Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-16

Easter Sunday. a boy Of fifteen trudg |
ing along a road with a little bundle /
containing his clothing stopped under
q tree. to eat bite Of luncheon he car
ried in his pocket. While he was there /
girl a year or two younger than he |
came along and said to him:
You look very tired. Have you come !
far?''
II have walked all the way from L.
since o'clock this morning. / am go
ing to the city and must reach it before
night"
What are you going there forr
ITO begin to make myself independ-
emit. I am half orphan with STEP
mother. She has made it so disagree
able for me at home that I can stay
there no longer"
Have you any friends in the city to
help you?
"No."
ANY money to use till you get
start?"
mo"
"what will you do for food and for
place to sleep?"
"As for food, will go hungry; as for
place to sleep, l hear there are
! benches in the parks"
| A great pity welled up into the girls
eyes Presently she unclasped her palm
and uncovered a crisp FIVE dollar bill.
! She looked at 1t longingly, then extend
ed it to the boy. 'Take this" she said.
my uncle gave it to me for a birthday
present. 1 am thirteen years old to-
day"
What were you going to do with II?
81 was going to buy a sweater. All
the girls have sweaters, and I have
long wanted one. But you will need 1t
far more than 1. 1t may keep you till
you get position"
The offer of this money was the only
sacrifice the boy had ever experienced.
Thus far whatever had been given him
had come from those whose duty it
was to protect him, but everything he
had received had come grudgingly.
what is your nameY he asked.
Laura"
Laura whatr'
Laura Maryweather.7
to take from you your birthday gift
Nothing would induce me to do so.
am going to the city to make my for
tune have learned the value Of mon
ey by hard knocks, and l shall take
more such lessons. l shall make peo
pie pay me for what they get out of me
and l shall work, work, work, anC
save, save, save, until / am rich. But
l will do it all myself. 1 will be be
holden to no one"
What are you going to do with youl
money when you get it?
do with it? Well. one thing I will
do with i'll will hold it up to glitter
before the eyes of those who have de
MED me those things boy desires, ant
will make them feel how easy Il
would be to make them happy, but
won't"
TIE girl looked at him through pail
of eyes that grew big with wonder
mingled with which was an expression
of reproach. Finally she said:
Aren't you queer boyF
'Do you think that tooY
YES"
well, suppose 1 am queer since
you say so. Others have told me that
but | would not believe them. Well,
must get on. Goodby."
Aren't you going to thank me TO
Offering you my birthday gift?'
NO. Thanks are empty words"
well, you have taught me a lessor
in courage and independence. for whicl
l thank you very much"
The boy turned away from her with
out another word She watched hin
3 till he passed out of sight, then said t
| herself:
That's the queerest boy l ever saw
: in my life
After that she went on to the villag
+ and bought a sweater.
and what did the boy say of the cir
as he drew away from her? That cir
is the biggest fool ever met"
Twenty years passed. Laura Mary
weather in worldly point of view flu
filed the boys opinion of her. Sh
gave iirst to others, second to herself
AS to economy, she never knew what
meant. The day came when she passe
beyond her fathers and mothers car
and was obliged TO take care of hel
self. being compelled to work very hard
She was always giving away thing
she needed herself. taking no fore
thought for her future and spendin
what money she devoted to her ow
use without much wisdom. She wa
the reconciliation of improvidence-
When she was twenty-five she mai
ried a man named Spellmeyer. who ha
It no better head for getting on in tn
world than herself. Several childre
d were born to her. then her husban
died and left her with just what sh
had when he married her-nothinl
Another FIVE Dirs passed, durin
which her children were growing olde
and needing more and more every yea
IS Then she broke down in both healt
and spirit
One morning the postman left le
ter for her containing a check for 81
signed with a name she had neye
heard before, Simeon Wrinkle The lie
ter said that on Saturday before Easts
there was to be an auction sale
household furniture in the civ al