The Worthington advance., 1899-11-17
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ z
: WHAT JACK LOST
II BY Florence B. HaIIowelI.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


JACK HAWLEY was a handsome
u young fellow, intelligent, manly
and good-tempered. Everyone liked
him, and he had dozens of warm friends.
But he had one serious fault, which
often brought trouble, not only on him
self, but on others as we'll. He was
needless to the last degree.
''Somehow or other Jack always man
ages to forget every commission give
him." said his sister Kate one day. "He
listens to me, mods understandingly,
goes off whistling and-that's the last
of it,
''He listens, but he doesn't pay atten-
tion," said Mrs. Hawley. "What you
say makes no impression upon him. He
is irredeemably heedless.''
"Perhaps he is thinking all the time
of how he can get to college," said little
Fan. "He wants to go to college awful
ly, mamma. He told me the other day
that it was the dream of his life"
1T seems hard that his dream cannot
be realized,' and Mrs. Hawley sighed.
''But it is all I can do to meet our pres
ent expenses, and dare not mortgage
the farm. I must keep roof over our
heads, at all events
Neither of the girls spoke in reply
Fan was thinking Of the long illness
from which she had only just recovered,
and mentally bemoaning the money
which had been spent in medicines and
in paying doctors bills.
Kate's thoughts ran in different
channel. From childhood she had had
a passion for music, and her indulgent
father had made many sacrifices to cul-
tivate it. His best horse had been sold
to pay her music bills at Nine. Hopper's
select seminary, and 40 acres of the
farm had passed into strangers hands
that she might attend first-class con-
servatory for. three years. He had
planned to send her to Europe, too, for
year, at least; but his death had ended
all thoughts of that.
Kate had come home at 21 years of
age a proficient musician, with con-
servatory diploma in the tray of her
trunk, but she had not thought of turn
ing her skill into dollars and cents. She
had had enough to do in helping to
nurse and amuse Fan and in attending
to the housekeeping and dairy.
But now Fan was getting well, and
could amuse herself, and Mrs. Hawley
had taken the household reins into her
own hands again, leaving Kate at lib
erty to sit at her dear old piano from
morning to night if she so desired. And
she practiced great deal.
Jack declared that even in his dreams
he heard the sound of that piano, and
that if Kate would put half as much
energy and perseverance into raising
onions as she did into her parcticing
they would soon be in independent cir
cumstances.
my hands wouldn't be fit for the
piano if I weeded onions," said Kate.
'But what is the use of it all 2" asked
Jack. 1T seems a reckless waste of
time to me. If I had only half as much
money to spend in going to college as
you have spent in learning how to run
scales I'd make something of myself.
AS it is, suppose I'll have to be farm
er to the end of the chapter"
Jack didn't like farming. He wanted
to be a lawyer, and thought he had a
special talent for oratory. But the farm
was small, and just paid expenses now.
Wringing enough from it to pay for a
course at college was out of the ques-
ton.
But this morning plan was shaping
itself in Hates mind by which her
brothers darling ambition might be
g"atified.
She thought it all out and then con-
fded it to her mother.
IF you only could, Kate" said Mrs.
Hawley, chow pleased Jack would be-!
And can spare you now as we'll as not,
though of course Fan and would miss
you very much"
"I'Il try it, anyhow" said Kate.
'Nothing venture, nothing have you
know, and if only succeed Jack won't
say again that my practicing is reck-
less waste of time"
And off she ran to her own room,
singing like bird. 49,.
She spent ten minutes in writing a
postal card, and then ran downstairs
and out to the gate to watch for team
on the way to town.. Jack was going
4 in that afternoon, but for very particu-
/, lar reasons she didn't want him to see
that card. GA.s
1t was intrusted to Mr.. Piling, a near
neighhor, who was the first to pass, and
he was cautioned to ''be sure not to for
get to post it, for it was very Inn
portant-" A.. ~, IL gs .szi IS
HI A week later Kate received some cir
culars, and was busy over them for an
hour. filing out the answers to the