Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-03-21

| Il = = thoash time had tcuchsd Nj
loatA . touch at all: - thoagh sems
spirit lingering there, swset and ffseh
and vsrnal. had hidden time stay ~
hand
Not many changes. The sans A.
mlliar faces sathsr around the stove
In the hotel once. and, neither %
memory nor yet % Of one who has
gone, but ~ n no were amoog tAeA
living stan they speak Of tas Pat3
arch % Of yorA
And with this little circle Of kindly.
simple folk time has dealt gently, too.
for there u only one who u no more
Gale Rodgers, The proprietor OF the
general store.
But the general store IN the vi.
lage street stfll Aourishes. and IN Gale
Rodgsrs' place % one whose speech -
stu marvellous thing IN stAid old
New England ears--an Irish brcgue,
perhaps, FOR his naIne - Michael Coo
gan. There are little Coosans. too,
and Mamie II happy wife. And to
the Coogans como sometimes letters
from far western farm to say that
things are we'll and that prosperity
has come 10 one who signs himself
facetiously, It always seems to Mamie.
who reads the letters to kss husband
.-as 'Pale Face Harry"
And SO the years have passed. and
It IL summer time again. The fields
are green, the trees IN leaf. the flowers
In bloom. And there are visitors who
have come again 70 the scenes Of yer.
terday-A man and . woman aud be-
tween them Z sturdy little lad OF eight
They stop ut the end Of the wagon
track and look out across the lawn.
It is still and psacsful, tranquil, and
to them comes the soft, low murmur
OF the SURF Slowly they walk across
the lawn and pause again.
The cottage IL like some poets fan
CT. hidden shyly In IT. creepers and its
vines. and seems to speak and breathe
In its simple beauty Of the gentle soul
who once had lived there and loved
his fellow men.
But they do not enter now, for
Madison points to where the sunlight,
~ It glints through the trees ct the
Tar. end Of the cottags. falls On :
slender shaft Of marble.
LET us go there. Helena" he says.
And 30 they walk that way. past
the treliises laden with flowers, past
the end Of the cottage, and presently
they stop again where. beneath tho
naples shade. rises the pure white
stone. and beyond It 4 the sweep g
the eternal sea. y. !, u
Madison, his hair . little gray at the,
temples. removes his hat, and his face
softens as he reads the simple inscrip-
ton, THE Patriarch"
The boy glances ut his father ! little
wonderingly and then spells out Tho
words. He shakes his head.
II don't know what that means" ~
says What does that word meaa1
Madison pats his head.
"You tell him, Helena"
And 30 Helena tells the boy In sin.
pie language as much Of the Patri-
arch's story AZ she thinks be can an.
derstand. and when she finishes the
boys face u aglow.
"Gee!" he cries breathlsssly. and
and did hs ever do really, truly
truly miracler
There Is silence for m instant; then
tender amils comes trembling 70
Helena's Lips. and into the brown eyes
creepo tbs lOvelight ~ shes reaches
out 20 Madison. ana Asr AaAd steals
into his and holds Il tightly.
And Madison bends and kisses her
and draws the little lad between them.
Then he lays hin hand On the boy's
head and answers for her:
"Yes, my son. And some day whea
you are . man you will understand
how great . niracls Il was"
TIE END.