Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-12-28
The Daily
Short Story
HOME LIGHTS
BY Percival Lee


at Bar Gully, saw Roland Trask,
he was pointed out to her as dis
solute town lounger, out OF work
and bearing traces Of dissipation in
garb and face. 1t was a girl friend
who called attention to him, de-
ploring the delinquency of a prom
Using young man too weak to resist
temptation. Eva shared this gentle
pity as she fancied she read some
thing above the common In the
hayward ne'er do well.
The next time she saw him was
in the wreck of a picnic train ten
miles from the settlement. She
and others were huddled together
at one end of an upturned passen-
ger coach. 1t was Roland Trask
VINO rescued her from between two
imprisoning seats and passed her
along to other rescuers until she
was safe on terra firma. She
coeld not help but applaud the ra-
pid sensible way in which he as
sisted frightened victims of the
mishap. He acted the born leader
in the work and when his task was
completed and he left the battered
coach, she advanced to where he
stood.
81 wish TO thank you" said Eva
gratefully. you too are from Bar
Gully, Mr.. Trask, l think"
"And you too have heard of me?"
he remarked with a slight laugh.
"Of course, little good"
You mistake" replied Eva seri-
ously. Your present helpfulness
fully carries out the estimate l
have formed of you," and then
some anxious inquiring friends Of
Eva interrupted and Trask drifted
away.
He could not analyze the persist
ency with which the few simple
words of Miss Deane haunted his
mind. He could not forget the
kindly earnest glance she had be-
slowed upon him. His better self
awakened in that brief moment
when the pure influence of good
woman had caused him to think
and later dream. Somehow he
evaded his former haunts. Then he
drifted back to work. Within a
month he was on his feet again,
we'll dressed, well liked by his en-
ployer.
He felt that he was on solid
ground the evening he was an at
tendant at a local party where he
was formally introduced to Miss
Deane. She did not heed the con-
ventionalitieS, however, at once re-
minding him of the wreck episode
and reiterating her appreciation of
his timely assistance. Six months
later Eva Deane became his wife.
Less than year after that a
daughter was born to them. They
rented a little cottage, his earnings
were ample to insure comfort and
Trask considered himself the hap
piest man in the world.
Before he had asked Eva to share
his lot Trask made free confess
sion. He had been wild and reck-
less at home. His mother had died
when he was a mere child and his
father, a stern diseiplinarian, had
cast him adrift.
When the war abroad called his
country to arms, Trask was among
the first to respond. Eva encour-
aged him loyalty. A little money
had been saved up, she was deft
seamstress and she cheerfully ac-
cepted the situation with all its
sacrifices.
Trask was placed in the aviation
corps. The local newspaper kept
trace of him abroad as of other vol
unteers from the town. There
came frequent letters, all hopeful
and brave spiEited. Keep the home
fires burning" was his favorite eX-
preston of sentiment. Then there
was a long lapse and in the printed
lists of casualties at the front ap-
peared the name of Roland Trask,
aviator, missing" Later advices
seemed to indicate that he had per-
ished in a battle in the clouds, but
Eva cherished the hope that her
loved one might be a prisoner.
The weary, anxious months wore
on with her little store of money
depleted. One bitter night in No
vember Eva piled up the logs in the
fireplace and set a lamp on the
stand between the front windows.
Every night she did this, seeming
to be impelled by the sentiment of
the home fires burning" and "a
light in the window" for the miss
ing one who might return.
She had soothed her littleebabe to
slumber when the outer door
strained and hollow groan
reached her. Eva opened it. An
old mans form fell over the TIRES
hold. At a glance she saw that he
was overcome with the cold, well
nigh collapsed. She had to drag
him bodily into the room It was
two hours before he was restored
to consciousness.
blessed light in the window"
were his first words. 81 was blind
ed, helpless, when | caught its
CLEANS Madam, owe you my life.
That" And suddenly his eyes
were fixed upon photograph over
the fireplace-''my som"
The father of Roland Trask was
revealed at last. All through the
hours of the night those two knit
ted together the scattered strands
in the life of son and husband. Mr..
Trask, wealthy, offered his daugh-
ter-in-law a home of luxury, but
she shook her head dissentingly.
Il shall watch and wait to the
last" she said.
Then let me stay and watch and
wait with you" he pleaded.
And one morning the door OF the
humble little home opened and Ro-
land Trask. pale, thin and disabled.
but alive and hero. was welcomed
nv wife father and cooling LITTLE