat staring at the brightness
of the day. His state of mind was such
~AnSs possessing ~, auOCuCI UOy NOulu
have run and yelled and whistled. Ed
7ard looked stolid. He seldom smiled.
He had never fairly learned how. Els
lips had ever sort of grim sobriety.
What were his sensations? They
*eemee within him; they uplifted his
heart in joyfulness, and caused him lit
orally to blink his eyes with the stress
of so great repression.
He looked widely around, at the green
sweep of the back yard; at the kitchen
windows, full of flowers in broken
dishes; at the red pump, and the
c]othesline, and the great black soap
kettle slung over the ashes of yester-
days fire. 1t was hard for him to be-
lieve that he lived here, and that he was
going togo on living here. twas too stu
pendous and glad and proud thing for
his comprehension.
But some things he realized very
keenly: that he was clean, that he had
all he wanted to eat, and that what he
ate was. good-how good! And he
slept every night in a room with no
dirt in it anywhere, and with two win