Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1910-11-04

leaves in the little hollows, when he
met Ardea. She was coming down
with her arms full of holly, and for the
moment he forgot his troubles in the
keen pleasure of looking at her. None
the less, his greeting was a brotherly
reproof.
"Td like to know what you're think
ing of, tramping around on the noun
tain alone" he said, frowning at her.
Il have been thinking Of YOU isost
Of the time, and wishing o could be
with me-" she answered, SO artlessly
as o mollify him instantly. rs your
mother any better this afternoon?"
she Is just the same; lying there so
still that you have to look close to see
whether she is breathing. The doctor
says that II there isn't a change pretty
soon. she'll die"
20 Toni"
He looked up at her with the old
boyish frown pulling his eyebrows to-
gether.
She's been good to God all her life:
what do YOU reckon He's letting her die
this way for?"
1t was a terrible question, made more
| lGITlDlC Dy lHC SoNooO
lay behind 1t. Ardea could not reason
with him; and she felt intuitively that
at this crisis only reason would appeal
to him. Yet she could not turn him
away empty-handed in his hour OF
need.
How can we tell" she said, and
there were tears in her voice. we only
know that He does everything for the
best"
81 wish you'd ask Him to let my
mother livei" he said, brokenly. I've
tried and tried, and the words just die
in my mouth"
There is a Mother of Sorrows In ev-
cry womanly heart, to whom the ap-
neal of the stricken Is never made ir
vain. Ardea saw only a boy-brothei
CRYING out in his pain, and she dropped
on her knees and put her arms arounc
his neck and wept over him in a pure
transport of sisterly sympathy.
Indeed and indeed I will help Tom
And you mustn't let 1t drive you GU
into the dark. You poor boy! know
lust how 1t hurts, and I'm so sorry 10
you'll"
He freed himself gently from tn
' comforting arms, got up rather uh
. steadily. and lifted her to her fee'
Then the manly bigness of him sen
. the hot blood to her cheeks and sh
I was ashamed.
20 Toni" she faltered; what mus
5 you think of mel"
ct think God made you-and tina
. was one time when His hand oion
tremble." he said, graVely.
They had picked their way down Tn
;, leaf slippery mountain side and n
e was giving her the bunch of holly a
he Dabney orchard gate before n
{ smoke again. But at the moment 9
o leave-taking he said:
How did you know what / needle
more than anything else in all tn
: world, Ardea?"
She blushed painfully mi the blu
o eyes were downcast.
You must never speak of that agai'
a I didn't stop to think. It's a Dabne
u failing, I'm afraid-to do things mrs
and consider them afterward. 1t wa
as if we were little again, and you ha
,s fallen down and hurt yourself
IL st know he acquiesced, with tt
same manly g~entleness that had mac
4 her ashamed. Il won't speak of 1t an
more-and I'll never forget it the Ions
l. est day l live. Good-by."
n And he went the back way to h
own orchard gate, plunging through II
leaf beds with his head down and h
hands in his pockets, struggling as
n could to stem the swift current whit
y was whirling him out beyond all II
old landmarks. For now he was ma
NJ to know thai boyhood was gone, al
n youth was going, and for n intox
# eating moment he had looked over Il
mountain top into the Promised Lai
I'd of manhood.