Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-30

rome Edwards, the tragedy of life
| began at the age of ten. His faith
| er, Abel Edwards, had gone, that
morning, with his wagon and old nod
ding white horse, to his woodlot to
cut wood for Doctor Prescott.
DR.. Prescott had an obsession fol-
owning land. When there was a lack
of ready money to pay his exorbitant
! bills, he seized with avidity upon g
mortgage, and he foreclosed without
grace or mercy.
DR.. Prescott had held thousand
dollar mortgage upon the Edwards
| house for years. Jerome had al
ways 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 phan-
tom driver for the bad places in the
country road, was met upon his ar
rival at the Edwards cottage with
wild shrieks in a Woman's voice, a
child's frightened sob, and boys
sober answers to the eager ques-
tons of a small mob of men and
boys following after.
There was an immediate rush to
the wood lot, but Jerome had reach
ed the spot the first of all. On the
shore of black pool of water, re-
puted among the boys to be bottom
less, he found his fathers hat. Je-
rome weighted it with stones and
flung it in. Then he bolted for home
by another route. Let 'em say
father drowned himself now" he
gasped out as he ran.
Ahnl N I'd no AojY oo
two years when Jerome, studying
the situation day and night, knew
the truth. They could never, al
though they half-starved themselves,
meet the interest of the mortgage
He made a plan.
He went to consult Squire Eben
Merritt. The squire was a notable
hunter and fisher, and had been bent
that morning upon a fishing excur.
sion. 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 q
roar of laughter, and caught the boy
by the shoulder. You don't mean
you planned this all yoursslf?'
yes, sir. I've been 1ayin' awake
nights, plannin'."
How old are your"
Twelve, sir"
by Jove"
Then a lovely, gentle little girl
came into the room. Her dimpled
arms and neck were bare and her
shower of gold cur1s fell to her
waist. She wore a frock of soft blue
below which showed the finest
starched pantalets and little blue Mo-
rocco shoes. The squire turned and
caught her up, and she sat on one
shoulder with his golden beard
spreading over her blue skirt.
A small dark, very kind and quick
lady, who was the squire's wife anC
Lucina's mother, showed Jerome the
door, and he went down the street
| in a daze. Jerome almost forget the
important paper he carried. He haG
never seen a little girl like Lucina
| Merritt.
Jerome called on Doctor Prescott
who deigned to read his paper and
then summarily dismissed him. Ht
hated him in a strange way for 8
| man to hate a boy. On his way
home Jerome encountered Squire
Merritt coming out of a woodland
road, with a great string of fish
What luck, SOM" he called out.
He turned me out. I'd like to xii
him"
The squire laughed and made Je
rome walk along with him to his
sister Camilla's, who kept elderly
maiden state in the old Merritt
| house.
Jerome always remembers tina
hour of tea-drinlling and cake-eatins
in the arbor with Squire Merritt anG
his sister and little Lucina, as he
would have an especially beautiful
turn of his kaleidoscope of life.
Until he was much older, Jerome
did not fully comprehend in wha
way Eben Merritt had solved hi!
financial difficulties. Then he dis
covered that the squire had made
great sacrifices Of his none too large
competency to buy from Doctor Pres.
colt, and take the Edwards mort
gage into his own hands.
Now life began to look brighter
| for Jerome. He could not go tt
| school in the ordinary sense, so he
| went direct to nature. He, in his
scanty free time, roamed fields ant
woods. Jake Noyes, a queer char
acter who ostensibly was Doctor
| Prescott's coachman, but who haC
| been permitted to assimilate, anG
some said had even been taught
| much of the doctors medical lore
! taught Jerome much about simples
Jerome attained local under
| celebrity, since he gave aid for moth
ing and with success.
Gradually Jerome's business idea:
| developed and strengthened. There
was an exceptional chance for saw
mill in the village. He went ont
evening to Lawyer Means with re-
quest that he should sell 1855 worth
| of his land on Graystone brook, anc
came away with the deed. He ther
began to save for the mill,
In those days he worked like :
| tiger, for he was in love. Tha
meant he had become a conquerol
of all foes in his path, and achieves
of the impossible.
Lucina Merritt had come home
from school. and he had seen her il
| church. Lucina Merritt was a YER!
great beauty, and her father con
trived to deck her out like one. HI
| bought a little white horse for her
| Then Lawrence Prescott came home
and was often seen cantering abou
with Lucina on a blooded horse hi!
| father owned.
Jerome worked harder. Occasions
multiplied during which he and Lu
Gina met. At first she wandered a
! him obviously with dilating blue
eyes, then she began to blush softly
In the meantime. Elmira Edwards
had her own little romance with
Lawrence Prescott, but it promised
to be an unhappy one. Lawrence
was threatened with disinheritance
and Elmira dismissed him. Then sh,