Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1903-07-10

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 situation; he quietly put
himself beyond that possibility. She
came down one morning to find him
gone, with 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 reglar 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 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 ne said was to the point
81 haven't had much to do with 'em,
but do seem to know something about
| EN-, 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 longed
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 woman who loves children
can always make them love her, or a
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 (for
Johnnie was still growing and his ap-
petite with him), he regularly sent a
monthly postal order to his widowed
mother, and as time went on he never
failed to make 1t 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,
q likely thing to do. But, in refrain
ing, Johnnie probably had his reasons;
| he covered them over with 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 pro-
motion and rise so substantial that it
seemed to change his views. For more
than year he had been walking OUT
with young woman-only 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 a
remote possibility, because the postal
orders taxed his resources and were not
on any account to be stopped.
$50 it maynt he worth your while to
be waiting" he had said. Likely it
would be stifish time
Then you don't really love me?"
sighed the maid.
81 loves you right enough said
Johnnie. I wasn't speaking i'll of my
love"
IF you love me, how can you doubt
me being willing to wait bit for you?
You're willing, aren't yCu?" She
spoke with tears.
Mighty willing" said Johnnie. He
drew her head upon his shoulder, and
he patted it, resting there, as he might
the head of favorite horse Shortness
of breath, as of old at an emergency,
overlook him, but he managed to re-
peat, Steady, m beauty, steady" a
great many times.
And now his generous wages actual
ly admitted of the double burden-the
postal orders to the mother at dis
lance and the pretty wife at home But,
before making this change in life,
Johnnie, almost for the first time, took
step on the impulse of a moment
felt longing to see his mothers face
once again and acted on 1t.
He found her on her deathbed, plain
ly within a few hours of her death.
Johnnie had his own luck-he might
SO easily have been too late. For she
had not been so particularly young at
the time of his birth, and she was quite
an old woman now. Consistent always,
she asked her son no questions con-
corning his long absence; she did the
talking to the last.
"A gentleman in bank would have
to know deal" was one of the things
she said, and Johnnie understood that
he had spent the years perchea on an
Office stool as bankers clerk. YOU'D
wear top hat and a black coat to
business every day, of course She
touched his rough tweed covered arm
i<fr