The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-11-05
HAPTE L-continued.

M L-C0ntlnued.
The delayed supper was done. Very
little food was chokingly sufficient to-
night. Mrs. Price. following Jane into
the room. by secret signals made known
to mamm that her quest had been
fruitless. In flat tones she asked her
usual question:
shall we clear away the things?.
no." said Mr.. Crunden. Leave his
place. Leave the food, but make the
table tidy. He ought to be sharp-seu
by now" And Mrs. Crundcn had a wan
smile of gratitude for fathers endur-
Ing Kindness.
Then at last Dick came lurching
in-Dick and not Dick-thlck OF speech
CLASSY of eye, wanting no supper.
There was a dreadful scene-instead
of the planned Observation-Disclosures
father and son. Lizzie was hurried
away, taken up 20 bed by Mrs. Price.
tren1blingly aided to undress. told to
cease sobbing and to pray for better
fortune-while from below came the
sounds OF vbices-motner's, fathers.
brothers. voice-grief, anger and drunk
en- folly in chorus. Even Mrs. Price,
within sound of that chorus. could not
say now that things would come all
right In the end.
Very early in the morning Dick came
into the bedroom. woke Lizzie, and
Kissed her t~ear-stained face.
"Good-by. Lizzie he whispered. The
grey dawn was creeping into the room;
all was shadowy and vague. including
Dick llimself-it seemed to her like a
most horrible dream; but she chung to
him. in a frenzy Of love and fear, to
hold him with her
.Co0l-byc dear 7 have had pnotpb
OF IL. Father showed me the street
door asst right-but l wasn't in q state
to see it. I'm all right now-I can
steer my way through 1t now. Tell
mother not to worry or make a fuss.
I'll write to her as soon as i am set
tied"
She chung to him, but he gently un-
loosed her arms and again bad her
goodbye.
Go to sleep. Lizzie-but don't forget
message. Tell our mother not to
worry"
AS in a dream lie went from her:
leaving her sobbing and shaking in the
grey shadows, with the cold, cheerless
daylight feebly fighting the shadows.
The u would never really shine again.
Dick had gone from them forever. The
wide universe was crumbling into ruin.
was falling into chaos, all about her
little bed.
Then Lizzie went to school. at East
bourne: and exactly what Jack had
toretold came to pass-after a bit she
liked 1T.
When she returned for the first holt
days. Dick had not come back, and her
mother WAS ailinS. Mr.. Jack never
visited the house now, and Mrs. Price
could give no authentic news of him.
a x-n. - n,.a -, -. .n~t 49,
who had decended from a cloud-girt
mountain and returned through the
cloud to the eternal sunshine on the
mountain t~op-regretted by those who
had been privileged to see him-very.
very much regretted by Lizzie.
Doomed, unhappy Dick never made
his peace with an outraged, disap-
pointed father. He never pulled him-
self together; he never dropped it."
Mr.. Crunden was only waiting for time
to bring back the truant. He only de-
sired penitence, acknowledgment of
wronS-doing, a prayer for pardon. and.
he would have forgiven the culprit.
But Dick must make the first move
Mr.. Crunden was obdnrate here: no
tears from the mother could wash away
his purpose. Let him have his lesson.
It's II only chance of doing anything
with him. When he's had his lesson.
we can start fair"
Time, however, would not help them.
1t seemed that in the cruel world
school that Dick a entered, there
were two misunderstanding and Death.
1t was Death, and not Life. that COM
pleted miserable Dicks lesson. a letter
from a London hospital told Mr.. Crun-
den to cease hoping that he would
ever have what his own father had
an r.. Grunden, Jr., to carry on the
business,
Lizzie, at Eeastbourne, was instruct
ed to dress in black. Mrs. Price, con-
veying the grievous things. said that
Lizzie must wear black for a year. But
In fact she wore 1t much longer: for
three long years. She was motherless
ere the appointed time Of mourning for
Dick was fulfilled. y
Lizzie, you must be brave" said rcd
eyed, broken-voiced Mrs. Price; you
must be brave now for your. poor
fathers sake. You9and him is all there
is left inrthe world, and you two,
should be all the world to each other.
I'LL try" said Lizzie, sobbing and
gulping and trembling. He'll keep
me, with him now. won't he? He'll lot
me stay here now?"
NO, my dear said Mrs. Price. "He
wants you to go OF withayour learning
finish all your grand education like
and not feel the sadness of this
house."
''t)h, I'd rather stay with him."
mo, my dear, you must.do as he says.
You'll relp him best later-nothing can
help him now. He'll be winding up his
business-completing Of all his Jobs
and then retiring"
Thus Mr.. crunden went about his
days task as of old-a hard, silent.
grey man, who had a strip of Grape
round the sleeve of his old grey jacket.
who had a band of black cloth round
his square felt hat. 8Outwardly that
was the change in him. Something OF
q hedgehog he seemed perhaps to- the
X GUN ~ {. M nd fOl,1 y. aa,o,, n,l,i - III ~ \. u