Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-11-08
The Shadow
Lifted
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union
By RUTH EVELYN LEE

lcopyrieht 1917. western Newspaper Unions
You'll be glad" piped old Darius
Morse, and he grinned and chuckled as
though enjoying concealing the rea-
son why.
His son-in-law Of month, bluff,
hearty, supremely contented, gripped
the shoulder Of the old man in a play
full, affectionate way.
'I'm glad now!" he cried effusively,
'the gladdest man in the world. If I
was much gladden. I'd sing and dance,
instead of wrestling with this stub
born, hard-hearted patch Of land. Fa-
ther Morse, this is home, and it's
dream Of glory to be with Lettie all the
time, but Twill say that you can't make
the garden part Of 1T blossom like the
rose!"
Never mind; it gives us enough to
eat, and with what you earn we'll man
age quite comfortably. I'll toddle
along
What the venerable philosopher con-
sidered "glad" for Mark Wilton Was
that the latter had married the sole.
companion of his later years, gentle
motherless Lettie. 1t had been real
love romance, but whenever the old
man realized that the infatuated young
man had given up quite social and
business position in the city, to settle
down into a new humble, humdru1h
Ssphere, he was won't to enuneiate that
mysterious propaganda Of glddness.
Mark paid no attention to this pro-
nVnciamento Of his aged father-in-
law.
One morning Mark arose to attend to
the cows and chickens before he went
ito work in the town. AS he passed
the room In which Mr.. Moore usually
slept, he noticed that the bed %as un-
tenanted, but the clothing Of Its usual
occupant was lying across chair.
Mark went downstairs to find the rear
door open.
Arrayed in his night-dress, lying on
the ground near his favorite chair I'M
der the big elm tree was Mr.. Moore.
He clasped a Ratchet in one hand.
Mark hurried to his side. The old man
was dead.
1t was lonely and strange about the
old house after that, but time and new
anxieties subdued the sorrow of Lettie
and her husband. A little child was
born to them and hard winter began,
for the local factory where Mark was
bookkeeper burned down. and did
not resume business. They began to
feel the pinch Of poverty.
81 fear shall have to try and find
work in some other town." suggested
Mark anxiously. 1.-THE potatoes are all
gone and the last of the bacon. / might
go somewhere else and send you what
earn to get along on, until we make
q final move in the spring.
mo, no, don't leave us alone, baby
and II" pleaded Lettie. "Let us stick
together till the winter ends. We will
manage to pull through some way
Then a piece of rare fortune came
their way. Just at tic edge of their
little patch of ground the railroad ran.
One morning a freight train buckled
lin going down curving grade. Two
cars went off the rails into the ditch.
One of them was loaded with potatoes,
split in two, and the precious tubers
were scattered broadcast.
Y The wrecking crew cleaned up the
twisted iron and splintered wood and
abandoned the scattered potatoes.
Mark spread the glad intelligence
among his neighbours and all hands
were provided with half years snip.
ply of the coveted vegetable.
Then came long cold snap. The
two coal dealers found it difficult to
supply their customers
1--WE got to do it, Letter dear" he
announced sorrowfully one, smorning
coming into4the Kitchen with the wood
lake. .The, old tree has got too 60"
Lettie choled sob. sol
.'You see, the treeis half dead, any.
way" pursued Mark. "It seems like
,sacrilege, when Father Moore, thought
so much of it, but we can't freeze. The
-told tree is our last resource"
4 So the dying elm was felled and they
had blazing fire for the first time in
weeks. sob i
''Lettie," said Mark, hurrying into
ttuc kltCllGIl d Lew uuSS 6dltSA' tAiu =
isshere is something that interests you
AS he spoke Mark extended small
package done up in oilskin. His voice
was husky, his eyes lit up with the
animation of uncomfortable excite
lment.
s'It fell out from the hollow tree lot
II was splitting" explained Mark. :"
lopened it,"
what is it, dear?' inquired Lettie.
"Pnpers your father must have hid
den in plugged up cavitysin the OH
slm,'' enlightened Mark. .Lettie, oul
fortune has come ~ he pronounced
and sank into chair overcome. 'Fath
er Moore told me would be glad. Oh
am, indeed, glad, brave little woman
flor your sake and the baby's! Whel
your father wandered out that morn