Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-19
Ye Ballade Of Percy Darling
Copyright by the Frank A. Munsey Co.
"a STORY IN RIME.)
BY WILL THOMAS WlTHROW.

fVull ilOl iNNt btfI ~ 80
than when this young upstart coolly ofer-
ed to subtract from him the idol of his
heart so he sat and glared n Percy. Tor
u minute-maybe two-~wallowed thrice
his Adams apply. ran hi- -tnbbN fingers
through hi~ red hair. and chohcd and ~put-
tered till al lest he found III. Voice, and
the things he said 10 Percy would have
made Old Nick rejoice.
: what! You wed my daughter Sally
Why, YOU lmpudent young pupl Lord, !
wish were a cannihal - could cat You
upi But 1T that you'd turn my stomach
~ couldn't keep YOU down" there he
paused for breath 4 moment, then pro-
ceeded with a frown) 'lf my daughter
wants II monkey, why, c%onfound You, ! can
buy better monkeys than you'll ever be!
Why. dammit sir, I'd die sooner than de-
grade my little girl by giving her to YOU"
Then he paused, and IN hs face came an
expression that was new.
"Wait a minute, lad he whispered.
pointing Percy to a chair; and he sat for
five long minutes with nm interpretive
stare in his cyc--now. almost tender-and
they filmed with un~hed tears. a- he -at
there looking backward through the mist-
Of thirty years.
For he saw himself beginning ~ an IL
norant country lad, struggling upward.
slowly winning TO the place of Sally dad.
and he suddenly felt humble, a. q slender.
hluc-eycd girl flashed before hi- inner Wis.,
ion. and hi- head began to whirl a- III whir-
cd one glorious morning when he first hr
came the "hcau'' "a that girl-noN Sally
mother-more than thirty year~ agol
When he turned again 10 Percy he was
not the stern old man hc had been ten min
utc- sooner when the interview began. hut
IN ordinary human with N sympathetic
heart. and hc e%rinucd with understanding
If the havoc Cupid'- dart causes when III
hit~ q Percy or u "Saily" where they
live. and ~ ticklcd him to thiuk that 10 was
in hi- power 90 give these young fools their
hearts desire. Just a- thirty years ago he
and >allv'~ ~nintcd mother felt thr same
mad fire glow.
BOY" hc -aid-and winked at Percy
never mind what ! just said; but you
sprung 10 sort e. sudden. and Won had nae
seem red tor minute. but forget DO. Let
20 aud take a walk Chat will cool our
brains n littlcl. and wcll have some real
talk. Maybe wc cam gct together. Ry
heck. ! do like your can. and HI you prove
it'll real, You can have her after all.
Nov. then. son, when Sally marric-
she must have a real man. 80 it, mp to Won
20 fl that same prescription. if you can.
II Won 40 hi. then, hy gullv. You cam have
her tor your wife. and Nj you don't make
Her happy. hy the gods. Il nave your itc,
AL vuu stand. YOU'RE absolutely worthless:
only tt ID dance: hut IT may hc you've the
makine~. - III give YOU "a fair chance.
Go out West; JOIN my construction gang:
hang ~ 1t like q hur-it you don't make
good. thcrell he no wedding bells for Won
with herr
one week later VIZ ~cc Pcrry-though
we'd never known twas "him-clad III
overallo and jumper, and his face was hard
and grim; toiliug with the "wop>" and
"hunkie,' ON q western railroad grade, bent
on proving that he had the stuff of which
hc-men are made. Every bone I'M him was
aching: there were bli~tcr~ MI hi~ hands:
~ wu~ sure hi- back was breaking. hut
the boss stern commands made him hump
himself the same as amy huukie ON the job.
and he cot 80 he could laugh when all his
nerves were one hig sob.
By and IN hi~ bones M longer achcd hiS
hands grew hard and tough he grew broad
and strong and husky. and became quite
rude and tough ~ learned to use hi- body
though it east him aches and pains
then. he found that he yet needed to learn
how 10 use hi- brains.
ln the Dunk house, next, We see him 200
"a school through halt thc night: muiling
over books and papers IN \ suffering can
dIc'~ light, and again We See him. after
he'd been West less than u year. climbing
upward. for he's now q budding civil en-
glneer.
Step by step Young Percy conquered
round IN round he mounted still toward the
far peaks WI ambition. for he had an iron
will, had this strong man whom Ola Per-
kinS had declared 4 WORTHLESS pup when
the fact was. he was merely slack, and
needed winding up!
This new Percy was the real man who.
AL these years, had been ~mothcrcd
I'm hi~ mothers cnddling, and her silly
fears that dear Percy was too delicate
to fin 4 manly place III the world and win
existence by the sweating Of his face. True,
he had been roughly handled-got the real
acid test: he'd been kicked and mauled and
hammered since he'd roughed il in the
lN,-t hut tho bIpw- that fell unpn him /
merely served W break the shell, and re-
lease the man inside; % with Percy all was
well.