The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-10-13

rome Edwards, the tragedy of life be-
gan at the age Of ten. His father,
Abel Edwards, has gone, that morning,
with his wagon and old nodding white
horse, to his woodlot to cut wood for
Doctor Prescott.
DR.. Prescott had an obsession for
owning land. When there was a lack
or ready money to pay his eXorbitant
bills, he seized with avidity upon a
mortgage, and he foreclosed without
grace or mercy.
DR.. Prescott had held a thousand
dollar mortgage upon the Edwards
house for years. Jerome had always
a fancy of it as a huge black bird with
kissing beak perched upon the ridge
pole.
The old white horse coming home
turning out at the beck Of a phantom
driver for the bad places in the coun-
try road, was met upon his arrival at
the Edwards cottage with wild shrieks
IN a Woman'S voice, a child's frighten-
ed sob, and a boys sober answers to
the eager questions of a small mob of
men and boys following after.
There was an immediate rush to the
wood lot, but Jerome had reached the
a black pool of water reputed among
the boys to be bottOmless, he found
his fathers hat. Jerome weighted it
with stones and flung it in. Then he
bolted for home by another route. Let
EN- say father drowned himself now,
he gasped out as he ran.
Abel Edwards had been missing two
years when jerome, studying the situa-
ton day and night, knew the truth:
They could never, although they half
starved themselves, meet the interest
of the mortgage. He made a plan.
He went to consult Squire Eben Mer-
ritt. The squire was a notable hunter
and fisher, and had been bent that
! morning upon a fishing excursion. He
was the kindest man in the place, not
rich as had been his ancestors, but
lived as a rich man. being possessed
Of generosity which is the real Horn
Of Plenty.
Jerome looked straight at the Squire,
and made his little speech. He had
rehearsed it often. When he had
finished, the Squire burst into a great
roar of laughter, and caught the boy
by the shoulder. You don't mean
You planned this all yourself?"
| Yes, sir. I've been layin' awake
nights, plannln
How old are you?"
"Twelve, sir
BY Jove,"
Then lovely, gentle little girl stole
into the room. Her dimpled arms and
neck were bare and her shower OF
gold curls fell to her waist. She wore
! a frock of soft blue below which
! showed the finest starched pantalets
and little blue Morocco shoes. The
Squire turned and caught her up, and
she sat on one shoulder with his gold
en- beard spreading over her blue
Skirt.
The Squire told Jerome to call on
Doctor Prescott and show his plan.
| A small dark, very kind and quick
| lady, who was the Squire's wife and
Lucinda's mother, showed jerome the
door, and he went down the street in
a daze. Jerome almost forget the i'm
portant paper lie carried. He had
never seen a little girl like Lucinda
Merritt
Jerome called on Doctor Prescott
who deigned to read his paper anc
then summariy dismissed him. He
hated him in a strange way for mar
TO hate a bay. On his way home Je
rome encountered Squire Merritt com
great string Of fish. What luck, SOM
he called out.
He turned me out. Id like to xii
him"
The Squire laughed and made Je
rome walk along with him to his sister
Camilla's, who kept elderly nader
state in the old Merritt house.
Jerome always remembered tina
hour of tea-drinking and cake-eatins
in the arbor with Squire Merritt ant
his sister and little Lucinda, as h
would have an especially beautiful
turn Of his Kaleidoscope of life.
Until he was much older, Jerome dit
not fully comprehend in what wa.
Eben Merritt had solved his financia
difficulties. Then he discovered tina
the Squire had made great sacrifice
of his none too large competency t.
buy from Doctor Prescott, and take tn
Edwards mortgage into his owl
hands.
Now life began to look brighter TO
Jerome He could not go to school il
the ordinary sense. so he went direc
10 Nature. He. in his sCanty fire.
time. roamed fields and woods. Jak
NOyes, a queer character who Ostens
bly, was Doctor Prescott's coachmar
but who had been permitted to as
similate and some said had even beel
taught much of the doctors medica
lore. taught jerome much abou
simples.
Jerome attained a local under-cele
brity, since he gave aid for nothin
and without success.
Gradually Jerome's business idea
developed and strengthened. Their
was an exceptional chance for say
mill in the village. He went one ever
ing to Lawyer Means with a reques
that he should sell two hundred an
sixty-fve dollars worth of his Ian
ON GraNStNne BROOK and came ava