Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1917-11-08

ding away nna eyading the haunts OF
men. at least until he gould secure new
apparel. He enjoyabH drank In great
inspiring drafts Of sweet, bafmy
air as he struck a 4serted country
road BE must have gone az far as
twenty miles, before utter WEAKNESS
impelled him to enter . half-open barn
behind small dlla1idated cottage.
He climbed to it's LOTT and the newly
cut hay was TO him bed more inviting
than the downiest coNb.
1t was bare dayll sht when Dale
awoke. The first obj4ts that attract
ed his attention were SDme rough farm
working clothes hanging over a rafter,
doubtless belonging - the owner OF
the place.
"What luck !" he bxeathed. "Oh, l
can face the world nSw," and rolling
his rejected convict garb in bundle,
intent on sinking 1t out of evidence
In the first pond he came to. Dale de-
scended to the ground floor Of the barn
and stepped into the sunlight.
"Who are youT'-cfar and definite
the challenge halted him as would n
shot. A fair, earnest-fced girl, rake
In her hand, confrosted him. She
stared askance, and, aohe shrank back.
she added keenly:
"And what are you doing with my
fathers working clotrdrsf"
Dale qulvered. He vas shnmed, en-
barrassed. Then sQahething in the
womanly eyes Of tho other impelled
him to quick action.
"These are nine" he said brokenly,
spreading out the striped garb. Lady,
on the verge of new life, / ask you
to believe that / shall make 1t a wor-
thy one, unless you hinder"
She understood. For moment she
reflected. Then she said:
you are welcome to the clothes, and
as the early riser of the house | shall
be the only keeper OF your secret. We
are poor, but you can have the clothes
as a free gift and you shall share my
breakfast, and then God speed you on
safe Journey"
One year litter new Richard Dale
approached the old cottage at dusk.
He was well dressed, erect, manly in
form and feature. All through a year
fS had shared with clay worker with
lurge family, one hundred miles
away work that was fairly remunera-
tive and he had saved money. All
that time, day and night, a single
thought, the memory of one face had
filled his mind-the girl who had be-
frlended him.
Dale gllded to an open window.
Within he saw the girl of his dreams,
her aged father, a young man, whom
he soon knew to be the lover of the
girl he loved as no other being on
earth
She was lost to him He bowed his
head in pain. Then he listened, to
learn that the marriage of the loving
twain was hindered because of small
mortgage on the place. He reached
within his pocket, withdrew over three
hundred dollars, the savings Of a
year gave Ii studied fling squarely
into the hap of the astounded girl,
and ran.
1t was Il dreary place, the clay yards
to which Richard Dale returned. The
half-formed home of love had been
crushed, yet his was the peacefullest
face, as, two days later, he resumed
his monotonouS toll
He had given happiness to the girl
who had been his friend, and was con-
tent. Only for long after that GER
tain sadness would come into his eyes
as, in handling lump of clay, uncon-
sclously he would model the faultless
contour Of a comely face, suggesting
the cherished being he had loved and
lost