Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-16
Jack 5 Miserable
Bulb

They were next door neighbors.
What is more, they were best friends.
They were in the same class at school;
they shared one another's bullying
: lunch baskets; they played together at
recess, after school, Saturdays and hol-
idays.
| When Marvin had new shoes, so also
had Jack. The year Jack had a new
winters coat and Marvin did not,
Jacks mother found it exceedingly
Z hard to persuade her son to wear his
resplendent apparel He argued it
was too warm He declared it would
rain. Mother drew breath Of relief
when at last he yielded. She heard
Marvin's whistle. She saw the boys
trudge, arm in arm, down the street
to school.
At noon she saw the boys reach the
gate remove their coats and exchange
them. Mrs. Miller adjusted her
glasses. Jack dashed into his yard,
the new coat on his arm; Marvin, in
to his yard, carrying his old coat.
The following day Mrs. Miller be-
held Marvin sauntering along clad IN
Jacks new coat, while Jack wore the
last years coat Of his friend. Mrs.
Miller said nothing. Perfectly well
she knew that as soon as the new coat
had lost some of it's pristine beauty,
her boy would be willing to wear it,
willing to let Marvin wear his. Also
she knew if questioned Jack would
frankly admit it was no fun to wear a
new coat unless Marvin did too.
What I am about to tell will aston
isf you quite as much as it did me.
1t happened this way. Marvin had
Just recovered from the measles, which
he had kept to himself although Jack
would willingly have shared them.
Jack started to the florist to buy
plant for Marvin, who was out again
but whose eyes bothered him enough
to keep him from school but not from
Joining Jack upon this errand. The
florist aided Jack in his selection OF
pink azalea. AS Jack counted out the
money the florist said, Here, take
along couple Of these bulbs
Marvin took the bulbs, as Jacks
hands were already full. When the
boys reached Marvin's house he i,
turned the bulbs over critically. Care
fully he selected the smaller of the
two and handed it to his friend. Jack
flushed scarlet He handed the azalea /,
to Marvin, saving: "This is for you,
It's from-mother." |
ooh. thanks, Jack! / didn't know it !,
was for me-"
Abruptly Jack started for his house,
calling, "Glad you like it,
That was a small thing, a very
small thing, indeed: yet from that day
things went wrong. Before Marvin's,
eyes were. strong enough for school a .
new boy came to the class, a boy who |
was lame Teacher spoke to Jack,
saying: mo one knows Edward Eat
on He has Just moved to town. Can
he sit with you?"
This solved dreaded problem. He
had thrown the miserable little dry
bulb on the ash heap Not that he
wanted the bigger bulb-not at all.
He only wanted to feel that his friend
wished him to have the best. Up to
that time the boys had always drawn
lots for things, each declining to &C
cept the best of anything.
Jack made excuses when Marvin
came over to play, excuses that he had
difficult lessons. In the old days he
would have explained these lessons,
that when Marvin returned to school
he could easily take his accustomed
place. But that was in the old days.
Jack avoided the barn, in fact he
avoided everything except school and
study. The house became strangely /
silent.
Easter Sunday dawned clear and
bright. No Easter eggs, no rabbits.
Nothing made the breakfast table glad
this year After the meal was over
Jack walked gratefully up to mother.
For the first time in days he gave her
an old-time hug. He couldn't have
stood Dummies and glad things this
Easter Sunday.
Suddenly the room grew dim; ne
rushed from the house to the barn
to the barn where his thought battles
had been fought since he was a very
little boy. There on the ash heap, trt-
umphant over decayed roots and char
red coal. stood one perfect narcissus
one pure white narcissus!
Jack rushe1 to Marvin's house.
Without a v/rd the door opened.
Headlong he sprawled upon the floor,
but under ~, was his friend. Come
quickly" J. cried. Together they
raced to the ash heap, Jack gasping:
''It grew, Your miserable old bulb
grew! I've treated you like a dog
at-sunset! But I've missed you, Marr
Oh, how I've missed you!"
Marvin clutched his arm. Jack,
they say measles make you feel mean.
Well, they certainly make you act
mean. I wanted to give you the big
bulb. Somehow I couldn't after you
gave me that azalea-from your moth
er"
20 Mary, it wasn't from mother. It
was"-
81 knew all the time who it was
from. What shall we do, Jack. to
show we're glad we've got each other
again." e
"Tbe sooner we pick that narcissus
and take 1t round to Edward Eaton the
better It's up to me to explain I'm
sorry I can't sit with two fellows at
once"