Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-28
CHAPTER "

I've opened the old wound about
! Kenneth. So now I'll write the 9TH
e. death brands of sorrow that came
| to me so closely, one after another.
Long ago, when L was only ten,
it was my mother. l was too small
to understand. Then, father mar
| ried Dorothea Burnett, a lady of
high social standing, and how she
came ever to care for dad, with
his wandering ways, I never have
been able to figure out.
He had money. True. He follow
eel the gold trails and was at last
rewarded in way that delighted
his prospector's loving soul.
For years I had him and Kenneth.
My stepmother was satisfied to spend
months apart from dad, enjoying
herself at summer resorts or good
hotels. But Kenneth and / begged
to follow him and many times We
did to the amaZement and horri-
fled ordinations of mother. 1t was
then that Kenneths life and mine
became so closely interviewer.
Chums, Kenneth, strong, courageous
husky, sunburnt and always optt-
mistic. He had the genius of an
artist. A sunset was never falling
source Of wonder and incredible joy
to his beauty loving soul. He'd ex-
claim and marvel over things like
sunsets and streams and flowers and
butterflies and birds. Then he'd
write it out in his log book. And
I'd thrill to read his verse. Ken
meth, the soldier poet, was born just
few miles out from here. Imagine
it! Dads rambles brought him even
to this county and he engineered
mine at Burnt Oak Ridge, and 1t was
while we lived there when I was
only a tiny girl of six years, that
Kenneth was born.
The Burnt Hah mine was later
abandoned. And we went back to
Nevada, where mother died. She
told me about a man at Burnt Oak
who saved Kenneth's life once when
he had Group. Dad was away on
business. We three were alone. And
mother heard wagon passing oy
and called aloud for help.
A man ran to the door and mother
explained that her baby was dying.
She was frantic and didn't know what
to do. The man, common farmer
of the settlement, took charge and
coolly and deliberately gave Kenneth
some kerosene oil on sugar. Moth
err was sorely troubled feeling this
was not the regular procedure In
such instances; however, Kenneth
soon unchoked and got better. The
man admitted it was a close call.
Mother never forgot. She'd say to
me long afterward, Marion, don't
| forget his name. It's Jason Swa-
ford. He saved your brothers life.
Don't forget"
Mother had Indian blood from way
back in her veins. And she always
said never forget" I wrote his
| name down and wore it next my heart
until 1 wore 1t out, but by that time
it had engraved itself there so that
time could not erase it. / don't
think it's a pretty name, but 1t was
| a good deed and I never forgot Jason
Swaford.
1 write it now in my book. He
| saved Kenneth's life to make my
life brighter, sweeter, richer, deeper.
And for France! SO many years ago
Philip entered my life before father
died.
Mother meant for us to marry
from the first. l never disobeyed
her when she came out plain and
told me what to do. She told me 1t
was the best chance I'd ever have.
Because Philips family was one OF
the best old families in the state OF
| Kansas. 1t was Kansas then, and
mother was carried away with ev-
erything.
knew Phil was spoiled, and /
somehow sensed the fact that L at
tracted him because L was his oppo-
site in almost every way. His eyes
were light blue, mine deep brown.
His hair sandy, mine jet black. His
manner, easy going, always accus-
toned to having his own way In ev-
erything. His mother had seen to
that these many years. His wooing
began ardently. 1t amused me at
first. 1 think it was because / fail
ed to take him seriously that he
grew surprised and began to grow
serious, even before he knew it!
CHAPTER "
Philip had ever been accustomed
to having girls take him seriously
Mothers, with manageable daugh-
terS, sought him out. He often re-
marked that he never had met
girl like me. Much travelling about
over the world had given me an in
dependent spirit, and lite In the open
had made me almost boyishly strong
and robust. 1 treated Phil as a pal,
and 1 let him do the seeking. In
fact, it became a sort of game with
me, evading him, just to smile to
myself and mentally note, Il told you
So" because I eventually learned
that where 1 was, there Phil would
arrive in due course of events. Il
was really a new experience with
him. This having girl run away
from him. 1 had never cared for
man, other than a friend. All the
love in my heart seemed to bestow
itself on dad and Kenneth. 1 never
really loved my step-mother, even
though I religiously obeyed her in
everything. 1 remember once gave
a. boy my photograph in exchange
for one of his. We correspondent
along until mother decided it had
gone far enough. Then she COM
manded that L return the photograph,
requesting mN own; that no more