The diamond drill., 1919-06-07

selfish pleasures during the years |
when was single. ! worked more
conscientiously for my employer than
had ever done. / studied his bus
iness and his interests. and l was re-
warded by an increase OF fifteen dol
lars a month in salary. Al first that
seemed like mama from heaven. and
guess it was. The good Lord must
have known what was going TO hap
pen and was making provisions for II
When we had been married nearly
two years. little chap came into our
home. Say. can't talk to you about
that. / was the proudest man In
town for a few days, then ] almost
forgot the little fellow, in my anxiety
over Lorna. She didn't do we'll. She
was SO languid and weary and tired
and white. She had no appetite and
became little thinner every day. In
those days / learned what love Is and
how much that little woman meant TO
me and my life. Not one OF as thought
she would recover But one day her
uncle and aunt came In from the
country in their big car. They bundl-
ed Lorna and the boy up in quilts and
blankets and took them out TO their
home,
Blessed be the country and the big
, hearted people who live there! Lorna
began TO improve, very slowly at first
and then more rapidly. stayed alone
in the house while she was gone. Good
: heavens, that little house did seem big
: and empty and still without her, and
] had many frights when the thought
would come into my mind-that she
might never come back to 1t.
7 ] worked every night in the garden
and around the yard. until dark. and
then sat alone and thought OF Lor
: ma and the boy and dreamed dreams
OF what | would like to do for them.
I'll When the first OF the month came
n ! received bills for the monthly ac-
l. counts, but there were two extras
e One from the doctor for a little over
a one hundred dollars and the nurses
4 bill for sixty. | nearly tainted
mad had the doctor go out to see Lor-
l. ma IN the country several times, with
n out thinking what he would charge
a me per mile for the trips.
N That was black night for me
le lay awake until morning thin,sInp
K over my affairs. Those two bill,
o nearly cleaned UP our bank account
'e -and yet there was one item whiel
had not occurred to me- because m,
Is wife had always paid it from thc
If household allowance That was til,
ID rent When ! went down town
Is enailed checks for all the bills receiy
Il ed. 4 few days later | had a phon,
as call II was from the rental agenc,
N which controlled our house. The agen
"a was very nice about H. He simpl,
e inquired whether had sent the cheel
ID or had overlooked IL. / told him tina
~ would take care Of Il the next day
And 50 Saturday asked my employe
70 advance me forty dollars on m,
~ months salary. | was ashamed an,
n humiliated, but man has to meet hi
: bills and protect his credit if n
would keep his standing.
N That Saturday night Lornas Uncl
didn't send in for me as ne had bee,
i doing. The rains had made the road
u almost impossible. 1t was late yhet
i | got home. went 70 bed / wa
{. very tired, but did not sleep well.
N had ghastly dreams which followed m
81 the whole night through, and sunda
]. was long, long day. although Lor
mas mother had me over for Dime
and tried 70 cheer me by her owi
buoyant hopefulness. l
N Lorna continued to improve slowl
u until she began to plan TO come hom,
IA was with her almost every Sunda,
and that Visit seemed 70 sweeten al
the other days OF the week.
nj The week before we expected /
on have Lorna and the boy home. ha
ia a surprise. One evening as / wa
il sitting down to my lonely supper
ye big car drove up to the block an
ia Uncle John Brains came in lie Il
~ queer old character whose eccentri
IA ways have won him national repu
or tation lie Il known as Old Joh
il Brains Ills sayings and philosoph
in have been quoted from coast to coas
nd Everybody seems 70 know a good dea
ne about him and yet no one seems /
nd know anything for sure. Some peopl
I, say he Is rich and some people say n