The Southern herald., 1910-10-28

.S.s er hid from himself the fact that
-, - vas a small bald spot on his
- - He did his work well. but
hooa, become a fixture-he made
- tvyay. They had raised his
- 90 Ice in the first four years
heon nc, cen there. but no raise had
,.an+io,, luoned since. He dared not
!. .Dd II because they might refuse
,-,,,oir MS pride could not let him
80 :, after that But he could not
lose bis job. There was the old
er at home, bedridden for years.
Ina year ago, she had died. He
hao not yet paid all the doctors
bills. And there was a bill at drug
store. Akers was honest, and paid
nstallments as he could. He had
gwen up the small house in the sub
uros where, after and before work.
ne mad taken almost the entire care
oi ms mother except when she was
a. her worst Then he had had to
nire woman. Anxiety had laid its
fearful hand upon him. And youth
hao taken wings and fed.
When he was almost 90 the
year his mother first took to her
oed' there had been a girl. She was
pretty and gentle and sweet a bill.
ing clerk in the office. but a horn
nomemaker Her smile was a com.
IorI and though she was not much
past 20 she mothered everybody
IN the store impartially, from the
shuiking' smoky cat to Akers. She
seemed to understand. Nobody made
IoVe TO- and everybody loved her.
Inc other girls told Amy Bartlett
thelr little jealousies and rivalries.
and the men took courage from her.
AKers walked up one morning-one
morning after he had been up all
might with his mother and had been
told that her case was homeless but
mat she might live many years-to
the TACT that he loved Amy Bart,
lett After that he kept away from
the girl. He could not bear IN no
near her and remember that common
decency and honor kept him from
saying: Il love you"
So his life became a starvation. for
hearts must be fed-and minds. He
no longer found time to read any.
thing, or even to go to church. or
ever 10 the theater-he could not af-
lord the latter. And, he found he
must sleep when he could. lest he he
so weary that his Office work suffer.
From doing his work confidently.
gladly, 1t became drag and
trouble. He might make a mistake
and lose his place.
II was about a 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
ngures were a mere daze. She had
not said more than a casual word for
months, and now her nearness
Drought feeling akin to hysteria to
his throat, He was afraid that in
spite of himself he would break into
tears, or put his head down against
her woman's arm for comfort-he so
needed comfort A sort of gruffness
was his only safety.
Il just thought I'd ask you-if I
had offended you in any way?" she
said rather timidly. I'm SO careless
of what say, and you've-well. we
used to be friends, and | thought
might have said or done something
that hurt you or" This was more
than he could bear, but he maanged
to be very steady and formal, and to
speak with set little smile.
mo, indeed, Miss Bartlett. not at
all. You've always been very good
I've only been busy-my mother is
sick at home, and I've had to be up
nights-and I'm sure you've never
said anything" And then, because
he knew he could not bear her uues
Itions 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
lpitying and pitiful but she went
away.
A few weeks after that she took a
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-
came more frequent. And his work
his one effort was to do his work
well, 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 jovial John" he had been for
the first years. And then he insured
his life. In spasm of self-searching
he thought it his duty. He might be
killed IN a street car crash on the way
to work some morning, and leave
nothing to his mother and his credit
ors. His filial duty and his honesty
made him thus further a slave.
One day he heard the girls in the
office talking about a party the force
was to have. His name was men,
toned They we're not even careful
lest he hear them. One of them
wanted to invite him, but another
lcarelessly remarked that ha uos 10