The Republican journal., 1915-12-30

when heard the Davis gate click, and |
hurried around to our gate and was lean
ing over it as he passed. We'll, Geof,
boy, going to say hello to an old friend?
| could tell by the way he answered me
that he was all broken up, after his talk
with Betty
81 took Geof in the house. and asked
him, without mincing matters, what he d
come back for. He looked me square in
the eye, and there was ring of the man
who counts about him, as he said
'Why did | come back? Mr.. Tomp-
kins. I'm going to live it down, right
here. It's my punishment to myself,
and in town like this, where you re all
straight, where "a thief is considered
the lowest thing unhung, it's going to
be hard! It's going to be worse than
my three years in-out there; but I've
got to go through with it; I've got to
take my medicine without squirming. My
first dose today wasn't homeopathetic
one, either; but your kindness and Bet
tvs have helped, oh you don't know how
muchl'
Il did some thinking during the next
few weeks. and | kept my eye on that
boy. If he didn't have one fierce time,
my names not Seth Tompkins. | don't
believe there was man, woman or child
who didn't freeze him. You see, Ellis
ton was an old-fashioned, narrow town,
and the folks just couldn't believe that
the boy meant the square thing.
HE kept pegging along for about a
| month, picking up odd jobs round the sta
ton. He was willing to do anything but no
one would trust him, The freezing out
process continued, but he refused to be
frozen; he was game.
called him in the store along about
the fifth week. thought he had been
dieting long enough; jobs had been
scarce-and asked him if he wanted to
work for me. ! wish you had seen his
eyes! DO | want to work. he cried.
Do you mean you'll trust me?'
'Well, took him in, and often since
I've thought | was the real thing when
it came to meanness, because of the star
walton wages started him in at but
wanted to try him out. | tempted that
kid, too. Gave him many a chance to
knock down on me; but | came to know
that there wasn't dishonest streak in
him; he was true blue. How'd my GUS
toners treat him? Say, if I'd been that
boy I'd thrown up the job and beat it.
But he had nerve. He took all their
UidSh loOhS, ali iHe uledn FSUldThS lei
drop SOS he could hear, and stood it like
a man. Winnifred Elliston seemed to
take particular delight in torturing
him. She always saw to it that he wait
ed on her, and under her scoruful laugh
and sarcastic speeches, that boy sweat
blood.
1.-THE only bright spot in all that win
ter of distrust was Betty's bright little
nod every time she came in the store.
He rever went near her. He told me he
WASH t fit, but he added, Pm going to
be some day; I'll win out yet And he
did.
Gradually the manliness of the boy
began to tell. First one, and then an
other, came round and would speak to
him, half sheepishly. They began to see
they had a whole lot to be ashamed of,
and that, with all their clean, upright,
religious lives, they had whole lot to
learn about that great big virtue, char
ity.
+ "Win out? Well, l guess, yes; and
he's running that store now. With Bet
ty? Sure! But don't you forget it, it
takes nerve to go through what that boy
did-living thing down."