The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17
BENEFITS BOY: A Short Story
 By HENRY GAINES TURNER.
 Mobile Ala

1
 ing the source of his information. re- strained MT. Vail from mentionining the rnultitudinious resources of per sons who gambled or drank. Not but that a truthful answer to the said in- quiry would have been creditable to the party questioned, as men of the world count such matters: but what man of the world could conceive or such a paradox as sot with burnt out stomach. or gambler who couldn't borrow? The General Man ager felt that he must say something; so. with an admirable show of interest asked: .
 'Is Sam lazy. Mir. BennettT" No, there ain't a lazy bone in him.
 The'd, He's always pecking at some thing; always busy as a four-year-old boy with hammer and box of tacks. Fool notions. The'd..-just fool notions--and power of sticking to | 'em worse'n fellows last stamp to a spoilt envelope. Pestered me for two years to send him to college. At last, to get breathing-room, but dead against my judgment. I sent him. Won't say anything about the money; 1 that was the smallest part. and there wasn't anything small about it, by a long shot. Four years went by; and | he walked in one June morning, with two letters hitched to his name-iet- | | lars apiece.
 We'll said. where are you going
 next?'
 "of course. you know. thought he was going to say nowhere but right there; and my old-fool tongue was all
 set to tell him that hygones could De bygones, and we'd start fresh and | square. But I wasn't acquainted with | the gentlemen. Took me up. earnest as you please; had no idea l was try l ing to get off some sarcasm. | I have two openings. sir: and | haven't decided which III take. | z" Don't hurry yourself. l said. My | rate for summer boarders Is two doi- l lars a day. That's decided l He stayed with us couple Of weeks: and then, as I sat down to din-
 ner. Mary said:
 | Sam's going tomorrow. | All right I said. I'll borrow Simp- l sons carriage for him to go to the sta- | ton in. Want some squash? | T was rcdhot, anyhow: Juniper, my best mule. was sick. He looked at l Mary--Sam, you know; she looked at | me; and I looked aEAthe squash. and
 said it was stringy and the girls gig
 gled. My old woman's eyes flashed | several kinds of birthstone as she told
 them they'd better go and lie down if l they felt bad. For five good long min utes you could have heard pin drop.
 Then Sam. seeing that the load was too big for his ma to get to market. took 1 hold himself
 I'm going to Brazil. pa.' he said.
 That's in Africa?-I knew bet ter. but l was raw.
 Oh, no, sir; South America All the same: knew 1t was some where t'other side of the 1umping-off place We'll. if nothing happens. and Tits convenient all around make us another cali in the next five or six years
 Tn less'n a year he came back. poor as a shad. He'd had spell of yellow jack; though first heard of that yes- terday: made the women promise not I to tell me. He crawled around the place, looking so hollow and beat up generally, that a forgiving disposi- I tion got on top of horse sense again 1 and. though I'd mighty nigh swore
 wouidn't. gave him one more chance
 to be somebody. Told him to pick him out wife that would speak to his ma and sisters-she needn't speak to me unless she had mind to--and I'd deed him a hundred acres and build him q house; or, if he was going to be all ways too good to farm, Id set him up in a store-even offered him the one
 Jeff Wilkins was in-Jen was away behind In his rent, anyhow, and would have been glad of an excuse tc put him out. No use. Poor boy, l be- iieve he was thankful in his way; but
 he'd been chasing lightning bugs toe
 long. Soon as he got strong enough
 to put on his duds without stopping to sit on the side of the bed. he lit out land went to Atlanta; then Chattanooga
 then here; and the Lord only knows how many other places. And so he's
 been going ever sinca. bidding at this that and t'other, and writing us about
 once d month that he had somethinr in sight, that some of these days he'c