The Republican journal., 1915-12-30
1t Takes Nerve.

''All these preparations for Bud Nor
gan's homecoming, Seth Tompkins
remarked, as he joined the circle around
the big base burner in the post office.
reminds me of another homecoming
Witnessed fifteen years ago back east -
1t was an accepted fact in Burtonville
that Seth Tompkins' stories were worth
while, and as he spoke there was gen
eral hitching of chairs into more com
Portable positions and refilling of pipes,
in anticipation of half hours yarn.
Bud Morgan was mighty pucky
chap" Seth went on, land he deserves
MS Carnegie medal and the big blow out
we're going to give him when he gets
home; but this other fellow | have in
mind-say, boys, do you know there's
moral courage we don't get medals for
that comes pretty near making man a
hero?' He paused moment and gazed
reminiscently into the glowing Goals.
Its just ten years since | came to
live with my daughter here in Burton
vile. Elliston, where | hailed from,
WIS just such another burg as this. We
he'd bank, general store, my own, a
drug store and a. Well, you know
about the lay of it.
unlike the majority of towns-small
ones-we were well blessed with young
people. They hadn't got crazy then and
were content to stay at home.
''Geof Langton was about our most
popular young man. His brother owned
the bank and Geof was teller. He and
little Betty Davis, the druggists daugh-
ter, had been keeping company since
just suited, somehow, and think every
body was pretty we'll tickled about it.
Everything was going along all
right, until Winnifred ElIiston came
home from college. Her father was the
big gun of the town. Eliston was
called after Winnifred's grandfather, so
you see they were some shakes. She
cut shine in that town, | can tell you,
and I've got to hand it to her, she was as
handsome as any girl you ever set eyes
on.
'Of course she had all our young fell
lows trailing after her, and the looniest
one in the bunch was Geof Langton. He
Just lost his head. The worst of it was,
she took a liking to him; and it wasn't
long before it was just as though Betty
Davis wasn't in the town at all. Geof
was always at the Elliston home after
banking hours, and he certainly did hit
it up hiring fast horses. Every evening
Winnifred and he might be seen behind
a bang up team flying along the road.
and all winter flowers and presents came
for her from the city. 1t was whispered
that Geof was spending pile of money.
used to kind of wonder how he did it,
and. One morning Elliston learned
that Geof Langton was short in his &C
counts thousand dollars.
'It was all over in a week. Before
We realized what had happened Geof
Langton had been pronounced common
thief and had been sent down for three
years. Yes, sir, his own brother did
that. He hadn't one scrap of mercy,
even though the boy told him he was go
ing to put it back when he got the ST.
600 that was coming to him when he
came of age in the spring.
after few weeks the excitement
died down and you didn't hear his name
mentioned much. Winnifred Elliston
kept it up longer than any one. There
wasn't anything mean that she didn' t
say. Betty Davis, did you say? She
was very quiet; and when she'd come
INTO my store there was hurt. panied
look in her brown eyes. Somehow, |
Knew she cared.
"a good many things happened during
the three years following Geot Lang
tons fall-that is a good many things
for town the size of Elliston. Geof' 8
brother died and his widow moved away.
The big event, though, was Winnifred' g
wedding. Guess they still talk about it
back there, She married some foreign
guy and her dad set them up in great
style in the city. They flew high for a
couple of years; then it was back to
father for Winnlfred.
'As said, there was never any more
talk about Geol Langton. He'd become
sort of bad dream to most of US: but
one day something happened that kept
tongues wagging for awhile, Geof
showed up. Yes, sir, he blew in on the
$40 train one afternoon, and that town
was in an uproar. You'd thought the
boy was the greatest swindler the coun-
try had ever seen.
Il saw him on the street along toward
evening. Alone, you bet, and of all the
down-hearted looking kids, he was it. /
didn't wonder, either, because-I'd just
watch the folks he'd meet, and IN be
hanged if every one of them didn't give
the zero stare, the kind that hurts.
Il didn't get chance to speak to him
then, but just at dusk was sitting on
our veranda and | saw him coming down
the road. At the Davis house-that
next to ours-he hesitated, looked long
ingly at the gate, paused a moment and
then came on. Suddenly l saw a flash
Of white in the Davis garden, lit .
figure flew down the walk, out the gate
and heard low, futtering like 'Geof,
oh, Geof! l only waited long enough to
. see Betty's hands go out to meet his,
ind then went around to the other side
of the house.
Il think was there almost an hour