Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-11-21
TITLE FELLOW was left at the
= breakfast table alone. II Wasl

parents had quarreled and finally
separated in anger. The outside
door slammed. That meant his Dad
had gone to his office. Then away
off in the distance he could hear
his mothers sobblng.
d was hard to eat. Things
shoked him, somehow, but he was
not going to let Katie see that he
notices anything was wrong.
"An' all alone aginl" she burst
out Indignantly, ITS a shame, Lit
tie Fellow"
Little Fellow shifted uneasily on
his chair "My dad had to get off
early to his office" he explained
hastily, his face very red and his
mouth very full "An' my mother
she was sick. She didn't want no
breakfast"
He fingered by his mothers door
on his way to school, his ear press
ed close to the keyhole. She was
sobbing yet. He bothered her. Still
he loved her a lot, all the same.
Sometimes, when she wasn't busy,
she told him stories lights. She
certainly was "ther5' with the
stories. And onGe in a while he
could coax her to get out her guitar
and sing those soft, sleepy songs Of
hers. Once his dad had found them
together that way. He had stood in
the doorway long time before they
knew 1t, mother and he; then he
had come in, and he had stayed
He heard Katies steps in the hall,
and drew gulltily away from his
mothers door. But It was too late.
She had seen him She always did!
She drew in her breath with little
clucks Of distress and handed him
his lunch box.
There, there, Little Fellow
She would have patted his head il
he had not artfully lodged and
bolted past her
"Aw-quit," he said Grossly. "say
you didn't put in brown bread. did
you, cause | hate tan bananas
too" He banged the door as he
went out, to drown Katies reproy-
Ing voice, then kicked vlclously at
the grayeled pathway
At the corner he met his dad. A
sudden sickening fear pulled his
heart down until It felt sagged. His
father was going home to pitch into
his mother some more, and maybe
his own heart began decided
tattoo against his ribs He had
heard what people said. Just be-
cause he was little they thought he
didn't understand what they said
They talked with big words, behind
their hands, over his head, and even
spelled words, but he knew. He
got them" He was six. They said
his mother and father were going
away from each other for good some
day. He had startling vivid pic
ture Of himself alone with Katie
and her pity, No, sir. Not muehl
He wouldn't stay, He'd run away.
TOGO Off on a ship or something.
a lump kept coming up into his
throat. It ached.
Dad" he ventured His father
was big-so big When he was A
man he hoped he'd be Just that big,
Then unexpectedly his father bent
down to him. One leap and Little
Fellow was held tightly. with his
own arms twined about his fathers
neck. ...
where you goln, dad1" he
asked.
~ was coming back for you, Lit
Ito Fellow. I'm going to take you
Off with me. Say we so for some
hunting-how about lt2"
The chlld's face flashed with joy
There had been sudden reconcllla.
tons like this before. Once, when
ho was only four--and again only
last year.
"Can | so with you when you tel
her" he begged, "She was cryln
when left. heard her--just I
little, away low"
A light crept into hla fntbari