Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-07-16
FRECKLES
BY
Gene SmraaG@m.
Porter
COPYRIGHT. 1904. BY. DOUBLEDAY. PAGE
q Co
Porter
CHAPTER XXI.
crrEINC A RIRTHRIGHT

NRECKLES' sinewy fist knottet
III into the coverlet. His chir
III pointed ceilingward and hi:
u head rocked on the pillow
"wait bit, angel" he begged. "Bt
giving me little time"
The angel rose with controlled fea
lures. She bathed his face. straighten
ed his hair and held water to his lips
1t seemed an age before he reached fol
her. She took his hand and leaned
her cheek upon 1t.
"Tell me, Freckles," she whispered
softly.
eff / can" said Freckles. In biting
agony. "It's just this. Angels are from
above. Outcasts are from below
You've a sound body and you're beau
tifulest Of all. You have everything
that loving. careful raising and none!
can give you. have so much les:
than nothing that / don't suppose
had any right to be born. It's sure
thing-nobody wanted me afterward
30. of course, they didn't before. Some
OF them snouid nave been telling 20,
long ago."
"If that's all you have to tell
Freckles, I've known that quite
awhile" said the angel stoutly. Mr.
Mclean told my father. and he tolt
me. That only makes me love yor
more. to pay for all you've missed"
Then I'm wondering at you" sale
Freckles. in a voice Of awe. Can
you see that If you We're willing ant
your father would come and offer yol
to me, l couldn't be touching thu
soles Of your feet, In love-me. whose
people brawled over me, cut of me
hand, and throwed me away to freeze
and to die! Me. who has no name
lust as much because I've no righ
to any, as because I don't know 1t
When / was little. l planned to fine
me father and mother when / grew
up. Now / know me mother deserted
me. and me father was maybe u thiel
and surely liar. The pity Of mt
suffering and tie watching over mt
has gone to your head, dear angel
and it's me must be thinking for you
If you could be forgetting me los
hand. where I was raised, and that
had no name TO give you. and II yot
would be taking me as | am. some
day people such as mine must D'
might come upon you. used to pra!
livery night and morning and man!
times the day to see me mother. Now
1 only pray to die quickly and never
risk the sight of her. 'Tain't no way
possible. angel. It's wildness O.
your dear head. oh, do. for mere!
sake. kiss me once more and be let
ting me go"
Not for q minutew cried the angel
"Not for a minute, il those are al
the reasons you have. There art
thousands Of young couples who come
to this country and start a famil!
with none Of their relatives here. Chi
cago is q biz city, and grown people
could be wiped out In a lot Of ways
and who would there ever be to flnt
to whom their little children belonged
It's all so plain to me. Oh. II coult
only make you see!'
She buried her face in the pillow ant
presently lifted it, trans6gured.
"Now l have it," she cried. "Oh, deal
heart. l can make 1t so plain! Freck
les. can you imagine you see the OLE
Limberlost trail? Well, when We FOL
lowed 1t, you know. there were places
where ugly prickly thistles overgreV
the path. and you went ahead Will
your club and bent them back to keel
them from stinging through my cloth
ing. Other places there were grea
shining pools where lovely. snow white
lilies grew, and you waded In ant
gathered them for me. Oh, dear heart
don't you see? It's this! Everywhere
the wind carried that thistledown, 9th
er thistles sprang up and grew prick
les and wherever those lily seeds sanl
to the mire the pure white of othel
lilies bloomed. But, Freckles, there
was never a place anywhere about th'
Limberlost. or in the whole world
where the thistledown floated ant
sprang up and blossomed into white
lilies! Thistles grow from thistles ant
lilies grow other lilies. Dear Freckles
think hard, You must see It! You arr
lily, straight through! You never. new
er could have drifted from the thistle
patch.
"Where did you get the courage Il
20 into the Limberlost and face Its ter
rors! You inherited it from the bloot
of q brave father. dear heart. Wher'
did you get the pluck to hold for owe
year a job that few men would hav'
taken at all? You got 1t from Il pluck!
mother. you bravest Of boys. You wad
ed single handed into man almos
twice your size and fought like
demon, just at the suggestion that 20!
could be deceptive and dishonest
Could your mother or your father hav'
been untruthful? Here You are. 81
hungry and starved out that you ar
dying for love. Where did you get al
that capacity for loving? You didn'
inherit 1t from hardened, heartles
people who would disHgure you ant
purposely leave you to die. that's on
sure thing. Yet you will spend miser
able years torturing yourself with tn
idea that your own mother might hav
cut or that hand. Shame on you
Freckles, Your mother would hav
done this
The angel deliberately turned bac
the cover. slipped up the sleeve AM
laid her lips on the scars.
"Freckles," she cried. "come to you
senses! Be a thinking, reasonin
man! You just must see it! Lik
breeds like In this world! You mus
be some sort Of reproduction Of you
parents, and l am not afraid to vouc
for them, not for minute.
"And then. too, II more proof
needed here 1t is: Mr.. Mclean soy
that you are the most perfect ger
tleman he ever knew, and he ha
Travelled the world over. The
there's your singing. l don't believ
there ever was mortal with a swee
er voice than yours, and while ths
doesn't prove anything there Is
point that does. Just the little trair
ing you had from that choirmaste
| won't account for the wonderful a.
cent and ease with which you SIM