The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1916-10-12

I1ere WIS une picture. mfniatu.
of a girl. eager of face and wavy o
hair. Her relationship to the boy wa
unmistakabie. Sarah found that an6
wept over It silently. and while sh,
wept Caleb stfted out the remainine
loose sheets.
ITS not hard to understand now. I.
it?" he said. Its pretty plain nov
why he had to go. And we, Sarah-wt
who We're going to make somethin.
Of him'-why, We should have known
absolutely without this evidence. The,
laughed at him. they made fun of him
and there isn't any better blood than
lows in that boys veins! He wa
stephen O'Aiara's son. and no more
brilliant barrister than O'Mara eve,
addressed Jury Of a prisoners peers
and-and broke their very hearts with
the simplicity of his pleading"
Sarah folded her thin hands over the
woman's picture.
II like his mothers face" she muir
INJURED family. "And I'm jealous o.
her. Cal! You don't have to remind
me Of the rest of it, either. for l re
call it all. She died and he-he Went
all to pieces. They said at his death
that be was destitute. And when ht
did follow her-acress-they hunte,.
everywhere. didn't they, and never
found the bQyf Didn't some Of the
newspapers argue that servant-a
gardener-had stolen him?"
Caleb nodded his head.
Most OF them ridiculed the sugges
ton, but 1t was true, just the same
That servant was Old Tom. And the
only defense he makes is just one line
or so in-in this Caleb dropped II
hand upon the half legible pages. He
says that he wasn't going to let civili-
cation make Of the boys life the wreck
which he, poor. queer, honest soul.
thought 1t had made of his fathers
And do you know, Sarah, do you know
I can't help but believe that this over
Jealous thing which the law would
have prosecuted was the best thing he
could have done? I'll take these things
now and lock them in the safe for the
boy until he comes back home."
But Sarah Hunter kept the picture
Of stephen O'Mara's mother separate
from the rest; she took il upstairs
with her when she went. white and
tired faced, TO bed. And it was Sarah's
faith which outlasted the years which,
followed. She never weakened In her
belief that some day the boy would
come back-she and enc other whose
faith In his last boyish promise, phras
ed In bitterness, also endured. Fol-
during the next Ave years there was
not summer which brought Allison
into the bills but what the first ques
ton Of his daughter Barbara, mother
less now herself, was of Steve.
'Has-has Stephen come back?" she
asked invariably.
At first the query was marked by
nothing more than child's naive ca
gerness. and later, when it was brought
up in a casual. by the way fashion. 1t
was, nevertheless. tinged with hope.
Five years heightened into ten. and
still Steve did not come. But when
ever Barbara asked that question Ca
leb remembered, rs though 1t had hap,
pened only yesterday, that morning
when she first appeared to the boy.
Then came a morning when Stephen
O'Mara did return. All winter and
throughout the summer, too, the Hun
ter place had been closed until that
day in late October. 1t had been n
warm week-a week Of such unseason
able humidity for the hills that Caleb.
rising somewhat before his usual hour.
had blamed his sleeplessness, as usual.
upon the weather. He was glad to be
home again that morning Caleb was
wondering II Barbara would be with
her father on this trip. Barbara had.
he knew. been two years on the cont
nent, finishing" Allison called 1t, al
ways with a wry face and a gesture
toward his wallet pocket. He was
wondering as he came down the stairs
II she would ask him again if-if-and
then at the sight Of seated figure
outside on the top step of the veranda
he pulled up sharp In the doorway.
Caleb didn't have to wonder any
longer.
The attitude Of that figure before
him was so like the picture which time
had been unable to erase. so absolute.
" identical in everything save garb
and size alone. that the man. recoilin :
little, dragged one hand across his
forehead as though he doubted his own
eyes. But when he looked again 1t
was still there. sitting chin In palm.
small head under rather weather
beaten felt hat thrust slightly forward,
gazing fixedly toward the stucco house
beyond the shrubbery. And before
Caleb could move. before he was more
than half aware of the painful pulse
In his throat. 1t all happened again just
as it had happened years and years
before.
Caleb heard voices In the adjoining
grounds, and as he half turned In that
direction Allison's bulky form. vivid IN
a far more vivid plaid. appeared in-the
hedge gap. While Caleb stared anoth.
er figure flashed through ahead Of him,
laughter upon her lips, and paused
a-tip-toe to wave a hand In greeting.
And instantly. as they had ten years
before, Barbara Allison's eyes swung