The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-03-08

morning. He had made a useless mis-
take and a costly one. He realized it
fully. But had he merited those last
harsh words from the usually rather
quiet father?
Get out of his fathers sight and stay
out! He knew his father always meant
what he said, and he could hardly be-
lieve he had heard Alright. A keen
sense or feeling of injustice and injury
took possession of him; but underlying
it all was the fact that he had given
great provocation-not only now, but
at numberless other times.
But the words ranked. Get out of
his fathers sight! Should he? He
had not wilfully neglected his duties.
Must he give up his cherished plans?
He must either do that or take his
father at his word literally, it seems,
and sget out" lie could neither for
get nor overlook the words.
Slowly the youth walked back
through the pasture and out to cor
ner of the big fiat large meadow
stretching down to the creek. A thick
clump of bushes grew in one corner,
and here for half an hour he lay and
grappled with the situation. Finally,
settled look of determination came
into his face, and he looked out over
the familiar fields wistfully, yet reso-
lutely. He would "get OUT
The rumble of the heavy wagon tell
on his ear, and looking out through
the bushes, he saw his father driving
out toward the gap in the meadow
fence for the last load Of gravel for the
driveway to one of the gr'a. barn
floors, at which they had been working.
The wagon rolled slowly past and Joe
felt curious tugging at his heart as
he noticed what seemed to him an
added droop to his fathers once broad
shoulders and the surely increasing
whiteness of his hair and beard. He
had always loved and respected his
sturdy, Woodworking father, and he
wondered vaguely if each bad not mis-
understood the other. The wagon
passed on over the knoll and down out
of sight into the gravel-bed.
There was knot in his throat as
many memories Of the paternal love
came back to him. But his father had
said virtually-at least it seemed 80 to
him-"get out" He got up and walked
toward the barn, the strong white teeth
shut firmly together. The air had
been growing extremely hot and sultry
during the last few hours, and the nm
mistakeably signs Of a summer storm
were already visible. Not noticing the
threatening sky, young Holbrook ran
into the house and up to his room, his
head in whirl Of emotions.
The clouds had formed and were
coming up swiftly, and even an mex
perienced eye could not fail to note
that tremendous storm was at hand.
There was strange, lurid cast to the
clouds that made people look at one
another half.fearfullv
Down in the gravel bed Abel Hol-
brook was at work, but not in his US
ual vigorous way. He was ill at ease,
and occasionally stood some minutes
at a time, leaning on the handle of his
shovel. He, too, was thinking busiIy.
A picture was still in his mind,-but
it was not so much the trampled corn
field that he saw as the hurt look in
his boys eyes at the harsh words be
had uttered in the first moments Of
anger. They were halfrepented al
most as soon as said.
He could not conceive how his son
could have made the unlucky blunder
that morning. Fully bound up in his
farm operations himself, the mistake
seemed to him utterly careless and it,
comprehensive. O'her thoughts came
crowding on, and the load of gravel
did not increase in size very fast. For
perhaps the first time in his life the
man worked harder with his brains
than with his hands. What if his sons
inexplicable ways did point to some
thing after all!
"Taint that he's lazy he said, half
aloud. Hell work faithfully enough
at those curious lines and circles and
at figuring. If he'd only get turned
to something practical, he'd amount
to something yet"
Deep in his heart there was pride in
'is son, although he hardly realized it
..!msrlf and certainly had never shown
| it.
Doub.y busy with his work and
with his thoughts, the farmer did not
notice the Oh coming storm until the
restlessness of the horses and the sud-
den partial darkness compelled his at
tention. He quickly realized the
situation. The axe brought tor fixing
and resetting the meadow fence lay on
the ground near him, but the other
tools were in the gravel bed. He turn
ed hastily to secure these, when
curious thing happened.
A few scattering drops of rain had
fallen, hut now, with a vivid fash Of
lightning and terrific thundrrclap,
| the storm burst npon them. Losseu