New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-01-08

rom the hilburn High Road a woman Law in a
sitting room on a chair-5ed. very i'll Ever since
sIe ana her son who was BARRIERS assistant and
extremely renned, had come 10 live here she had
easeEIy consented 10 his having the one bedroom
with her old four-post bedstead in il while she
managed with this shakedown which was never
:" appear 'lI Last thing at night and was bundled
out OF the way again before Horace wanted break
fast next morning But Iatterly everything had
been becoming burden 10 Mrs Ransom, and fold
ING up the bed. and even the blanket and rug off
H. and cooking the food over the oil stove had
oeeh TASKS TO dread More than once the doctor
around the corner had told that her right place
was inside ST Mary's Hospital He had offered
her an in-patient's letter. but she had battIed
against the suggestion As long as she could pos
sloly Keep about she would Afterward-weII the
hospital might become a final necessity
To-day. however. her forced remnants Of strength
had suddenly failed and contrary 10 the intention
she had expressed to her son when he left her IN
the morning with the kiss she had lived on all dav
she had continued 10 lie hour after hour upon
the chair-bed beneath the stained ceiling listening
to the rumbling OF the omnibuses and gazing into
the heavy pallor OF the August sky.
What would become Of Horace IL she left him
while there was any chance of her regaining her
power Of doing for him? He liked ease and nice
food-who else would make him comfortable at so
small an outlay? He was careless with his money
and fond Of gadding-who would have sufficient
hold over him 10 keep him out Of trouble? Once.
three years earler-but the remembrance was
ans -4Si-ile IaQ Oeen caught taxing norm from
MS aunt's drawer to buy tie for Whit-Monday,
and his mother knew that for her no physical dis
tress could be so bad 10 bear dreading. while
she was laid aside. that he keeping
straight. She loved him with an even deeper pas
sion than she had loved his father and IT, like
Alkestis Of old. she could have gone down into
hell with him. she would have gone fearessly and
without reproaches.
Horace's father had been touring actor and
though Horace had not talent enough for the
Z sta (0- fr ha had rrfa1
little and failed. playgong his cardinal Joy.
and three or four nights week he might be seen
standing in q gallery queue. His favorite theatres
were the Adelphi and the Princess's. but when he
hard up he squeezed into the local music hall
at the half-price hour. Even there he greatly pre-
| ferred the turns that made tears come into his
| eyes. Mere comic vugarity and slang were too like
| real life to give him sensation What he hank
| cred after pathos- Enthusiasm too. was
thing ne could thoroughly enter into. He came out
particularly strong all occasions Of public re-
| jocing
| All through the long hot afternoon Mrs. Ransom
about herself when Horace came home. She felt
as nervous anu apG.ogec as IS dsqac bTK
ing duty UNFORTUNATELY perhaps she hsd not Pr E
| had an aversion to sick CATS he called people
! who were ailing. and she had done her utmost 70
/ about the room. had agreed. later. that she had
| By asking him TO lift the neavy iron kettle for her
| Now, alas. the truth must out, and, as she heard
| al the end Of his days work she covered in her
bed and trenbled She feared her a 4 n lO9Ss
| longed to have him stay with her IL he would but
| Horace drove open his mothers door with the
point Of Ms cane as ne walked into the ADJOINING
| the customers has given two orders for a
YOU but Joe IN at our place wanted to go say
| mother hope my teas ready, and something with
| Horace's voice was not loud. but 1t was rackety-
| Mrs Ransom literally could not speak She
| waited for him 70 come in A minute later the
young man entered. Well set up and suftlciently
broad chested his face, for all his twenty-five
2y Viii so g2GFHs pr ep less MTs Ransom
| faded eyes lit up. her half UNCONSCIOUS glaoIes5
| And certainly most mothers would have thought
| MIN a good looking fellow-dandihed, OF course;
| his Homourg hat; but then. was he not essstaI{s
| for something? What spoiled him really was the
trivial vanity OF his expression, accentuatsd as II
His face contracted into a frown as he entered
| why. what earth? Who's going 10 get
Horace. dear. am truly sorry. Mrs. Casey down
and he says I'm very bad Indeed. II began with
g0Ld ne said b but nov a Il shall have
| to set my own tea. Is there any OF that corned
| YES Horace; it's in the cupboard. and the milk
| and buffers out your window sill MIS- Casey
you cs6 s6 6oeF 6o S the Water again and there
| a bottle Of beer for you when you come home
Finding his difficulties somewhat srno9thed Aor-
| ace looked little more carefully a. ms noJhe
! The light fell on her face and made IL sKuA-LAs;
| 1t this weather. Horace said 70 himself. ne
attle bit out Of sorts II only made them worse.
| He went on with his preparations for tea IN
was a long while boiling. This was an aggrav3-
G uo'- the ha!fpenny special he had brought in
and pretended to be absorbed in II 1t was rIsEt
| ne should punish his mother for being so selrsh
as TO lie down all the afternoon and forget about
suddenly he flung the paper down and said. irri-
/ Oati.S har
| sheet with your fingers You'll 1air give me the
| jumps" -.-., 49,. n,,.,,,,a,.
Of Fr insers for minute or two although she
/ seemed hardly 10 know what he meant She gazed
| at him as his with the eyes Of one in a
Wfen mis- blond head had lain against her breast
/ and when She had cooed to him and he had smiled
or scowIed as the case might be Harsh and fret
his mother knew his better nature. and he was not
really hurting E f o S65Id trust him 10 i've
good honest life whep-when-. The thread Of
heL5e as ny vision of Horace alone Without her
| Her Ions, gaze by it's very sarnestness compelled
his 69t ffTst Then he leaned over the char-bed
not unkndIy. Mrs. Ransom felt II was an o2pot-
tunity She tried 10 smile to look bright and at
a a 26Hr b R band Een t 3S1 ORDERS 9ST
I believe I should have asked you II you would
like 10 stay at home tonight and keep your Old
Reinvisorated by. his tea Horace remembered the
Hawtrey- Il would have done. mother. with the
And played on your banjo. Horace" His
mother spoke entreatingly. Her eyes were hungry
You bet shouldn't have sat sun doing noth-
ing" Horace had relapsed into kilburn manners.
kissed her careessly. 50 long, he said Mind
you're all right again tomorrow. He ran as fast
Every now and again during the Performance.
He determined TO take the bus all the way back
So as 70 be home early and lock in at her before
flight. some One-it was Mrs Casey. from down.