The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-11-19
TITLE FELLOW was left at the
breakfast table alone. 1t was

uoor slammed. That meant his Dad
had gone to his office. Then away
off in the distance he could hear
his mothers sobbing.
b was hard to eat. Things
rnoked him, somehow. but he was
not going to let Katie see that he
notices anything was wrong.
AN all alone agin!" she burst
out Indignantly. "It's 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
ca 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 "the's' with the
stories. And onse 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 a long time before thew
Knew it, mother and he; then he
mad come in, and he had stayed! |
He heard Katie's steps in the hall |
and drew guilty away from his
mothers door. But it was too late.
She mad 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 If
ne 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 Katie's reproy-
Ing voice, then kicked y~iciously 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
MS mother some more, and maybe
his W heart began a decided
tattoo against his ribs. He had
heard what people said. Just be-
cause he was little they thought he
olont understand what they said,
Ihey talked with big words, behind
thelr hands, over his head, and even
spelled words, but he knew. He
got them" He was six. They said
MS mother and father were going
away from each other for good some
day. He had a startling vivid pic
ture Of himself alone with Katie
and her pity. No. sir. Not much!
he wouldn't stay. He'd run away.
TOGO off on a ship or something,
a lump kept coming up into his
throat. 1t ached.
Dad" he ventured. His father
was big-so big! When he was a
mai he hoped he'd be just that biz.
Then Unexpectedly his father bent /!
down to him. One leap and Little !
Fellow was held tightly, with his !!
own arms twined about his father.s !
neck. |
where you goin', dad?" he |
asked. !
Il was coming back for you, Lit !
tie Fellow. I'm going to take you !
pit with me. Say we go for some
hunting-how about it?" Il
The child's face flashed with iov
There had been sudden reconcilia- /
lions like this before. Once. when !
ne was only four-and again only|
last year.
Can | go with you when you tell
herr" he begged. "She was %cryin'|,
when I left. l heard her-just a
little, away low"
A light crept into his father's
eyes. Little Fellow knew that thingsl
were not right.
"Oh!-She. Well, I hadn't thought
of taking her, son. We're going