The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-08-28
1.-The Yancey
Birthday...
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Huulng nlmSel1 exceedingly DOreu, an
blamen his fates accordingly. Wha
had he done that he should have to 81
still in the car, while very youns
lawyer poured fatuous plaLitudes int
his unwilling ear?
" don't know that III show myself
any too prominently about court TO-
day. tho inanc chatter went gllbly
on. {" had an intimation on tho
street that l might be appointed to
defend that fellow Yancey, and don't
want anything to do with the case. IL
does man no good to get mixed with
those low-fung murder cases, when
popular sentiments down on the
criminal. You got the worst of it
whether you clear him or nOt-and OF
course it would be impossible to clear
Yancey."
"Yes?" returned Floman, drily,
looking out Of The window.
con, Of course. You SEQ, he's got
no friends at all. The strikers arc
down on him because he re.Gscd TO go
out with them and yet he goes and
makes an assault on the proprietor of the
business-righL al Yanccy's own door,
too--when Stein was probably calling
there to do something for his family
and Stein falls and strikes his head
and dics-and 80 everybody else is
against MIN. A man gets no honor for
defending a case like that. All the
fellows are fighting shy of it. Person
ally, Pm going to keep out If | can, for
n MANS reputation Is"
Pardon me. get out here" SAID
Richard Floman abruptly, and swung
himself Gown from the Car, wondering
vaguely what he had done TO bc visited
by such unutterable plaques.
He was three miles short Of his
office, but why should nc hurry TO
reach the office, where more bores
awaited him, doubtless, to talk him
into deeper frenzy? Let his partner
attend to them for a little while. He
plunged into the park across the way
and took off his hat under the trees.
lie had the park almost TO himself.
The children were at school or gong
there; the nursc-nlaids had not come
out yet.
In all these shady spaces, just him
self and two children. They were a
girl and a boy, seated on bench. The
girls feet hung down, but did not
touch the ground, and The Boys foot
stood straight out before hlm because
his legs were too short to hang down.
The boy was crying dismaliy and Flo
man, who was IN lounging mood,
stopped and spoke - hun.
"Hello, young me -, )" he said, "what's
all these tears for? Lost your ball7
Broken your wagon?"
He spoke grullly and awkwardly--
not with the silyory persuasivencss
that melted all hearts in the court.
room and On the rostrum. lie was not
used to speaking to children. There
was no boy IN his house, and no ball
or wagon. He and certain proud and
cold woman would have been better
and happier TO have had them there.
The boy ceased sobbing, little
frightened; but the girl explained with
asobcr little smile.
mo SIR, he's crying because tomor
rows the Yancey birthday, and papa
can't come homC--1nd so we won't
gct.anyLhipg."
Floman found his attention ught
by tlis artless speech. Most OF The
speeches he heard were anything nut
bench and looked at tho two, his honds
in his pockets.
What kind of a birthday was hat
you mentio led?" he asked politely.
Something new in b,rtbdaye?''
The cbild's face flushed. 1t YVES a
prec.y little face that had grown too
delicate.
"The Yancey birthday" she ex-
planned carefully. " YOU see, that is
our namc-we are Yancey's, and to.
morrow is our birihd,y-mamma's and
Boys, and mine. We are all three
twins. And that's what made papa
call il the Yancey birthday"
She smiled up OF him innocently, de-
lighted to take him into her childish
confidence.
"That is a beautiful idca," he said
gravely. "And why isn't papa COM
ing home to buy Boy someLhlng?"
lie had not thought until then--he
had been merely passing an idle half
hour--but the look on the child's face,
the sorrow so much older than her
years, struck to his heart.
"Oh, I see," he said gon,' y, /" your
father is Frank YarCeyI"
"Yes,". said the g,"l, in patient lit
tic tones. Then she went on telling
about il. "We used TO have a splen.
did birthday when papa camo homc 49,
sometm: 3 p,calc if it wosn't too cold
and n.0e things for all of us. OF
course, now mamma and l talk things
over, and we can understand it, but
Boys such baby, and he clies."
:" Obi Boys such baby, is hep
asked Floman. 1t had bee - long time
since he had been sorry for anyone
but now something was tugginp at his
heartstrings. He was looking down a
Boys sister, whose feet did not toucl
the ground. 'v0'~
"Oh, yes" she said resignedly
"And that's the reason BRING hin
out here, 60 that he can cry withou
making mamma feel bad, Mamma an,
talked things over for nights, an
nights, trying to fix up something g 70
Boy so that he wouldn't feel quite q