The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-05-01

his mother.
White horses are scarcer than red
headed girls, and though Jimmie
didn't know anything about red.
headed girls he soon found out that
nearly all the horses in the world
were bays and blacks. On, on, on.
he went. He grew tired and worn.
Then he thought of the little moth
er waiting for the prize, and new
strength came into his little legs and
new light into his searching eyes.
He passed the big park and came
into the section of struggling houses.
There was a great fine street. how
ever, stretching on and on. Fine
carriages were being whirled along
and some people rode by on horses.
1t began to get dark. Jimmie sat
down on a curbing. He was getting
pitiably hungry, but he held back
the tears when he thought of his
mother. He thought once of turning
and going back, but he would find
the white horses and the prize. Had
he but known it he couldn't have
gone back had he wished, for he had
not marked his way through the
wilderness of city streets.
Finally his head fell over from
very WEAKNESS and his eyes were
about to close perforce when, loom
ing up at a distance through the
deepening dusk, he saw white horse
with rider on it's back. In his
eagerness Jimmie sprang to his feet
and crossed fingers on both hands at
once. Then there flashed into his
mind remembrance that Freddy had
told him that if he saw one white
horse he was pretty sure to see an
other right away. Only one, and
Jimmie must see ten. Jimmie ran
into the middle of the street to get
a better view. Surely there must be
another white horse. The white
horse and it's rider were close. The
animal was on keen trot. Tired
little Jimmie stumbled and fell. The
horse SHE'D violently. The riders
Craftsmanship saved him from a fall.
He checked his mount and in an in
slant was on the ground holding the
bride with one hand and with the
other picking up the mite of humane
ty that had fallen in the dust.
Jimmie was too tired to help him
self much, but he was unhurt. The
electric lights along the boulevard
flared up on the instant. The man
with the white horse took a long
look at the boys face, and then
something strange came into his
own. The lines about his mouth
tightened and his eyes seemed to be
looking back somewhere.
whats your name, little one?" he
said.
Jimmie Talbot" was the answer,
"and I'm out looking for a prize for
mamma. The man said she must get
money for him or we must move,
and Freddy Nelson told me if I'd see
ten white horses and cross my fin
gers I'd find prize for mamma. But
yours is the only white horse I've
seen, and | must get nine more or
mamma will go on crying"
"Your father" said the man in
voice which Jimmie, if he had been
older, would know was strained,
"where is hep"
Hes dead said Jimmie, simply.
Jimmie, We'll find your other nine
white horses tomorrow. Where do
you live? I'll take you home to
mamma"
Nineteen Culbertson court, two
flights up
Jimmie was too tired to make re-
sistance, and in a moment he WIS on
the back of the big white horse with
the man riding behind clasping him
tight. The boy went to sleep on the
way, but he was aroused to a con-
seriousness that he was living when
he reached Culbertson court. The
whole neighborhood was out looking
for him, and there was chorus of
yells: Here he is" when the rider
leaped from his horse with Jimmie in
his arms.
There was a cry from the court
and Jimmie's mother had him in her
arms. There was an embrace that
Jimmie felt was much longer than
usual, and then his mothers arms
Icll from ABOUT nlln anu Sne looked
up into the face of the man who had
brought her boy back. Jimmie felt
his mother start and then he heard
two words.
"George!"
"Ellen"
Jimmie never knew exactly how il
came about, but he found out that
his mother had once known the man
on the white horse. Jimmie also knew
that the man on the white horse
came to the house quite often and
took him and his mother into the
park, and once he thought he heard
the man say: Don't say no again.
Ellen" and after that Jimmie noticed
his mother always looked happy.
Mamma" he said to her one day,
"Tn go some time and look for the
other nine white horses"
"You needn't Jimmie" she said,
laughing and crying together. you
brought home prize"
An hour later Jimmie was in the
court telling Freddie Nelson that 10
was wrong about ten white horses.
and that all you had to do to get the