The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-08-09
| THE PR0DIGAl SON
BY. AUGUSTUS c. sHERwIN.

aIJparently. Tor ne was AInoSl ciliu-
ishly engrossed In viewing a pretty
picture. of which a bright, attractive
looking girl was the center. She was
lust inside the fence Of clover field
and was daintily picking the lucious
red tons. 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.
Eve an icca-the fatted calf =
abruptly chuckled the onlooker. Al
most as pretty as the girl" and he APP
proached the fence near which Hilda
Strong stood.
part of the big farm bit back
where they're selling out?" he asked.
The girl, quite startled. flushed and
futtered and gave a confused assent
sTll take that calf If the figure is
right" resumed the stranger.
"But- Whitley is not for SALE" an
nounced Hilda. "She does not belong
to the farm. Mr.. Warren gave her to
me when she was the FINEST little
thing and have raised her."
"You wouldn't sell her, them
ooh. no, Never! That is-unless l
had to. And maybe that may come.
said Hilda, a mournful shadow cross
ing her pretty face. "Mr. Warren is
breaking up and must look for new
home. am an orphan and have only
a few distant relatives"
Her artlessness charmed Bart Mil
Ter and her simple ways aroused his
sympathy and interest.
'Heighor' he uttered. ''We're pretty
near of a kind. I've been an orphan
myself for ten years-that is, L ran
away from home and haven't seen IA
Their or mother since"
ooh, dear how could you stay away
from them?' chided Hilda.
swell, got going careless and rough
and bad. Then i'm trouble, and finally
I settled down TO life among the hard
est crowd a ranch ever knew. Ii 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.
"Pm not-now. That's why I'm
going back home"
ooh, are you? Are your" cried Hill
da, sprightly. "How glad your folks
will be to see your
"Father is dead" said Bart, "but
mother is living, and I've sort of spied
out the land before / ventured TO let
her know 1 was around. As said,
was a reckless one until year ago.
I had gone to prospecting. Bad as
ever, trained with hard crowd. One
day took drop too much. and tum-
BILE. / went into a pitt must have
been over fifty feet. How / escaped
being killed 1 couldn't reckon out
When landed il was on soft bed OF
sand-on my knees"
He spoke the last words solemnly
A strange, spiritual expression came
into his eyes and illumined his face
until Hilda was fascinated in an in
tense, hypnotic way.
"Yes, on my knees" repeated Bart
''There was-saved by the Almighty
I 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 10 come
over me. Young lady, crawled on
, of that pit weak and broken-a ney
man."
6 "Oh, how glad your Gear old mothe
will be when you tell her all this :
o cried Hilda.
"With good behavior came goo
. luck" went on Bart tersely. II strucl
a rich mine. / saved. instead o
squandering. I'm going home prett
: rich man. and my money will do som
. good, for found my mother poor an
neglected I'm still queer in my n,
tons, young lady. know what mott
er will say when she sees me comm
back"
"Whatf' urged Hilda breathlessl.
10 OOcOAbtN tiVuSn iloAtlnS l
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 Bu
you see, poor old soul: she has 4
fatted calf. And your Whitley struC
my fancy. And l thought I'd buy he
lead her TO the old home-it's on
ten miles across the eountry-and sa
Mother. I've brought the fatted ca
and bag of gold, and my worthle
self, all at once back home"
"Oh. she won't think you wort
less And what a grand man you ha'
been TO stop-stop being rough al
careless, and all that, and thinking
much of your dear old mother. Al
what blessing you will be 10 her, al
I'm so glad met you, for you can Ia
Whitley, and you're welcome 10 h.
and It's al like some beautiful stor,
and. overcome by her emotions, Hill
broke down in tears.
II was with a pretty ribbon II
around her neck that Whitley was I
away from her devoted young m
tress.
n \.