The Meeker herald., 1906-11-17
WHAT HE WANTED
BY LYNN NURDOCk
Copyright. 1906. by Daily Story Pub. Coz

NIopS iibht @sVSs ~
Mark was dIscouraged-there was
no doubt about that He had been in
the city nearly four weeks and had
hunted hard for an opening-but to no
avail. He was strong and willing.
was Mark, but nobody seemed willing
to give him a chance to prove his
Worth.
He was getting hungry. too. and be-
gan to wonder where he was going to
sleep when his scanty store Of money
day or two.
The stihing smells Of the city
streets, the close. airless deafness Of
the inside room In the lodging house.
the crowding and the noise and the
people-people. people everywhere,
had made him so sick and tired Of the
whole miserable city that he fairly
cried for sight of the green fields
and waving cornfelds and orchards
and peaceful white houses and green
blinds and all the rest Of 1t back In
"1llinoy." This-to say nothing about
Henrietta, and OF course he was q lot
more lonesome for Henrietta than he
was for the pastures and cornhelds
and white house and blinds and all
the rest Of it.
And the funny thing about 1t all was
that he had left all this peaceful Ar
cadia and invaded the enemy's country
because Of Henrietta's name. He had
always called her Hen" but, 10! and
behold. after she graduated she would
not stand for It and insisted that the
full significance Of the name she had
been christened with be applied to her
when she was addressed.
Fool that he was, he had taken It as
q joke. inasmuch as he had called
her Hen" during all the years they
both could remember. But 1t proved
sorry joke for him. because she was
In deadly earnest: and she had chided
him ~ being q mere country pumpkin.
and dared him to 20 out into the world
to prove his mettle. Well, Of mettle
there was plenty. and 30 Mark left the
old farm. which was to be his. and
went out to the great city to try his
strength in a field for which he was
not at all equipped.
And here he was, heart.sick. weary
almost defeated-but with no
thought Of surrender; no. no. that
word did not belong In the Dennison
vocabulary. Hunger he could stand:
fatigue he could stand; hardship he
could stand; but 1t all seemed so
hopeless to him that he doubted the
expediency of the night.
"What's the use?" he said to him.
self = dozen times. II have q com.
Portable home. surrounded by green
fields and swept by the sweet winds
from the pastures and the prairies.
Why should walk these miserable
stone-paved streets trying to obtain
the price Of = nights lodging In 4 mis-
cradle cell without ventilation and ab.
solutely unclean?"
And then would come before him
the scornfull face Of Henrietta and he
would grit his teeth, take in the slack
OF his belt and start over again.
These were the thoughts surging
through Marks mind as he walked
down the boulevard after applying un.
successfully for job as coachman
to one of the swell families whose pal.
ace bordered the thoroughfare. He
was utterly discouraged. heartsick
and weary-he really was sick, al.
though he did not know 1t. The roar
of the great city reached his tired ears
and filled him with sickening disgust
and loathing.
NJ q sudden oh0vn Tho In, ~
merce and the changing of alarm bells
and the babble of the never.ending
throng. there arose piercing shrek
the cry of woman in mortal ter.
ror Mark Strengthened his STOPPING
shoulders and faced about toward the
direction of the screams. now rapidly
approaching. Added to the screams
now sounded the clatter of wild hoof.
beats. and Mark sprang to the curb.
from which the crowd was pushing
wildly back.
The sight that met his vision was
such as to blanch his face. There.
scarcely hundred yards distant. and
dashing toward him like the wind.
was pair of splendid black horses
on full gallop. dragging back of them
a magnificent carriage. There was no
driver on the front seat. but on the
back seat was beautiful young girl
with terror-stricken eyes and blood.
less face hanging on to the side of
the vehicle with straining muscles as
the carriage swayed violently back
ana forth. narrowly missing other We.
hicles which were scurrying out of
the way to the best ability of the
drivers and chauffeurs.
Mark saw instantly that the horses
would dash upon the sidewalk near
the very spot where he stood. and that
the carriage would be wrecked and the
girl thrown out and probably killed.
Instantly his lassitude vanished and