The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1918-01-03
The Shadow
Lifted
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union
BY RUTH EVELYN LEE

l
: though enjoying concealing the rea'
son why
Y His son-in-law of month, bluff
hearty, supremely contcnted, gripped
the shoulder OF the old man In play
full, affecuonate way.
I'm glad now" he cried effusively,
"the gladdest man In the world. If
was much gladder I'd sing and dance,
instead Of wrestling with this stub
Their Morse, this Is home, and It's a
dream of glory to be with Lettie all the
time, but Will say that you can't make
the garden part OF it blossom like the
rosel"
"Never mind; 1t gives us enough to
eat, and with what you earn well man.
age quite comfortably. I'll toddle
along"
What the venerable philosopher con-
sldered "glad'' for Mark Wilton was
that the latter had married the sole
companion of his later years, gentle
motherless Lettie. 1t had been a real
love romance, but whenever the old
man realized that the infatuated young
| man had given up quite a social and
business position in the city to settle
| down into a new humble, humdrum
sphere, he was won't to enunciate that
mysterious propaganda of gladness.
Mark paid no attention to this pro-
nunciamento of his aged father-in-
law.
One morning Mark arose to attend 10
the cows and chickens before he went
to work in the town. AS he passed
the room in which Mr.. Moore usually
slept, he noticed that the bed was I'M
tenanted, but the clothing of its usual
occupant was lying across chair.
Mark went downstairs to find the rear
door open.
Arrayed in his nlght-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
anxietles 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
90 somewhere else and send you what
I earn to get along on, until we make
a final move in the spring.
mo, no. don't leave us alone. baby
and To- pleaded Lettie. LET us stick
together till the winter ends. We VIII
manage to pull through some way"
Then a piece of rare fortune came
their way. Just at the edge of their
little patch of ground the railroad ran.
One morning a freight train buckled
In going down curvlng grade. Two
cars went off the rails into the ditch.
One of them was loaded with potatoes,
split in two. and the precious tubers
We're scattered broadcast.
The wrecking crew cleaned up the
twisted iron and splntered wood and
abandoned the scattered potatoes.
Mark spread the glad intelligence
among his neighbors and all hands
were provided with half years sup
ply of the coveted vegetable.
Then came long cold snap. The /;
two coal dealers found it difficult to i,
supply their customers. {
"Pve got to do it, Lettie, dear ne |
announced sorrowfully one morning, q
coming into the kitchen with the wood i
axe. "The old tree has got to CO."
Lettie choked a sob.
"You see, the tree is half dead, any
way" pursued Mark. at seems Ike
sacrilege, when Father Moore thought
so much Of it. but we can't freeze. The [
old tree is our last resource" |
So the dying elm was felled and they /
had blazing fire for the first time in S
weeks. {
'Tettie." said Mark, hurrylng into
the kitchen a few days after that,
''here is something that interests you
AS he spoke Mark extended small &
packape done up in oilskin. His voice n
was husky, his eyes lit up with the II
animation of uncomfortable excite
ment.
"It fell out from the hollow tree log
was splitting" explained Mark. Il q
opened It." =
"What Is II, dear?" inquired Lettie. /
Papers your father must have hid u
len in a plugged up cavity in the old {
,Im." enlightened Mark. "Lettie, our >
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