The Prescott daily news., 1915-06-01

pensive tU.
 Yes, he has, pouted Millie. All the best families in town have a car. You aren't living these times unless you follow the procession"
 You'll follow it to great deep ruination ruti" groaned Caleb and turned sadly away.
 He did not upbraid William, but Caleb felt sad when he learned that mortgage had been put on the farm to pay half down on the new machine. Millie cut a great figure with her new acquisition William worked harder. his wife began to scrimp the table Millie boasted of her rich and fash ionable friends. Poor Reuben ceased coming to the house and was silently heartbroken.
 Then one day Caleb noticed that the old heavy gold watch that his brother wore, family heirloom was missing. The annual taxes went unpaid Millie intimated that they ought to sell old Bill. Then Caleb rebelled.
  mined, and straightway Caleb pro- ceeded to place his plans in execu- tion. I'm going to run away from home,' he resolved. It's got to come"
 So, one still moonlight night after the household had gone to rest Caleb stole out of the house, a bundle of clothes under his arm. He had got the light wagon out of the stable and be- hind the harm with straw and blankets in it's box, and old Bill neighed and rubbed his friendly nose against him, and seemed to understand that glad of it.
 "Good-byi" murmured Caleb softly, as he drove out into the road. 'I don't know exactly where I'm headed for, but I'm not too old to work, nor too blind to grab an opportunity if it comes along"
 Caleb travelled all that night. At daybreak he drove into a stretch of timber, turned Bill loose, gave him some oats and proceeded to search in the straw under the seat for some lunch he had placed there. His hand met an unfamiliar and then a squirm- ing object"
 Let go!' cried lively juvenile voice, and up rose boy in the hay.
 Well! What in the world are you doing there?" challenged Caleb.
 The boy was reticent. All he would say was that he was tramping it and had crawled into the wagon the previ- ous evening and was hungry, and so Caleb fed him. Then in the kindness of his heart he adopted" him-for the lad stayed with him.
 Now there came dark days on the family at home Mrs. Stone got sick from worry Her husband was fairly discouraged. Some of Millie's fair weather friends snubbed her. An at tractive lover neglected her. One day the automobile was wrecked in a col lision. The company who had sold it to William took it back because of nonpayment of installments.
 They had to face practical issues. Mlllle, ulSeHCHduleu OI HeT Hckle SO ciety friends. showed the true mettle that was in her. She nursed her mother, she helped her father, she went back to Reuben, and so, at the end of a year, with harmony and economy restored, poor old William saw bright skies and possible clear sailing ahead.
 One day big circus came to town. There was procession. Catching sight of gilded chariot in which sat white-whispered clown and an un- dersized harlequin, Millie uttered lit tie scream and clutched Reuben's arm hysterically.
 "Oh," she cried, there is old Bill"
 Old Bill it was, gayly caparisoned. Uncle Caleb it was, an august sort of Santa Claus clown. and his agile harle. quin companion was the boy tramp.
 Uncaparisoned, and man and boy in civilized costume, old Bill sniffed the air of the old home stable delightedly as he arrived at the farm that eve ming.
 Cured, eh?" smiled Uncle Caleb, as he kissed Millie. pretty and sensible looking in her neat dimity gown. And