The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-28

'mong the savages:' and the old man said:
The dame had spoiled him sac. that he
was fit for nae ither company
Months and months rolled away. and they
heard nothing from their runawa<, 1t might
be two years afterward that the house we
lived in either took fire. or was set on fire.
1t was but a light structure-for we were
slowly building this one when hands were
idle-and l knew at once there WAS no hope
OF saving 1t. The light. however. attracted
a party camping on the creek below. and
they came up in a body to offer their help
Suddenly some one noticed that Ada, my
eldest child. was not present. and I knew
she must be in the blazing house. L failed
to reach her. but n young man among the
strangers brought both me and Ada out
safe. though insenslble. That man was
Donald Houston. You lave seen how hand
some he Is: do you wonder now my little
girl loved him?
Ii went home. but things did not i'm
prove. The father. all too late. had taken
a certain stand. He would do nothing for
Donald unless he gave certain pledges OF
coed behavior. which the lad absolutely re-
fused. Then he Joined a tough set of Rio
Grande traders. He made a good deal OF
money. married Ada, and settled down
steadily. "a ! hoped. to sheep-raising. Peo-
pie. generally, however. were against him;
he had a Inasterful way hard to bear, and
was SO passionate and quarrelsome no one
cared to neighbor him"
Perhaps" | said. The may now go home
to his father and mother for help and ad-
vice again.
Il think not. II there are two people
on earth that have not a particle of inf1u-
ence over him to-day, 1t il the father and
mother whom he ruled as a baby and builied
as a boy. He will come and see me to-mor-
row, and 1 shall have to send him across the
river till this thing blows over"
1T Is n sad story" l said; and 1 could
not help recalling, with a pitiful regret, the
handsome, wilful criminal with his wealth
of neglected and abused powers. But on I
went in a few hours. It was hardly likely
/ should see or hear of Donald Houston
again. See him l never did; but some time
after i met my host of a night on Broad
way. For a moment / doubted the POSSIBLE
lty. but the next recognition was mutual. 1
suddenly remembered Donald Houston.
Did he escape punishment 1 asked.
well. yes. In a way. 1t was a quarrel
about some increase of stock. Harry Close
that was the murdered ~man-hadn't a
very honest name. Many thought Donald
was in the right. We haG an investiga ton.
and it was clear enough that either Donald
or he had to go: 1t was a fair fight between
is. If any light is fair"
Then he was what you call .honorabIy
We'll. the citizens didn't see no call to
send a good living man after a mean dead
ONE
did he go over the Rio Grande at all?''
"No-the accident kind of settled him. He
took care of the widow and the children,
and worked steady as long as most steady
men worked. But when the drums began
to beat. he was neither to hold nor to
bind. He made a grand soldier: his men
would have followed him into a bla zinz
battery. Poor fellowr'
He was killed thenr'
Yes. at Green's Landing on the Red
/ told Ada not to fret; he was bound
TO die in some quarrel, and far better III
Freedoms than about some dirty dispute
Of cattle or dollars"
Poor Aoa?'
Yes. my little girl fretted above a bit; !
she had done her duty; grief didn't
drive her any wrong read. 1t was different
with the poor old mother"
ABR 1 said. inauIringly.
She blamed herself for all his sins and
,roubles-right or wrong, she blamed her |
self-and between love and grief, and re- |
morse She 1
"Proke her hearth !
Worse than that. I think-she lost her |
reason"
And the father?'
"Oh. he's just as proud and sour as ever |
to ok but old Peter-that's his favorite !
black servant-says he spends most of his |