Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-23

That Saturday proved to be only the first of mar
and weekdays Jim and his father were no long
strangers each other. AS the winter wore on sno1
shoeng, skating, skeeing kept them together for hour
traversing the white fields, skfnmng over the sfin
lake, flying in long leaps down the rolling snow
hills Their confidence in each others sympathy gre
the weeks passed Jim brought his father his DO
ish puzzles and often shared with him his daydrear
And the mans mature impaired the boy baan
and steadness and breadth Sometimes they sat
the library, each at work Mr.. Bradstrcet would CLAM
UP and, catching Jims eye, read aloud some sentenc
his own or anoters that had struck his fancy certa
Of the boys interest if not of his full appreciation
net infrequently glad OF his fresh, youthful point
SO it came about quite naturally that one day h
father spoke to Jim of the book he writing. NJ
Bradstreet rct;cent III such He seldol
mentioned his own literary affairs and when he bega
to speak to lis about them Jim recognized fin;
proof of degree of intimacy his most daring fancie
had failed 10 picture. In the pride he felt at becomn
his fathers literary condant he at first though
TO the book possible rival. But gradually, wit
pages to pages and his fathers absorption in gre,
also old idea returned to Jims BRAIN the feeling tina
he had expressed to Philip Gordon that wl1a
his father cared for most i'll all the world his work
One day he overheard his father speaking to frien
Mr. Bradstreet said touching with gentle lingering
gesture the pile of closely typed sheets the desk
risk my reputation on this book. Why, do yo
know" he laughed slow laugh of humorous seIf-ap
probation, | am grown positively maudln about thi
story l am tinlid it a hen her one chick
and that duckling If ANYTHING should happen to it
but nothing can. You it IS my dearest possession
The very next day Jim sent by his father to re
turn book to an elderly invalid friend In the course
fathers new book and of the enthusiastic hopes th'
author had for its success
I've got to beat that book" Jim whispered to hmse
Spring deepened through a mist of young green into
the fuller tones of summer and Jim and his father pre-
pared to spend the long vacation together Hitherto
they had been mucH apart in the July of this
year them established together in a cottage that
chung to the skirts of the bigger hotel perched above
translucent Vermont lake Mr. Bradstreet found easy
work there He had been deeply the swing of
to leave the book behind and for several hours each
day he wrote steadily. Meanwhile Jim amused himself
with the youth of the hotel and cottages He was quite
used being pointed out transient visitors the
"son of James r Bradstreet you know, who is SUM
nering here but the young people hailed him with no
illusions to his father Among his contemporaries Jim
He was beginning to feel himself bafaed and some
times he felt he almost hated the story he had gloried
in few months before He not used to playing
Toward the end of August Mr. Bradstreet was called
away suddenly and Jim was left for day two to
keep bachelors hall in their tlree-room apartment
paned o an ne n W e paG very sn e boy
piazza In fact expect him this very evening, Mrs.
Gray; No, it was. not sickness at all, Mrs Bacon:
Lonely, Mrs Green? Oh, I'm coming first rate, and
there's fishing trip that will keep me busy this morn
ing see the fellows watng-if you will excuse
me- and Jim bowed himself off.
Mid-afternoon instead OF noon the return of the
anglers From the point where they had struck into
the woods they rowed swiftly hungry back toward the
Hello" Cried Ned Relieves suddenly, q wonder
what's doing there by the hotel?
There signs OF unwonted activity about the hotel
women and children guests and employees, could
carried pitchers and pals. the unwinding
coil OF hose From the trees that shut view
of the cottages pulled delicate spiral of smoke.
The first boat turned bend in the lake
Jimny! gasped the boy in the bow, twisting his
head around It's fire. Row, fellows, rowl Don't
lets miss it
81 say. its jim" shrilled excited voice.
yes" said Jim quietly Keep her head steady,
Bill" With long strokes he the boat ahead of the
others darling in swift streak toward the hotel pier
jim had seen at glance the location of the fire, and
there was room for but one thought in his brain.
At the landing he sPrang out and raced across the
was pouring from every window of to cottage where
were his and his fathers rooms The cracke OF flames
came to him as he he could fored red tongues
licking at the roof. Now broadside of fire burst
through. the windows the south--his own rooms
opened to the north Two or three men played futile
stream of the roof, others bring into
action two lines of hose.
Employees of the hotel urged the guests back out of
danger; they made Gordon around the cottage
Nobody else allowed inside"
Can't let you through, M. limits furnace in
there Here, stop that boy"
The idea had kept its place prominent in Jim's
brain as he ran His father gone. and his fathers
manuscript lay in his care. His fathers words If
sion" scared themselves on his consciousness There
was no envy now It did not occur TO him now to wish
straight course passed the head waiter who had forbid
den him passage and dared into tie burning cottage
When Jim awote to consciousness some hours later
he felt rather than for his eyes were bandaged, that
there were people by the bed.
Yes, jim. answered his fathers voice close to his
" Here | my boy!
Jim felt very tired and very uncomfortable but anxiety
welled up within him. Dad. IS the-dd you find the
booI-a right"
The book is safe. Jim" said his father And then
suddenly his voice hurried with little catch in It,
Jin boy what did you think cared for that vretched
book compared with you?
A warm feeling stirred at Jim's heart He tried TO
the hand that lay the coverlet It big and
heavy with bandages and hard lift His father under
stood the movement and laid his own on the pouced
fingers Jim smiled content but still little bewidered
It isn't wretcled book" he contradicted. weakly.
ats bully one the best yet andyou said you'd like
to be remembered By it'
You are the book I'd rather be remembered by,
linz said his father Dertiv