The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1917-10-11
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? AN HONEST LAD
BY LoRA slMMs.
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two Bokharas and the Royal Baluch-
istan as "the rugs that Dustin ate up"
and lest anyone who heard her might
. surinise that Dustin was n sort of car
pet moth, she would go OH to explain
just how on that August day, half
dozen years before, Dustin had first
come up her poplar-lined driveway
staggering and STOPPING under the lond
Of the rugs.
He approached her like any other
peddier and proceeded to open his pack
bef0rs her as she and the solden-haired
Ida sat stringing beans for dinner.
But right from the first Mrs. Mapes al
ways insisted she could see that there
was something different in Dustin's
face. There was honesty and ambi-
tion. She knew it from the start.
Mrs. Mapes had heard the tale of the
student working his way through col
lege so often that there must have been
something unusually earnest about
Dnstin's appearance to have made him
rouse her sympathles as he did.
"You wanted to enter this year?" she
asked, feeling of the silky fneness Of
the rugs before her.
Eyes. yes" he faltered.-. II am lit
tie older than the average freshman
but you see am alone In the world !;
genuine vegetable dyes all the way
through" he continued more gilbiy. II
can let you have the large one for a
hundred dolIars-just what it would
cost at wholesale. That smaller one
could go at fifty. Pll give you the lot
for S4OO."
Mrs. Mapes tried to conceal the look
that must have indicated her despair
even Mt the thought Of possessing that
much ready money. Then the inspi-
ration flashed through her mind. She
seventeen then
II can't afford to pay you that mon
ey for Them she said. But / feel
that I must have those rugs. How
would this scheme strike you! We have
a,larEe house here and we are near the
campus. could take you in and give
you board and lodging for two years In
payment. You could eat out the price
OF the rugs"
Dustin was embarrassed, especially
because he knew that the golden
haired blue-eyed girl was watching him
/ intentIy. He hated to reject the offer.
II am afraid that wouldn't go very
far" he said however. II had hoped
to make enough on these rugs to put
me through college"
Mrs. Mapes, with her glasses on. was
inspecting the threads Of the reverse
side Of the rug. Apparently the weave
suited her. "Well, then, make 1t board
and lodging for four years." And be-
fore giving the poor student time to ac-
cept or reject this offer Mrs. Mapes
was dragging the rugs through the long
French windows that opened between
the veranda and the drawing room Of
her old-fashioned house.
So Dustin Lorrey went to board with
the Mapeses and so the romance that
was Inevitable began between Dustin
and Ida. Ida was just the sort Of
blue-eyed, golden-haired lassie that
might have been a college-town belle.
between the ages of seventeen and
twenty-three or so. had 1t not been for
Dustin.
After graduating. Dustin induced
Mrs. Mapes to listen to his story.
, which was about as follows:
"when you made that offer to take
me in," ne said, looking between
phrases back to Ida for encourage
ment, II tried to get out Of 1t. and
then--then / looked at Ida sitting be-
side you. 1t came to me that the best
thing ] could do was to accept your Of
fer and stay right here. So let the
gang know--told them IL they made
any fuss about the rugs I'd have them
all exposed. And SO / stayed. The
rugs-well, they aren't exactly what
cracked them UP to be. They aren't
antiques and they were smuggled.
Ida knew thnt--I told her. But 1t
was Ida that made me stick 1t out
and finish here before i told you. and
when l graduated and left here told
Ida that wouldn't come back till /
had made good and until could pay
you on the level for that long board
/ bill"
Mrs Mapes had thrown her fat arms
around Dustln's neck. II always
knew you were an honest lad" she
said. II knew 1t the first time saw
you. 1t wasn't half so bad to stick me
with those rugs as 1t would have been
to go Off and leave Ida here with IL
broken heart. That's what people
here say you did. But knew you'd
I come back. But don't you fret about
the board bill. Unless you've got to
send the rugs back to the customs
people they're good enough for me-"
Copyright. 1917. by the Mcclure Newspa