The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1910-11-23

at Bennison's for ten years. He had
come there when he was Is. Now
the hair was thin at his tenn
pies and a little gray. And he no
longer hid from himself the fact that
there was small bald spot ON his
crown. He did his work well. but
he had become a fiXture-he made
no Roadway. They had raised his
wages twice In the first four years
ne had been there. but no raise had
been mentioned sincS. He dared not
mention IT because they might refuse
1t. and his pride could not let him
remain after that. But he could no;
lose his job. There was the OLD
mother at home. bedridden for years.
ana. Q year ago. she had died he
had not yet paid all the doctors
biils- And there was bill at q drug
store. Akers was honest. and paid
lnstallments as he could.
When he was almost 30, the
year his mother first took to her
Ded. there had been a girl She was
pretty and gentle and sweet, a bill
ing clerk in the office. but a born
.homemaker- Her smile was a COM
Tort. and though she was not much
past 20 she mothered everybody
IN the store impartially. from the
skuiking. smoky cat to Akers. She
seemed to understand. Nobody made
love to. and everybody loved her.
AKers walked up one mOrning-one
morning after he had been up all
hight with his mother and had been
'oso that her case was hopeless. but
mat she might live many years-to
the fact that he loved Amy Bart
lett After that he kept away from
the girl He could not bear to he
near her and remember that common
decency and honor KEEP. him from
saying: Il love YOU"
80 MS lie became starvation, for
hearts must be fed-and minds. He
no longer found tine to read any,
thing, or even to go to church. or
ever to the theater-he could M, AZ.
lord the latter And. he found he
must sleep when he could. lest he be
so weary that bis office work suffer.
From doing his work confidently.
gladly. ii became a drag and q
trouble He might make a mistake
and lose his place.
1t was about year after he had
reached this point that Amy came to
him moment one day when he was
feeling so tired and blank that the
figures We're a mere daze. She had
not said nGre than a casual word for
months. ard now her nearness
brought feeling akin 10 kysteria 10
his throat
Il just thought I'd ask yov-if
had offended yen in any way" she
said rather timidiv. I'm so careless
OF what | say. and 've-we!l. we
used TO be friends. and I thought
might have said or done something
mat hurt you Or This was more
than he could bear. but he managed
TO be very ste~dy and formal. and 70
speak with set little smile.
No. indeed. Miss Bartlett. rot a:
all You've always been very good.
I've only been busy-mv mother is
nights-and I'm sure you've never
said anything" And then, because
he knew he could not bear her cues
tions of sympathy about his home
life. he turned from her to answer the
senior partner who was about to ask
him something The girls eyes were
pitying and pitiiul. but she went
ava.
A few weeks after that she took
position in another store. and he
never saw her-not even on the
street
Then his mother grew much worse
and much more trying, and he was
up more at night. and the bills be-
come more frequent. And his work
his one effort was to do his work
we'll. and it was done No fault could
be found with that. but all human
spontaneity left him. He had lost
step. The girls did not smile at him
and throw jokes and slang his way.
The partners called him Mr.. Akers."
not the iovial .,'ohn" he had been for
the first years
One day he heard the girls in the
office talking about a party the force
was 70 have His name was men,
toned. They were not even careful
lest he hear them. One of them
wanted TO invitc him. but another
remarked that he was "a
thousand years old-and entirely out
of the running" He realized this
And then the mother had died The |
firm gave him two weeks of. on pa.
and perfunctory condolences. They |
liked AkerS. He was faithful He |
went home and managed tie flu
neral. made the few distant rela- !
tives who could come rs comfortable /
as he could. wrote letters. faced an ,
empty house. Then he knew that. |.
trying as the half-insane. peevish |
old woman had been. her |
absence was terrible thing. His !