Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-13

the power of avarice She did not even
let Bartly go to high school; she kept
him at work in the store. The farms
she rented. Bartly worked hard for
his board and a dollar or two of spend
ing money. Of late she had seemed to
grow jealous of him. Perhaps she
feared that he would demand too much.
She treated Anne very coldly. Yet she
was not altogether unlovable When
Bartly was sick she gave him devoted
care and when Anne left some flowers
she pitched them out to the alley.
In spite of Anne's entreaties for him
to be patient while longer Bartly left
town, took "a local twenty miles north,
changed cars for a big railroad town
thirty miles east and got work as head
salesman in dry goods store there.
His salary was not large but he man
aged to keep himself and save a few dol
lars in the year. To his mother he wrote
curt, formal letters, She answered in
come back. But when he questioned her
she could not truthfully say that his
mother seemed to miss him.
And then Bartly managed to get in the
way or runaway team and acquired
fractured arm and number of bruises
The doctors bf1l absorbed his savings
and the enforced absence from work put
him in debt. After that it was a struggle
even though his employer raised his SAL
airy. He laughed a little bitterly to him.
at the end of that year. When he
couldn't keep a surplus out of his money
how dare he ask any one to share it
with him?
And then his mother ENTHUSIASTICALLY
he guessed-that the new doctor was pay
ing strong attention to Anne. Took her
out buggy riding every Sunday afternoon
so she had heard-the astute old lady
was careful to add. She herself had
never seen the two together
Bartly crumDled the letter and triad
to forget its contents. OF course, he
couldn't expect Anne to wait ten or fif-
teen years while he climbed. up to a
living wage for two
The next day Anne wrote. Her. let
ters were becoming as curt and linsatis-
factory as his mothers. But in a post
script she told him that his mother
looked old and tired, almost sick.
Bartly crumpled that letter. Yet he
almost started to pack clean shirt and
collar and run down over Sunday. But
he didn't. Anne and his mother would
think that he had come back jealousy
to push his claim against the new doc
tor, and he didn't want to claim Anne
unless she was anxious to be claimed.
He would let her alone until she had
time to make up her mind.
The dry goods business was very dull
that week Bartlys sales were below
par Twice his employer looked at him,
as though regrettins that raise of salary.
AZ tie era OF the week Bartly got
two more letters. His mother advised
him grimly to come back right away If
he didn't want to lose Anne, adding
that hckle girl wasn't much loss, any
way. Anne wrote cOldly that he ought
to come back and see his mother. She
might not live very long. And, any
way. Anne said unkindly II don't think
you are making so much money that it
is worth while staying away for it,
Bartly was more worried about his
mother than he would admit, even to
himself. But he felt that he could not
so and confess failure. His mother
might be sick. but she likely would be
We'll enough to taunt him.
Yet in the end he decided to take the
train that would land him there after
dusk. Then he could slip up to the
house. take look at his mother, and
if she didn't seem very sick make the
next train back.
He rode to the station thirty miles
west. where he could change cars Tor
the home town. AS he stepped from
the car his mother, clipper, lively look