The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-07-07
HIS HEARTS DESIRE,
An Informal Call That Had a
Happy Ending.
BY GARFIELD MAC NEAL.
copyrighted, 1909, by Associated Literary
Press I


Tom Hastings sat down in the half
darkness of the little church. He had
strolled in hoping for temporary re-
lease from his bitter thoughts, but the
quiet Of the place only seemed to rouse
his brain to greater activity. Yet he
could not think of his story, the story
already due at the publishers. In
stead he saw only girls face, now
sweet and gracious as it had been be-
fore the quarrel, now cold and repellent
as the past two weeks had shown it.
A strain of music broke the silence.
! The choir was filing in. Hastings
| glanced carelessly at the white robed
procession. The face Of the first boy
| caught his attention for a moment, Sc
rious, spiritual, framed in an aureOle
Of golden hair, an ideal face for a
choir boy.
But again his thoughts ran back in
the old channels to the quarrel and its
consequences Her work had seemed
to go on as usual. She was a success
full miniature painter-at least fine car
riages often stopped at the doorway of
the big studio building, and her room
rang with feminine voices. That was
the maddening part of it. She lived
Just across the hall, so he must see
her many times a day. He had made
up his mind to move. But then, he
had such a beastly lot of traps, or per
haps it was some lingering hope that
kept him there.
Some familiar chords on the organ
startled him. Was it the offertory al
ready? Yes, and the ideal choir boy
was singing alone His handsome face
was flushed, and in his earnestness he
waved his sheet of music gently to
and fro.
ooh. rest in the Lord he sang.
Hastings leaned forward. The words
were apparently for him. The abso-
lutte certainty of the boys tones car
ried conviction.
"And he shall give thee thy hearts
desire"
The tender voice went straight to
the mans heart and comforted him.
Yes, he, too, would wait patiently and
perhaps some day he, too, would have
his hearts desire Till then he would
wait and work
The next two weeks went by very
differently. Under the press of a new
enthusiasm the book seemed to write
itself The last sheet had gone in to
the publisher, and he had always worn
a smile when he met the girl on the
stairs. Her bow was still as freezing
but he only smiled again and hummed
, the few bars from Elijah "And he
shall give thee thy hearts desire"
Again Hastings sat in the little
church Perhaps his choir boy would
sing for him. But the figure Of the
small leader dropped. In the glare OF
the choir lights his face showed white
and haggard, while his eyes were swoll
en- from weeping. A wave Of pity
went over the watching man. 1t might
now be his turn to comfort. The swee'
soprano voice was low and broken
Hastings determined to find the
l. meaning of the change, SO he fingered
after the service, and kind faced Gu
J, rate told him the sad little story.
= "You mean Jack Haines? He ha;
Just lost his mother-conSumptiO
the poor little fellow is left all alone
He is being cared for by neighbors
: but we must find him a place in some
charity school"
That delicate child in a CHART.
school. Hastings could not bear TIL
thought Of it. The face Of the chile
and his own loneliness helped him t
: come to sudden resolution. His voic
was very eager as he said, LET M
e have him."
And so Jack came to live in the BIZ
studio building. Slowly the roses cam
back to his cheeks. He did not forge
the pretty mother who had gone t
sleep so quietly, but he haunted thi
new big brother like a shadow an
crept into his arms to cry away tn
grief that time was trying to heal.
But it worried Hastings that the la
y should be so solemn. When he cam
in and found the boy porting over som
IS big book he would half laughingl
scold him for turning into such littl
bookworm "You need some one
play with, jack" he would say. u
is bad for you to be always cooped u
with an old fellow like me-" Tom wa
only thirty, but somehow he had fel
very old and settled since that night.
But Jack always declared that b
didn't want to be with any one els'
and he was such a shy child tina
- Hastings forbore to press the point
He was therefore much surprise
one afternoon on coming in to find th
rooms empty. Where could Jack be
AS the minutes went by, bringing q
boy, he became really anxious. In
janitor had not seen him. He wa
returning fl ON fruitless inquiries whe
he stopped short at burst of chile
ish laughter Could it be Jack? d
never laughed like that. But, yes;
% was his voice, and it came from tt
girls rooms.
10 Hastings hesitated. And now tt
girl laughed. It was the same saue
little laugh he had loved so much