Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-28
BY ROY NORTON

awkward in his "store clothes as he sat down BY Bur
NAH, and Burmah grunted. YES Sir, its fnei~ Todd
went unrebuffed if confident that he talking
to congen1al "'Ialn't nice sometimes as back
where come from, me: but maybe that's
because amt used high mountains like these Jim
and me hated to leave home when come here.
We'd worked hard, though, that thought we'd
just naturally have do somethin to git ahead You
got many to think about. inns been widow
for nigh onto years, and he's got four little
shavers. Then it did seem If our family had the
worst luck There five brothers OF u.s. and all
married. I'm the oldest. | married. | sort OF
had to drag the other boys up and sister too after
Pa and Ma died. Then the Others had bad luck Two
of the brothers died trying to woman aoatin
down the Missouri when the flood. Then the
other one, Tom just worked himself DEATH and he
left US and he the only that had made any
money.
He turned his family, wilder and four babies over
to Will, he says when he laid there gaspn for
breath and coughin', send 'en all out of the room
So they all went and alone Will, he says
reachin and gettin' hold of my hand, look after
EN- won't YOU Keep the wolves away from the fold
Help EN- to grow up and be decent, and honest, and
truthful want EN- to be real men and women, WILL
the kind that never do anything that they need be
ashamed Of; 50 they look other folks, and God
Himself in the face without.droppin their eyes They
don't know, any OF EN-, and. my wife least OF all
anything about how to take OF what little I've got
Then his voice got hoarse and he coudn talk for awhile
and just whispered, and when bent see if he
still talkin to he prayn, Mr.. Jones, prayin
in his way and sayn, Lord spose it's writ in the
books that I'm to be took away, and l don't ask
nothln for myself, no forgiveness, nothin: only
this, Lord, that you make my brother Will a good
shepherd for my flock. Show him how, because it's
mighty dark and can't seem to see, and That was
all. He'd gone out over that same dark road, and
left there alone, the shepherd"
The orchestra stopped its playing; but neither Of
them noticed it,-William Todd whose weatherbeaten
yo5 had cd
gether the railing BurTnah Jones, whose head
had dropped low on his breast, who sprawled out
with his hands in his pockets.
Il don't know why | should tell you all this, Mr.
Jones, the paintive voice went on, except that
want to thank you-for both and my brother-for
hepin' along the way you have. We borrowed the
money to out here to start with, from that
didn't have much, but believed in us and let us have
what they could spare. We knew by the way you was
dom things that at last it was chance. We saw
Port Hatch gon right ahead and began to make more
money than we'd ever thought of So when we needed
pay bills because we'd sort of reached out
too far, knew it all right, and I've taken every
thing that was left by Tom and put 1t into
building That's all going to be theirs Toms children's
and his widow s. and IN gon try it for them
that when they they Il be happy and be brought
up right, and that poor Tom if he sees me- will look
it all and know that I've kept faith and that I've
been good shepherd for his flock.
And, Mr.. Jones, the Colones all right; but Jim
and me has talked it over and knows that its all
due to you, and said that whenever got the
chance we'd tell you about it and thank you. I'm
thankin' you now."
He put out one of his harsh hands, and Burrnah was
compelled to accept it. and compelled to look the
overlooking eyes that sought his through the light filter
ing between the palms. The hand grasped his in
strained rendiness and the eyes expressed great graft
tude.
RURNIAH suddenly got to his feet and almost fled
- from the terrace, speechless and ashamed. He
found the guests broken into groups, and thought he
might slip unobserved upstairs but Arabell captured