Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-03-31
III III LIII
I'LL III. IIII

the old seaman was the very essence of
gall. He did not blame. but rather
thanked the old man for his deliberate
deception. and vet there was that in
his words which compelled JabeZ to
look upon himself as the veriest black
Suali unhung the most misguided fool
alive. For days thereafter. the bluff
old fellow moped: and when he was not
mopins. he WAS cursins himself: and
when he was not doing that he was
cursing Horace Blagden. j will not
attempt to enumerate the countless
and varied devices practiced by the
old man to win back the confidence of
his young friend. nor will ] try to de
scribe his alternating moods as these
devices %prospered or s~hriveled. This
much 1 will say: He became a very
dull and uninteresting story teller for
the obvious reason that he maintained
a strict and rigid adherence to the
truth. His veracity was truly oppreS-
sive. The days of the pirates were
over. In their stead We're
place narratives in which he seldom
performed anything more heroic than
the swabbin.r of q deck, or. Perhaps, am
encounter with an obstinate pawn
broker. AS time went on, the two
children began to look upon him as a
way ~ uIIP lOlIlOOlc per
son. Finally. one day, long after his
~regcnerate period began, the anxious
anticipation In Mary's starved soul
burst it's bonds, and she almost
walled:
Uncle Jabe, why don you tell us
n more grand stories"
Because" said he. ut amt right to
tell lies
but how would we know they were
lies?"
You can allus tell whe a feller's
lynn, If you once ketch him in one"
quoth he.
Well. they are lots of fun, just the
same, protested she. Amt they,
Eric?'
YES" said Eric rather gravely, IF
You tell 'em in fun"
I'm tell 'em all You like" said Jabez,
his face Frightening. IF you'll promise
to believe they're lies"
Then, how will we know when
you're telling the trutll?'
He pondered. After five puffs at his
pipe. he said: well, if 1 begin by
sayin' they're the Gods truth. you can
believe 'em. II / don't say that, you'll
know they're lies"
And so it was that old JabeZ came
joyously into his own again.
This narrative, with your permission,
kind reader, has little more to do with
the Midthornes as small children. Suf-
flee to say, they were more or less like
other children in this respect; they
could not remain young forever. They
be stated that the sage counsel of old
Jabez alone kept Eric from running
away from the grey house on the hill
In those early days of shame and re-
sentiment.
You can't afford to do that, sonny"
| ha annnV1nnn1 ts1nnf mt ~ i<Io% ~,A
of your head, once n for all. If you
was alone in the world. I'd say skip.
But you amt. You got to look out for
Mary. It's plumb foolish to talk about
takin' her with you. That would be
the quickest way to send her to. the
grain to stay up there with them peo-
pie. but it's a derned sight better'n
starvin' to death On the streets. You
jest stick 1t out. You wouldn't be SO
crool as to skip out and leave her there
for them to poster and bulldoze. They'd
make a drudge of her. and worse'n
that, maybe. You'd be a mortal cow
ard to run off n leave her, and you
Jest can't take her with you. No. stree,
my boy. You stick it out. Stand by
your guns. ust you wait a few years
know what I'm talkin' about. You
went to sea. l wished a thousand
times / hadn't. cause my stepfather
was nasty mean to my sisters and my
mother"
He hesitated for a moment and then
went on. You wait a few years and
then you can tell 'em to go to hell
After a few reflective pulls at his pipe,
he v~ouchsafed: And, mind you. Eric.
there is such a place as hell"
Eric, at Is, was as handsome a lad
as you'd see in a weeks journey. He
was growing with a steadiness that
promised q good six feet at mans
estate. and he was as straight and az
strong as a young sapling. and aa
celled at all the games In which
strength, agility and quick w~ittednesa
were paramount. In baseball, football,
skating. racing and sailing he was q
leader because he was an adept; be-
cause. while fearless, he was never
headstrOng; while conscious Of his
natural superiority. he was not AFRO
CANT. 1t vas not unusual for him ia
step aside to give q less accomplished
friend the chance to carry OF honOra
that might easily have been his. This
trait did not go unrecognized. nor waa
It u~nappreciated by his companions
An extremely uncommon condition
marked this attitude toward him on
all occasions: instead Of boasting OF
their own prowess. they freely ad-
mitted that Eric Midthorne could dc
better than that IL he half tried" Nor
OF envy In their summing up Of his
deeds.
: The gentle. pleasant ways Of the
southland were strong in him; he
was prone to resent an af1ront with
v1gOr. Ind as quick to repent. The hot