Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-07-17

swell, Sir. What Can Do for You7 ?"
for father he might have let the
tears come.
And they did come now. He sat
down upon the curb and rubbed his
eyes with two grimy little hands, and
still he could not rub the tears away.
What's the natter" asked a big
policeman, striding up to him. Are
you lost, boy?"
Bobby handed him the piece of pa
: per. The policeman looked at It and
whistled.
mr.. Swanscott!" he calculated.
Saints alive! Is he your daddy"
Bobby nodded obviously. more be-
cause he felt that 1t was the right
thing to do than because he under
stood. And the policeman picked him
up and led him across the street to a
big building that seemed to tower into
the skies. and spoke to the porter.
The porter took Bobby to the door
Of a little room that was moving up
and up. with people standing in it
and pressing against the walls.
Upstairs John Swanscott was hold
ing a company meeting. The directors
were all assembled and ready to be-
gin business. John Swanscott walked
restlessly about the room. His heart
was not in the company that day. He
was thinking of the girlish wife who
had left him five years before be-
cause-because-
Well, that was ancient history now,
and he had repented his fault in sack
cloth and ashes ever since. And he
had tried to find her SO many times.
But Hflda's pride had lent her power
to evade- him, and he had learned
nothing. He did not know, for in.
stance, that he was the father of q
boy. He did not know that he was a
father at all. Certainly he did not
know that Hilda wrestled with her
pride every night In her lonely bed,
and tried and tried and could not bring
herself to write to him, even for Bob
by's sake.
But with the shrewd instinct of five
years Bobby had long ago OWNED that
something was the matter with moth
er. True, he did not know that moth
ers ought not to cry at night, and
sometimes during the day as we'll; it
was only a subtle instinct that in.
formed him how happy he would be,
and mother, too, II he could bring
home a father.
He had noticed particularly that
the piece of paper with the name on
1t was treasured, and that often
mother took 1t out of the desk drawer
and began to write letter, and that
she always ended by tearing up the
paper on which she had written, and
throwing the pieces into the basket.
All, we'll. IT was not necessary for
John Swanscott to know all this. He
had troubles enough. He had thrown
himself unreservedly into his work.
an embittered man, and not q very
generous one. The name of Swanscott
had become feared in Wall street.
There was not one of the. directors.
who stood nervously about the room.
who was not afraid of him.
The meeting is called. gentlemen"
he said-and just then a clerk came in
through the private door.
ITO see mel" exclaimed John
Swanscott incredulously. The porter.
did you say?" Then anger got the
better of him. Did you tell him /
had a company meeting?" he began.
And just then a dirty little boy with
a tearstained face and grimy hands
that clutched . scrap of paper, came
toddling into the room.
Bobby looked round gravely, and he
stared into the face of each of the
amused directors In turn before plant
ing himself upon his sturdy little lees
in front Of SwanscNtt.