Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1917-01-20

byhole, Tom turned fercely to young
ROkeSOn:
what did you tell that lie forf" he
demanded. "Why did you say you
saw me steal the gateT"
what did you trip me for, as l
ducked past you7" countered Henry,
with equal fierceness. And then why
did you grab me and hold me till the
cop could catch up with usf'
Il didntr' cried Tom. You stun
bled on the curb, just IN front Of me.
was trying To help you ~, when
The door Of their cell swung open.
| The lieutenant and the dooTman and
a wcll-dresSed man In civilian clothes
stood in the dim-lit corridor outside.
Tom recognized the civilian as Hinkle
RokeSon, whom he had often seen on
| the street.
The erstwhile austere lieutenant
was positively wriGgling with embar-
| rassment as he addressed Henry Koke-
! sen.
Mr. Rokcson," he said, Officer
! Harding made one Of his bOnchcad
/ breaks when he arrested You. hope
you1I accept the apologies Of the po-
| lice department"
Next morning ION the testimony of
PauoIpau Uarding) a wise and just
agiStrate-fOrmer law partner Of
Illnkle RokeSon-sO lemnly imposed a
fine Of Ten dollars upon Tom Morris
Sey, adding n lecture and an admoni-
ton that next time il would go harder
with the young criminal.
The four ensuing years brought
Pence and simple prosperity to the
MorriSScy household. Tom worked
hard and efficiently at his trade.
As a result he was able TO buy on
installmcnts Il pretty cottage on Hud-
son lane. where he installed his in
valid mother and sister, Mabel.
The little household in the Hudson
lane cottage was ideally happy. The
Sickiy mother, in her own home at last
and with her beloved fiCwer-bedS to
keep her outdoors, grew daily strong
er. Mabel. studying at the normal
school. grew into graceful and beauti-
ful young womanhOol.
Tom, in his free hours. helped his
mother with her tiny flower gardens
and Mabel with her lessons. or taught
new tricks to his fluffy yellow mongrel
puppy, Hutch" He was gloriously
content with life.
Hudson lane backed up against Har-
ward street, the towns most preten-
tiOus th0r0ughfare. Thus, TENS back
garden was separated only by picket
fence and hedge from the rear grounds
Of a huge and SNOWY mansion that
stood OF Harvard street This man
sioa's grounds, indeed, ran back all
the way to Hudson tame, on both sides
of Toms little patch of land.
The mansion was owned by Hinkle
Rokoson. At the extreme rear of his
maintained his kennel of prize-winning
bulldogs.
One June afternoon, a few minutes
before six o'clock. Tom MOrriSsey re-
turned from work.
In the garden Mrs. MorrisSey and
Mabel were bending over a flower bed,
rearranging some uprOoted nasturtium
plants.
His mother, looking up from her
task at the flower bed, met his smile
and called out word of tender well
come to him.
1--WE didn't expect you home so ear
ly." she said as Tom bent down to
kiss her and TO run a pIayfuIIy effec-
tiOnate hand through Mabel's curly
hair.
"Why are you replantlng the mas
turtiums?" asked her son. They
seemed to be doing so we'll"
'They WERE" said Mabel, but to-
day some of those priz. chickens of
the ROkesons got out of their coop
and flew over the fence into our yard
and scratched up every nasturtium
in the whole bed. Wasn't IL horrid?"
''rOo badl' sympathized Tom, but
I'll replant the rest of them, now that
I'm here. You and Mabel rest on the
pOiNi dhN w lhS lOOhlllS Oll.
Heavy looking on, indeed" scOffed
his mother. EDO you realize 1 have
the supper to get ready? There will
be only you and / to eat it tonight
Mabel is going TO supper at the Payn-
tiers! And afterward she and Elsie
Paynter are going to a dance at the
pavilion"
As he bent to his garden work, Tom
heard two mems voices in conversa-
ton on the far side of the picket fence
that divided his lot from the end of
the ROkeson grounds in which the ken
nels were situated. He recognized the
voices as those of Hinkle Rokeson and
Henry. They were evidently inspect
ing the kennels.
Bring out old Champion COlbOrn,"
Tom presently heard Henry order the
kennel man. 81 want to look at that
barbed-wire scratch on his shoulder"
Tom, turning his head, saw the ken
mel man open heavy wire door in
one of the enclosures. Cut trotted q
massive white bulldog, perhaps eighty
pounds in weight, huge muscles bulg-
ing through the surface of his CLOS
sy white hide.
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