The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-06-10

old sofa pcturing 70 himself his mothers grief ne
had not yet reasoned himself out OF his bitterness ana
he felt il as established fact that ms mo'het
would cafe very much more about ms defeeuoh De-
cause his earnings withdrawn than because OF
himself Then the thought came to trouble and ysx
him that perhaps before going away he should have
gone told her what the consequences of her mere
essness would be For the first time he himself in
the possible light Of deserter. He grew hot and
fs srsh under the bed clothes with the shame OF H.
He thought OF every little detail OF their poor lit
tie home. He thought OF the babys pink, crumlded nm
gers, and her pink wrnky and Of little Bobtys
singing and his facie but all the time think
OF what he would he saw his mother in her
calico gown, with the gray hair growing sparse
above the temples, and she regarding him in sor-
row. Even though he touched the warm, palpitating
puppy at his side, he could not banish his mothers
Ease He tried to persuade himself that he was not
miserable at all; that indeed, he was only imagining
himself 10 be miserable Finally as he lay tossing
about seeking fresh, cool spot the pillow
sheets to cool his burning face, he felt that the pH-
low VAS quite wet, and that the moisture was
upon his ashes So he knew that he had been weep
ing and that his misery was quite real, after all
The next morning after breakfast he set forth.
After walking half mile he remembered that he had
forgotten the school-book which in his perturbation
at leaving home he had inadvertently carried away
with him And, nasmuch the book was no. his
property he felt in honor bound to go back for it,
SO that, after he had earned some money he could
mail it back to the school
He sat down al intervals and rested in the sun
Once he lifted the slumbering puppy 10 his lips and
kissed him furtiyely Then feeling very foolish he
bushed, and looked about quickly to see il any one
had perceived him He expected to hear the knocking
laughter OF his .choomaes Then he recollected him
self and his Whereabouts
1t was when he crawled rather than walked
up the road that led to the Manor House at the dog
farm The Bishop was Just returning from his drive
anl seeing the weary little figure, tade the ooachman
stop the carriage
Where are YOU going, boy2'
Up to the dog farm to try and get work"
Are you ILL., my boy"
The child did not know it was the pronoun that
sottened the noun materially, but he was dmly
aware Of The increased kindness in the voice
No, sir only very tired
The confession had leaped from his lips unawares
and he stood frozen to the ground dim foreboding
chilling him to the that the quiet calm eyes
9f the clerical gentleman would draw from him d
further narrative against his will
And SO they did The Bishop perceving the puppy
under the boys racket after the lad was seated be-
side him, bethought himself Of another puppy that
as he had every reason to believe. was now extnct
-'''~'Ntt
boys jacket began to whimper because of his ramped
position, The good Bishop started That whimpsrins
had an oninotsly, suspiciousb familiar sound
Synpathetcally amiaby, firmly he got the entire
story from the boy got piecenea incoherently IN
artiscally because Of the lads exhaustion--indeed
got more Of story than he had bargained for for the
lad mconscously vented his opinion OF the cruel mas
ter ,fter his own blunt terse, boyish fashion
he Bishop had plenty OF time to reflect upon that
seating judgment Of himself, as he watched the boy
partake wolhshly Of the dinner which he h.d served
together with the Bishop James entering anawares
t.ansfxed with horror upon seeing tn, bov and
the puppy, the latter tapping rich cream from a
Limoges saucer The Bishop with flick OF the
finger, sent the from the room before the boy hid
had a chance to look up from his plate and recognize
him
After dinner an enormous quetus settled upon the
boy. Weary and exhausted he undoubtedly still wa
but that wearness, that exhaustion, seemed trans
muted into grateful anguor, delicious inertia And
to be taken by somber-vsaged servant into a LARGE
stately room, curtaned and shuered, and to be un-
dressed by hun and tucked into a spacious maestic
PEG, WIN the puppy beside him, was but part of the
He awoke toward evening to the closing chapter of
the fairy tale for beside him sat his mother-hls
own gentle mother, who, that she was herself
world, in spite Of the -ftting mean cape in which
she sat wrapped, in spite of her gray, strealy hair
which, above the temples barely yelled the SCALP
He relinquished himself uxuriously to her embrace.
ne was much too dowsy to marvel how she had come
there so quickly; one thought only penetrated his
stnpor his torpor, Mother, may keep the puppy"
And he knew by the tears in which the answer was
smethered that she had refused his request ~:
time.
Then the Bishop led her from the room and the boy
lying between waking and sleeping caught some barely
ntellgble phrases spoken in the wel-rnoduated no
ished, smooth voice OF the Bishop
We will need the mother of such son as nnstron
IN our new orpiianage; cannot spare you or your
son to go out of lives again our boy has helnea
me more than ! can say, more than you would under
stand lie has exemphed text for me- he has writ
ten sermon for OF that shall tell yo, souA
other time. Have you heard the verse;
He prayeth best who Ioveth best
All things both great and small
For the dear God who ioyeth US
He made and loveth all
should like a statue of your boy madam with the
puppy III his arms, and, upon my word believe We
WI. have II, somewhere near the new orphanage'
The boy smiled, Doubtless he told himself he was
dreaming He had never known that Bishops ever