Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-03-09
AVanpire
How His Old Father and Mother
Stood by Their Son Even to
Giving Up the Farm.
By 2. A. Mitchell.
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.

QuesIou tue endless panorama OF
Incidents typifying the different phases
o. human life is witnessed by any
class that every day passes before
bankers. Sometimes whole stories are
enacted before us spread over term
OF years. ! am the repository Of one
such story that I watched from its
beginning to its climax.
One afternoon a weather beaten old
farmer with silky white hair scattered
over his head came to my desk and.
pulling out wallet. asked for draft
on Denver for 5000 in favor of Thomas
Williams. He counted out the money.
and then, having nothing to do while
the draft was being prepared. began
to tell me the beginning Of this story.
"rm sendin' the money" he said.
ito my boy out in Colorado. He went
out there a year ago. takin' some
money with him that I give him, but
he hasn't had much luck, and it's all
gone. First he got sick; then when
he got well he went prospectin' and
struck somepin that looked good, but
some other fellers jumped his claim.
whatever that means, and took it all
away from him.
"Then Tom got sick ag'in and went
to horsepittle and stayed there three
months. Now he's got out of the
horsepittle and lookin' about for some
pin. I'm sendin' this money to give
him chanel. Toms his mothers pet.
and she lays awake nights worritin'
about him. Pm mighty fond Of the
boy myself somehow. He was always
a smart little chap-took lots Of prizes
and things at schulz.
when he got old enough to work
wanted him to help me on the farm.
He tried It for awhile. but l see purity
quick he didn't take to it. He was
too smart to be contented to follow a
pillow same 8 his father. who didn't
never get no dedication. So I says
to him one day: Tommy, reckon you'd
better go to the city and work that
away. This don't suit YOU He was
mighty well pleased at that. It al
most broke mas heart to part with
him, but she knowed it was better for
him and let him 60.
'Tom didn't like 1t in town so we'll
as he thought he would. Leastaways
he didn't stay long in the place he
went into, They must "a thought a
heap Of bin, though, for they raised
his salary twice, so he wrote me. But
he got into a fight with one Of the
head clerks and got himself discharged.
He said the head clerk accused him Of
stealin' some money.
tom was allus an ambitious little
chap, and after leavin' his place he
concluded he'd so west and try and
do somepin big, for ma and me agin
we got too old to work. So we scraped
up $500 and give it to him. and he''-
At this moment a clerk laid the
farmers draft on my desk, and the
first chapter of his story was finished,
for he began to count over his soiled
and torn bills, now and again wetting
his thumb on his lip as he turned them
up. Then, leaving them to me and
carefully folding his draft, he put it in
his wallet, crammed the wallet down
into the bottom of his pocket and
with "Goodby, Mr.. Cashier" left the
bank.
The second chapter of the story is
very short There Is hardly enough in
it to make chapter, but there Is a
good deal beneath the few words re-
quired to tell it. A girl Of eighteen
came to the bank, laid down $24, near
ly all in silver coin, aud asked for
draft to cover the amount.
ITO whom will you have it made
payable?" l asked.
"Tom Williams" in soft voice, al
most a whisper.
l ordered the draft made out, and
the girl stood waiting. Unlike the
farmer, she didn't tell all 1 would have
liked to know, so l asked:
SIS Tom Williams your brotherT'
no" she replied, looking down on
the floor,
had not liked the indications as to
Toms character as they appeared IN
his fathers account of him, and now
that money was going to him from his
sweetheart I began to despise him.
handed the girl the draft and had q
good opportunity to study her, for she
never once looked up at me. She
went out with 1t Rugged up against
her heart, as though she loved it be-
cause she had saved 1t for Tom.
My next visitor in behalf OF Tom
was his mother. She stood by my
desk emptying on it from carpetbag
a lot Of bills and silver and copper
coins. Not knowing who she was,
asked what should do with the
money, and she said, "Send 1t to Tom"
BY this time was not likely to forget
Tom and asked If she wished a draft
for Thomas Williams. She said she
did. 1 turped her funds over to
clerk to count, and he reported that
they amounted to $642:47. I ordered
the draft to be made out, placed
chair before the old lady and said.
with a view to my enlightenment:
oNn. vryttttn lIraf<v hryov n0wQ.