The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1906-11-06

cold hard-hearted, selfish, miser and
a screw" True he always had
laughed at the verdict and pointed
ever to the utter and exact justice
of his dealings with his fellows. II
they were less wise. thrifty and self
denying than he-why that was their
| look out, such was his philosophy
But somehow tonight this philoso-
ply did not seem so satisfactory as of
yore. Somehow into the vision of his
gold bags and his mortgages and his
land and hocks and herds, there crept
/ the picture of the baby across the
| street with it's gladstone laughter and
the trusting smile of the woman and
the proud and protecting expression OF
! the man in the dngy clothes, respond
ing to the woman and the child. And
also there crept into. the vision OF his
ducats the sorrowful, wondering, re-
proachful eyes of the one woman who
could have crowned his life with joy
and would have done so had he not
thrust her aside for the golden calf.
Savagely he sprang to his feet,
thrust the poker into the log sending
up shower of sparks and striding to
the sideboard gulped down glass OF
wine.
Fool, fool" he muttered, you're
getting in your dotage You have won.
won man-can't you understand. What
of all this blithering nonsense
The door bell rang and a moment
later woman was ushered into the
room. She was poorly clad and on her
face was written desperation.
"Mr. Dickinson" she said in low.
voice, 81 lied to get in here, but the
cause was so urgent + I. In fact
l came to beg. My baby is starving
and there is no fuel in the room. MY
husband Is dead"
81 never give to individuals" he
interrupted, harshly. Il contribute
literally to organized charity You
should apply to the Relief society or
to the poormaster. /"
At this moment she threw back her
head with a characteristic gesture and
raised her eyes straight to his. He
stopped as though he saw a ghost.
Mabel" he cried fiercely. my God,
is it possible? Tell me, am | sane?
Eyes, Donald, it is l." she said
quietly and you must know the ter
rible necessity which could drive me
to ask help from you. Nothing but
mothers love and terror could have
done it. l have tried the Relief So
ciety and they have the case under
advisement' The poormaster Will
investigate tomorrow In the mean
time my baby will freeze and starve
So l come to you and lay my pride,
my self-respect, at your feet. | am
poor, desperately pitifully poor and
you are rich. Donald, help my baby
you can, you must"
Poor, Mabel poor" said Dickinson
slowly. you don't know what it is to
be poor. You who have known the
love of husband and child. You are
rich, rich beyond the dream of avarice.
1t is | who am poor-it Is | who needs
charity in my lonely, wretched ex-
istence."
She gazed at him in open-mouthed
wonder
"You say your husband is dead?" he
went on.
YES, these two years." she replied.
His life insurance sufficed for time,
but knew nothing of business and
bad investment and the bank failure,
left me stranded"
Mabel" he said slowly, "can you
forget and forgive the past and give
me the right to care always for you
and your child? l have sacrificed
everything for gold and now that |
have it | hate it-hate it. | learned
1t only tonight Only tonight your
face coming out of the freight made
me to know had grasped the shadow
and lost the substance. Come to me,
Mabel. | need you more than you can
know, and / can give you and your
child many things"
Donald" said the woman. steadily
placing her own hands into his out
stretched ones, 81 never have ceased
to love you. God help me, | married
a good men, but could not give him my
heart"
The log In the CRATE burst aiame
and the shadows vanished into the
corners.
Now have | won, indeed Dickin-
son cried triumphantly as he took her
in his arms. Now Is success mine"
Together they went forth to the
child.
downright, 1906, by Daily Story Pub. Coz
TIE AaInfu RarfHnder.