Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-05-13
The Reward Of
Mrs. McCloskey
By A. T. ATCHIsoN.

| McCloskey'S boy rose early and ate
hearty breakfast, his mother, who
had provided for the occasion a new.
laid egg, standing by while he was
disposing of it, accompanied by slices
of buttered toast, and declaring the
by amt attn enough to feed a
| chickens
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 brimless hat over his
tangled hair, started off down street,
his mother standing in the door, with
her hand over her eyes, 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,
espied 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
case, and was evidently proud of &C.
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.
can my papa, he said, when you
was drownded, he wouldn't a been
sprised to see you in parli 'ment-that
to the house afore this, an you had
just the stuff in you for that. An the
| schoolmaster, whenyou 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 teach or,
when you was drownded, said he could
not keep from takin' more than CON-
| 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 favorite of theirs, when you
was drewnded. An all the little girls
cried when you was drownded Isn't
love your"
Yes" replied McCloskey's boy,
| dreamily, and after he had left Rose
he thus addressed himself:
$50 they We're afther thinkin' l wus
good fur somethin' whin they tho't
wus drownded.
"Well, it would be cryin shame to
had recovered breath "rll hav' to see
| what l 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,
mo more than we expected"
ayerred the united head of the Murray
family.
eye needn't "a told us that" cried
chorus of villagers delighted with
their own astuteness.
After while McCloskey's boy got
to where the village school could car.
ry him no further, and the schoolmas-
ter grew deeply concerned as to the
lads future.
What occurred 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, if he had been
! some great potentate taking his leave,
| the village could not have shown a
| livelier interest. Mrs. Murray sat in
her bay window, and waved her hand
| kerchief 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 a tall young man stepped out Of
a car cheer after cheer rent the air,
and a 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 schoolmaster and
the young man, marched off up the
main street.
What is this all about?" asked a