The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1918-08-08
THE PRODIGAL SON
BY AUGUSTUS G. sHERWIN.

ASop1llsult lJAos by western Newspaper I llbu.i
He was man Of whims and impulse
apparently, for he was almost child
ishly engrossed in viewing a pretty
picture, of which a bright, attractive
looking girl was the center. She was
just inside the fence of q clover field
and was daintily picking the luciOus
red tops. Then she would go to the
separating barbed wire fence, reach
through and pet, converse with and
feed a white-Speckled calf, plump,
friendly and spotless of CRIME or
brier.
1--WE an idea-the fatted calf ="
abruptly chucklcd the onIooker. al
most as pretty as the girl and he ap-
preached the fence near which Hilda
Strong stood.
"Part of the big farm a bit back
where they're selling out?" he asked.
The girl, quite startled, flushed and
f1uttered and gave confused assent.
''I'll take that calf if the figure is
right" resumed the stranger.
bul w lIltS IL nOl IOE Sdlt, dir
nOunced Hilda. "She does not belong
to the farm. Mr.. Warren gave her to
me when she was the tinieSt little
thing and have raised her"
"You wouldn't sell her, then?"
"Oh, no, Never, That is-unless |
had to. And maybe that may come"
said Hilda, a mOurnful shadow cross
ing her pretty face. "Mr. Warren is
breaking up and l must look for a new
home. am an orphan and have only
few distant relatives"
Her artlessnesS charmed Bart Mil
Ter and her simple ways aroused his
sympathy and interest.
"Heigho!" he uttered. "We're pretty
near of kind. I've been an orphan
myself for ten years-that is, | ran
away from home and haven't seen IA
| Their or mother since"
ooh, dear! how could you stay away
from them?" chided Hilda.
"Well, got going careless and rough
and bad. Then in trouble, and finally
settled down to life among the hard
est crowd ranch ever knew. IL was
cards, drink and fighting most of the
time"
Hilda had shrunk little at the con.
fessiOn. "You don't look very careless,
and rough, and bad" she said. He
laughed quite bOisterously at her in
nOcence.
I'm not-nOw. That's why I'm
going back home"
ooh, are you? Are you" cried Hill
da, sprightly. "How glad your folks
will be to see you'll"
Father is dead" said Bart, "but
mother is living, and I've sort of spied
out the land before / ventured to lei
her know / was around. AS 1 said,
was a reckless one until year ago
I had gone to prospecting. Bad as
ever, trained with hard crowd. On,
day took q drop too much, and tum
bic. / went into a pitt must have
been over fifty feet. How 1 escaped
being killed l couldn't reckon out
When / landed II was on soft bed o
sand-On my knees"
He spoke the last words solemnly
A strange, spiritual expression CAM
into his eyes and illumined his face
until Hilda was fascinated in an In
tense, hypnotic way.
Eyes, on my knees" repeated Bart
'"There / was-saved by the Almighty
! was, as / had been at my mother:
side way back In childhood. All m!
bad life flashed upon me. The words
of Now lay me down to sleep drift
ed dreamily through my mind.
couldn't stir for over an hour. All tn
time some new spirit seemed to come
over me. Young lady, l crawled on
of that pit weak and broken-a new
man." s
"Oh, how glad your dear old mothe
will be when you tell her all this |!
cried Hilda.
with good behavior came goo
luck" went on Bart tersely. II strucl
a rich mine. L saved, instead o
squandering. I'm going home prett
rich man, and my money will do som
good, for found my mother poor AM
neglected. I'm still queer in my ne
tons, young lady. / know what moth
er will say when she sees me comm
. back"
'What?" urged Hilda breathlessl!
as absorbed as though listening I
some enhancing fairy story.
"Well, mother is biblical, and
would be just like her to say, in he
, gentle, kindly, forgiving way: Prod
, gal son, you are welcome, and for 20
shall be killed the fatted calf Blu
you see, poor old soul; she has n
fatted calf. And your Whitley struc
my fancy. And thought I'd buy he
, lead her to the old home-it's Onl
, ten miles across the country-and So.
Mother, I've brought the fatted cal
and bag of gold, and my WORTHLESS
, self, all at once back home"
. "Oh, she won't think you wortl
x,.bo@ N .vropl man rn,, ha q