The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1914-07-02
HE HELPED
THE DEAD
BY EUNCE BLAKE

Father" said Dorothy vicers, II
have more confidence in your judg-
ment than my own or that of any one
else, and am going to submit case
to you. John and Edgar Walcott have
both been making love to me. and each
wishes me to be his sweetheart. Nei-
ther has yet accomplished anything
toward founding a home. and a mar
riage with either for some time to
come is not to be considered. But both
are young and | believe will in time
! take their places among fairly success
full men. l am willing to engage my
self to one of them. confess, because,
living in this quiet place, | may not
have better opportunity. John is the
more liable to win success. He Is,
admit. rather selfish and prone to look.
out for his own interest. Edgar, l fear.
| may not get on. He is kindly and gen.
erous. You know. dear father, that
am very practical girl, and it seems
to me that generosity and success are
Incompatible. Nevertheless l like Ed
gar better than John. Now, what do
you adviser
II would not think of advising you,
my child replied the father but !
! will make some statements bearing on
the case Success comes in different
ways. Probably the man who looks
out for his own interest and boards is
the most likely to get rich. But kind
hearted, generous man will make
friends, and friends are valuable.
! Why not send these two young men
out into the world, promising that they
may return. say. in five years, and
take the one who has achieved the
greater success? 1t will be fine stim-
ulus for them and may be the means
: of making a career for both. Besides.
/ it will give us an opportunity to test
! the two Observation-Disclosures and gen
erosity."
| Dorothy acted on her fathers ad-
! vice and told the young men, who were
brothers, to go out into the world and
| return on that day five years hence
when she would betroth herself to the
one who had been more successful. On
the surface, at least, the fact that they
both wanted the same girl had made
no difference in their brotherly love.
and they agreed to go together. 1t
was at time when gold was being
discovered in Colorado, and the broth
ers concluded that they would go there
and seek for the wherewithal to en-
able one of them to marry Dorothy
"If we make strike" said John, I'VE
can return without waiting for the
five years to pass and claim the prize"
They entered the gold country, and
with pick and shovel began to dig.
| Whenever they got discouraged they
heard of some lucky stumbler who had
made fortune in hole in the ground
and they would go on digging. There
was but one trouble between them.
/ They had been given certain amount
of money by their father to hold in
common while they were prospecting.
Whenever they met any one out at the
elbow or hungry or otherwise impov-
erished, Edgar would insist on giving
him something from their treasury. To
this John objected, but as Edgar kept
on insisting on helping every one he
met John at last made a division of
what was left and told his brother
that if he wished to ruin himself he
might do so; he GOhn) washed his
hands of the matter
They continued to dig, hoping every
day to strike something that would at
least add to their fund, which was get
ting low. Edgar's share was so re-
duced that there were but few silver
pieces left.
One afternoon, having abandoned a
hole In which they had been digging
and with their tools ON their shoulders
they were walking toward another To-
cation where they had heard gold had
been found. they came to the dead
body of a man who, judging from the
pick and shovel beside him. had been
prospector. He was very much
emaciated, and as he had no marks
of violence on him 1t appeared that he
had sunk from exhaustion.
| poor fellowr' exclaimed Edgar.
Every likely" said John, she died
J of starvation. He should be a warn
ing to you. Edgar, not to be wasting
your money on every beggar who
comes along"
Lets bury him." said Edgar.
Bury him. Why should we waste
our time at thdt?" said John impatient
ly. "Come on!'
"He may have a wife. a mother, a
sister, possibly sweetheart, who some
day will be glad to know that he re-
ceived decent sepulcher."
Edgar" cried John angrily. you're
fool! I'm worn out with you. Stay
here if you like and bury the man.
I'm going on"
He walked away, expecting his
brother would follow him. But he
did not. Edgar began to dig grave,
and John passed cut of sight. That
was the last time they met until the
FIVE years that they were to remain on
NtfnI