The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1918-07-06
Boy
Of Sixteen
By ESTHER vANDEvEER

eSoSssn" sac Newspaper Unions
Timothy Whitcomb and h,s "a.
Anna were married ten years ana -.
had no children. Mrs. whitcomh -
pecially grieved over this.
One afternoon there was a rim,
the doorbell. Mrs. Whitcomb answs-
ed the summons and found a basket -
the porch. Its contents were covs,ss
by a little blanket, which the goa
woman removed, and there Law a hsh.
boy. He opened his eyes and smilss
The first thing she did was to impr,r,
a kiss on the chubby little mouth. ~.
she took him up In her arms and ca
ried him into the house. Instead a.
condemning the parent who had A.
serted her child she blessed her ana
then began to lay plans for gaining bs,
husbands consent to keeping the hshS
She found this a difficult task. WHIT.
comb was a hard headed man NH.
realized the difference between oue,.
own and another's offspring.
However. the wife prevailed, and thu
boy was adopted, being given the mama
OF Henry. Mrs. whitcomb saw him
through several months Of cole snd
afterward through the measles and KIN.
dred children's diseases; then ne was
sent to school. He was a bright bov
and while still q child very affection.
ate with his foster parents. Timothv
Whitcomb grew very fond Of him ana
ON Sunday would take him to walk In
the park, where he sailed a miniature
ship that he had made himself. The
boy developed a taste for makins
things with his knife, later turning d
implements of war.
When Henry became sixteen or there.
about, for his birthday was not known.
his foster mother was taken I'll ana
died. The boy showed that his foste<
father had been wrong In one respect.
Henry was not ungrateful for what
his foster mother had done for him:
indeed, he was much grieved at her
death. There is a great difference to
a boy between his father and his moth
er. He can go to his mother for wo-
mans expression Of sympathy which a
man cannot give. During the next two
years Henry grew FESTIVE. He was
fond OF his fost CT father, unconscious
Of the fact that II was his duty to re-
main with him and be a comfort to
him. But he was full of vigor and
yearning to get out into the world and
make his own surroundings. He resist
ed this as long as he could, then broke
away. Instead of telling his foster ia
Their that he was going to leave him,
he did what only an undeveloped boy
would do-the wrong thing. He went
away without saying a word to limo
thy Whitcomb OF any else that he
was going. He disappeared.
Whitcomb had an enemy living near
him. They had quarreled about q sale
the man-Simpson was his name-had
made to Whtcomb in which the lat.
ter was swindled. When Henry dis.
appeared Simpson began to ~insinuate
that the boy had been made way with,
He had heard Whitcomb speaking very
severely to the lad shortly before the
disappearance and limited that there
was a good reason for Henry's disap
pearance.
Then came a lawyers clerk huntiHi
for a boy who had been left at thu
Whitcombs' door when a baby. Tn
boy not being found and Simpsons In
situations having produced an effect
a detective was put on the case VIII
found a bloody towel in Henry's room
The truth was that the boy had cut hi
hand while whiting q cannon. ha'
used the towel to staunch the now o
blood and thrown 1t into the corner 0
a dark closet. After his departure Ill
foster father had no heart to keep tn
house in order. and the towel had Ian
where 1t was thrown.
This. with Simpsons aspersions, wal
sufficient to cause Timothy WHIT
combs arrest for the murder OF ni'
foster son.. He remained In JAN lo'
some time while other evidence wal
sought for, as yet there was not enougi
to convict him, and the case was ue
layed from time to time, there BENZ
no further evidence against him 70 D
adduced.
Meanwhile the worlds war ma
broken out and was I'm its second yea
One day Henry whitcomb came home
discharged from the Canadian arm
for disability, having received q sever
wound. He was very much shocked
hear Of his foster fathers misfortune
which had come about through MS ~
ton. He said that after leaving nom
he had drifted, getting on as best U
could, too proud to return to his nom'
though he had come to realize how Da'
ly he had treated his foster fatne
Then the war broke out, and, going
Canada, he had enlisted and was SCI