Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-06-30

know" he added, Frightening. "Peo-
pie don't expect no great pleasure
from funerals anyhow"
Mrs. Hunt sighed.
After time. when the coffee was
ready and she and Tom were facing
each other across the small table, she
intercepted his hand as he was reach
ing for the sugar and held it for q
moment lovingly.
You're a good boy. Thomas" she
said
I'm glad you think SO. mother. I
s'pose might be worse"
You're IS years old to-day,
Thomas"
Bless us, so L ami" exclaimed
Tom, stroking his bushy red beard
with his disengaged hand. 'rd have
forgot il entirely il you hadn't mem
toned it."
'Thomas?"
well. mother9"
ut was on this day rs years ago
that you were-you were"
Coin to get married" Tom con-
Guided the sentence somewhat grim
~. so was"
L 1hOkhAst why Cuun your
Haven't told you. mother, hun
dreds of times?' s ~,
Yes; but, dear, I've never believed
you"
"Mother"-Tom looked at the old
lady with the utmost solemnity-"I've
told you the truth. She and I were
not suited to each other. MY hair
was too red, and her eyes were too
black. Twas lucky we found 1t out
in time. 1 reckon some one'd been I'M
happy IL we hadn't"
| "Are you sure, Thomas, that some
one hasn't been unhappy anyway"
/ SWELL, tolerable certain, mother. She
she got married almost right away
to another fellow, didn't she? don't
think the disappointment was very
close to her vitals, or she WOULDN'T
have done that"
| but you, my boy"
'Me?" Tom laughed. Have you
seen me- mopin' or pinin' or dwindlin'
away durin' the past rs years? /
guess not. And it stands to reason.
don't it, that 1 would lave moped
and pinned and dwindled some If I'd
took 1t much to heart? Mother, don't
you be frcttin' your old gizzard about
this thing any more; It amt worth
It, Please to pass the doughnuts.-
Tho meal was finished in silence.
Tom had his overcoat on before he
spoke again.
its quite a ways over there" he
said, land I reckon I'd better be
! atartin'."
"Then you're really goin', Thomas %
-Of course, mother. Why notT'
His mother offered no reply to the
question. She only sighed deeply and
put up her tremulous old lips TO be
Kissed. clinging to Toms shoulders
until he gently pushed her aside.
"I'n be back to dinner-maybe
earlier" he said. cheerily. Have the
house pipin' hot, mother, for I'm
thinlcin' I'll run the temperature
down a bit when L come. It's cold
enough In the holler, but out on the
hill where the wind blows free I'll
warrant it's colder than the comfort
of strangers"
Then he strobe away. His mother
stood ut the window watching him un-
til he turned the corner into the
highway which led straight through
the village to the hill, two miles dis
tant, where the dead slept
4 Poor Thomasi Dear child" Mrs.
Hunt uttered the words half aloud as
she poured boiling water into the
dishpan. "T amt so blind that L can't
see it--not SO blind as tbat--no, no.
She shook her head dolefully. ~Ho
hasn't been the same child since
that day, rs years ago, when he come
home with ghostly smile on his face
and told me twas all over between
him and Maria Bates. I almost
tainted with the shock of It, for I
wasn't real strong then, havin'-hav-
in lost Joshua such a short time be-
fore. I thought then twas the girls
fault, and I think SO yet, She's made
the poor boys life bed of thistles,
just because Dick Morglinton had
proP'ty and wanted her to marry him.
hope she's been happy, but it'd been
only righteous Judgment on her If
she'd hate come to realizin' sense
long ago of what she's missed by not
havin' Thomas. think of him goin'
to that funeral on day like thisl
There amt more'n one man In a thou
sand would do it."
TOMS mind, also, was busy with
thoughts of the past as he plodded to-
ward the great house where the Grape
was futtering. He was wondering
whether he had acted wisely; whether
the reward had been worth the sacri-
| fee. He told himself that 1t had. At
any rate, it was too late now for
| He entered the darkened house and
seated himself upon the edge of a
chair near the door, almost beneath
the heavy curtains. The room was
nearly filed with people. all of whom
he knew; but in the restraint-that
tenseness which comes at times like
this-he looked at them, and they re-
turned the look, with unresponsive
eyes, It was as though they were
strangers.
Suddenly the curtain behind him
| moved RliQhtlv and he haard b{s 0oc, a