Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-04-01
The Reward Of
Mrs. McCloskey
By A. T. ATcHIsoN.


a hearty breakfast his mother, who
had provided for the occasion new
laid egg, standing by while he was
disposing of it, accompanied by slices
of buttered toast, and declaring the
by amt atm enough TO feed a
chicken
The by" enjoyed the experience
OF being coddled-as what boy would
not?-and did not hasten his repast
When it could be protracted no long
er he wiped his mouth on the back OF
his hand, stretched himself. and crush
ing his almost blimless hat over his
| tangled hair started Off down street,
his mother standing in the door, with
her hand over hereye proudly watch
ing him
He had not passed out of her sight
when little Rose Murray. whom he
had rescued from drowning. attired
as usual in dainty befrilled garments,
esped him. and at once flew to meet
| him
The big boy gasped for breath when
he felt the touch of the soft fingers,
| and glanced down sheepishly from
his coarse blue jeans to her dainty
garments. But Rose felt perfectly at
ease, and was evidently proud OF ac-
companying her hero down street.
When You was drownded my mamma
said you was a wonderful boy" she
said. There will never be such an
other boy in the village She said.
An my papa, he said, when you
was drownded, he wouldn't a been
s'prised to see you in pari'ment-tha
Irishmen have gone from the cabin
to the house afore this, an you had
| just the stuff in you for that An the
schoolmaster, wneny you was drownded,
| said there was a CLINT in Your eye,
| which meant somethin and the dust
| wouldn't stick to your heels at school
| when you liked
And the Sunday school teacher,
| when you was drownded, said he could
| not keep from takin' more than COM
mon interest in you, you was so bright
An when you was drownded Mrs
| McShane said she loved you like her
own son An all the women said you
was a fayorite OF theirs, when you
was drownded An all the little girls
cried when You was drownded Isn't
it nice to be drownded an have people
love you?"
Yes. replied McCloskey's boy,
dreamily, and after he had left Rose
he thus addressed himself:
SO they were afther thinkin I wus
good fur somethin' whin they tho't
WIS drownded
Well, it would be cryin shame to
disappoint EN- all he said. when he
had recovered breath. I'll hay to see
what kin do
81 told you So said the schoolmas-
ter, wagging his head, when it be-
came an established fact that McClos-
keys boy was "goin ahead of EN-
all at the village school.
NO more than we expected"
avered the united head of the Murray
family.
"Ye needn't a told us that cried
a chorus of villagers delighted with
their own astuteness.
After a While McCloskeys boy got
to where the village school could car
ry him no further, and the schoolmas-
ter grew deeply concerned as 10 the
lads future
What occlfrred during the summer
did not become known to everyone,
but in the early part of October the
boy set off for higher Institution of
learning
The day he started il he had been
some great potentate taking his leave.
the villase could not have shown a
livelier interest. Mrs. Murray sat in
her bay window, and waved her hand
kerchef as he passed The school
master gave an extra recess to the
children, and stood in the door of the
| schoolhouse. shading his eyes with
one hand and swinging the other over
his head The men came out of their
shops and shouted a CHEEKY word and
| Mrs. Brady Mrs. McShane and the
other women made some excuse to get
down to the train
One summer early in May the train
drew into the usually quiet depot
AS tall young man stepped out of
car cheer after cheer rent the air.
| and dozen hands We're reached out
to clasp his, but the old gray school
master got the first shake
The brass band struck up The
Maple Leaf Forever and a process
sion, headed by the schoomaster and