The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-11-11
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I'LL I'LL iii
CHAPTER XxII-(continued.o

like in character, but entirely foreign
to each other. In one instance it was
the devoted loyalty of o Bright to
Eric Midthorne; in the other, the sur
prlsing devotion of Mary Midthorne to
the sick man in the Widow Payson's
cottage. There was no speculation as
to the attitude of Miss Bright, but in
some quarters wonder was expressed
over Mary's behavior. Corinth. in
ignorance of the real situation, found
some difficulty in satisfying itself as to
an imaginary one. OF course. it was
known that Mary and John were in
love with each other, but thai was no
reason why n should devote so much
OF her time to Adam Carr, outsider. The
man could not be moved, but as there
were two nurses in the house to at
tend to him. with doctors making daily
visits, 1T was not reasonable to p
that Mrs. Payson dependent on Mary
for assistance. Moreover. Corinth was
still unable to make out whether Adam
was friendly to Mary's brother. In any
event. he was distinctly at odds with
Horace Blagden, which was some
thing.
Before the end of the week, Adam
Carr the power Of speech.
He was hopelessly paralyzed from the
waist down.. At first he spoke with an
effort, but his indomitable viii power
overcame the impediment; he arti-
culated slowly but clearly. His min
"oo IN GCllNe. lie required the
truth of the doctors. Getting it, he
~philoSophized:
There's no sense in your waiting
here, a. l may hang on for 10
years. Doctors can't tell anything
about 1t, but I'm such a tenacious in
dlVldual that it's not likely that I'll
give up the ghost without a long fight.
or course, l ought to be sensible and
quit right now. Better for YOU, better
Tor me, better for Mrs. Payson, better
for everybody, if could pass on to-
night, but l guess it won't be so easy
as that. Nothing has ever been real
easy for me. Even this won't be easy.
If l We're You, I'd get back to New
York and business. I'll be lying here
IT you can find the time week ends, to
come and see your mother and Mary.
l don't mind it much, after all. A long
rest will do me good. AS you won't
hear to be being removed to a hospital
and your mother Won't either, l guess
III have to stay where I'm put. In a
week or two | can be wheeled about in
q chair, so it won't be so bad. Now
listen to what I've got to say; get it
firmly in your mind. So far as the
world is concerned, l am never to be
anything more to o han Mr.. Adam.
That's what I've been for 80 years.
I've never said | was anthing else. l
never VIII, not even to you. 1t won't
hurt the world any to keep on think
ing your daddy is out there in the At
lantlc, and that your mother is here
instead of up there in the little grave
yard at Gloucester. Horace Blagden,
much as he'd like to, can't rake either
of them up. He only suspects half the
truth. He doesn't know about poor
Lucy Barlow. Your mother here won't
mind being mother to you, right or
wrong, till she dies. So just you go
on thinking of me as Mr.. Adam, your
best friend, and I'll keep on being your
best friend. All the kings horses and
all the kings men can't drag it out of
me. When it comes time for me to
die. and l know it, | may ask you to
put your a close to my lips so that
be till then, and it won't be for an
body else's ear. There's only one 9TH
er person hat must be told. Eric's got
to know it before o make Mary
our wife.
But I'm not going to make her my
wife said his son gently but firmly.
oh, yes, you are" said Adam de-
ctsively. There's no way round that.
I'm not as good as Philip Midthorne
was. but Lucy Barlow was as good as
most Of the Blagdens. Don't forget
that, my Lao Ask your mother. She
knew her"
ASK my mother!!", repeated John
Payson, with a bitter smile.
Il didn't mean it to sound funny.
Jack" said Adam humbly.
-H "a ody VI lWO ldlcl, OIu JdDSZ NOD
bled uD to see his son. He stood at the
bedside, peering quizzically at the oc-
cupant, on whose lips there was a dis
torted grin Of welcome.
Well, father. how are your"
Just $3.50, ADAM replied the
Rheumatism any better?"
Some
There was a period Of silent regard
Then old Jabez found the words he
wanted.
It's a blamed shame, Adam. 1 don't
see why the good Lord didn't do this
to me. stead of you. 1t wouldn't ha'
made any difference IL it had been me,
put-but it don't seem right for you to
be lynn here like this an me skippin'
about as spry as ever. 1t don't seem
right"
Eighty odd last January. Dang it,
you amt ever 60. That's why it's
wrong"
NO" said Adam, your so odd years
proves it to be right. Nature makes
scores to settle with nature. That's
why you're so d and spry. And, now,
how are the squirrels"
Well" said Jabez, taking the chair
that had been placed for him, they're
gettin' SO blamed fresh that there amt
no Twin with EN-. The whole caboodle
OF EN- got in the house yesterday when
l was takin' a nap, and, dang me, If
they didn't find that barril Of peanuts
You sent down last month. When !
woke up. by gosh. / couldn't hardly
get out of the door fer peanut shells.
Fust / thought there'd been a sudden
snowstorm. but they cracked so loud
when / stepped on 'em l knowed it
couldn't be that. Then / got to the
door and seen them fool critters settin'
around on the grass out there in front,
30 cussed fat that I thought they'd bust.
They Jest couldn't wobble. o never
In all your life. Adam. seen such idiotic
lookin' things as they wuz. A hundred
OF sem! Squattin' around the place.
kinder pitful like. Cussin' them didn't
do no good. They jest looked back
and twtgged their tails feeble the more
/ cussed. And you can give a squire,
~paregoric like you can a baby.
And now you have an idea what ma ]
ture had begun to do for Jabez Carr.
But ! am getting ahead of my story.
Adam Carr did not recover his speech