The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1903-10-04

ployment at the village grocers-just
while he looked about him. He was to
keep the books" as his chief occupa-
ton, and she made great deal CONVEX
sationally of the glory of those books.
Johnnie made very little of them ex-
cept to blot them freely He seemed
all the while he sat over them to be
struggling hard to do something re-
quiring great expenditure of noisy
breath, but the result failed to satisfy
the grocer.
He took his dismissal stolidly, if
with lingering shortness of breath.
Don't want to stay, sir" he blurted
out at last; "but could you say-could
you say as"
I'll say l thing you're a deal too
clever for this job, my boy" said the
kindly grocer, "if thatll suit you?"
And he winked jovially.
Thank we, sir" said johnnie, sim
ply, and very slowly and solemnly re-
turned the wink with one prominent
blue eye. And that was the only clew
to the hidden depths of his character
the village ever received from clever
Johnnie.
For his mother did not try again to
find him a situation; he quietly put
himself beyond that possibility. She
came down one morning to find him
gone, with a little bundle of clothes
and apparently half loaf and couple
of turnips.
Deere Ma" Che had written-he never
called her anything but Mother" but
MA" proved easier in the spelling)-
Il ham goin to foind som work has
con do Dere Ma wull send you som
cash reslar when gets it dere Ma
Your lovin son ]. HAYES
She never showed this letter to any
one, but she industriously spun about
the proSaic flight of Johnnie a veil of
romance all her own. And 1t SO took
up her time and thoughts that she grew
accustomed to being alone before she
began to mind it.
Meanwhile, with considerable direct
ness, Johnnie made him way on foot to
large racing stable IN an adjoining
county that he had once been told
about. He was lucky in this, that the
owner of the stable was actually pres
ent when he reached it, and lucky also
in being given the opportunity of max
ing his application for employment to
the Great Man himself. Johnnie's
breath again gave him trouble, but
what he said was to the point
81 haven't had much to do with 'em,
but do seem to know something about
'em, and I'm so mortal fond O horses
that nothing would be too much trouble
to learn; and, if you'd try me, I'd work
my hardest"-Then his breath gave
out, and he stood painting and expect
ant, the stare Of his blue eyes for
once fixed appropriately on the Great
Mans face.
And he was given the work he Ionged
for. The Great Man was mortal fond"
of horses, too; there may have been
times when he even envied his men
their method of earning their daily
bread about his stables. At any rate, he
realized that Johnnie was going to
live an ideal life-a life spent in doing
the thing of all others he would
rather do.
Johnnie's choice of occupation, in
deed, was such a wise one that he did
not long retain the humble position in
which he started His fondness for
horses taught him more about them
than experience taught many of the
others; he could always lead them by
it, just as a woman who loves children
can always make them love her, or
man who loves men can always man
| age them. And from the first, when his
wages amounted to only very few
shillings weekly and he was obliged to
go often very hungry to do it flor
Johnnie was still growing and his APP
petite with him), he regularly sent a
monthly postal order to his widowed
mother, and as time went on he never
failed to make it larger to match every
rise. He did not often write, and, il
he did, he never gave her his address,
or any news beyond the state of his
health; thing that, having started
propitiously, did not vary. Nor did he
ever visit her, although it would have
been an easy enough journey to take,
likely thing to do. But, in refrain
ing, Johnnie probably had his reasons;
he covered them over with a wide re-
ticence, but it was known by now that
he generally had them-for other peo-
pie to talk about if they cared to.
And then at last Johnnie gained pre-
| ,,;o t;,I4 I, IA
seemed to change his views For more
than year he had been walking out"
with young woman-only a servant,
it is true, but sweet of face and true
of heart, and as fond of Johnnie as he
was fond of horses. He had started
their walks together by making it very
plain to her that marriage must be q
remote possibility, because the postal
orders taxed his resources and were not
on any account to be stopped.
so it mayn't be worth your while to
be waiting" he had said. Likely It
would be stifiish time
Then you don't really love mc?"
sighed the maid.
Il loves you right enough said
Johnnie. L wasn't speaking ill Of my
love-"
"If you love me, how can you doubt
me being willing to wait bit for you?
! You're willing, aren't you?" She
| spoke with tears.
Mighty willing" said Johnnie. He
drew her head upon his shoulder, and
| he Datted it. resting there aS he mipht
| the head of a favorite horse. Shortnes 5
of breath, as of old at an emergenc9
overlook him, but he managed to re
peat, Steady, m beauty, steady" 5
! great many tirnps