Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-01-27
HE HELPED
THE DEAD
By EUNICE BLAKE


have more confidence In your judg-
ment than my own or that of any one
else. and | am going to submit a case
to you. John and Edgar Walcott have
both been making love to me. and each
wishes me to be his sweetheart Mel
Their has yet accomplished anything
toward founding a home, and a mar
rage 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. | am willing to engage my
self to one of them. l 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, 1 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 | like Ed
gar better than John. Now, what do
you adviser"
Il 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 a fine slim
illus 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
crosby"
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 wherewithai 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 a certain amount
of money by their father to hold II
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 John, 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 a 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 10
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, bad 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. ''he died
Of starvation. He should be a warn
ing to yon. Edgar. not to be wasting
your money On every beggar who
comes along"
Lets Oury MIN. SAID Edgar.
Bury him. Why should we waste
our time at that?" said John impatient
iy. "Come orr
HE may have wife. a mother. a
sister. possibly sweetheart. who some
day will Ire glad TO know that he re
ceived decent Sepulcher."
Edgar" cried John angrily you're
fnoIt I'm war;, mn with 'vou Stay
here If you like and bury the man
4 I'm going on"
He walked away. expecting his
brother would follow him. Bue tp
lid not Edgar began to dig grave
and John passed out of sight. That
was the last time they met until the
five years that they were To remain on
ri.