Connecticut western news., 1920-01-01
He chatted with the boy. 

"Not this year. Father has been too sick. Of course, these are holidays, and he says he'll be all right before they're Oyer."
 Dave smiled grimlE. "The incurable optimism of it." he l1urmured to him. self. Then OUtwardlJ: "Of course he will. We'll fix hin. up in no time WitN a good doctor and a good nurse"
 They drove on through the calm night, leaving the city streets behind and following Wilat was Etjle more than a country trail. Here and there they bumped 0ver pieces Of graded street, infinitely rcugh2r than the nat Ural prairie; once Dave dropped his front wheels into q cGilapsing water trench; once he just grazed an iso- lated hydraut.
 And this is one of our choice res idential suhdivisiors,' said Dave to himself. "Fine business! Fine busi- neSS!'
 As the journey continued the sense of self-reproach which had been static in him for many months became more insistent. The intrusion of Con- ward into his mind sent the blood to his head, but at that moment his re- factions were cut short by the boy.
 "We will have to get out here," he said. "The bridge is down."
 Investigation proved him to be right. A bridge over a small stream had collapsed and was slowly disin- tegrating amid it's own wreckage. Dave ran the car a little to one side of the road, locked the switch and walked on with the boy.
 "Fine business !" Dave repeated to himself And this is how our big success was made. Well, the sue cess has vanished as quickly as it came. I suppose there is law some where that is not mocked."
 They were passing through a set clement of crude houses, dimly visible in the starlight and by occasional vel low blurs from their windows. Before one of the meanest of these the boy at last stopped, pulled the door open and Dave entered At first he was conscious of a very small and stuffy room, with a peculiar odor which he attributed to an oil lamp burning on a box. He walked over and turned the lamp up, but the oil was con- sumed a red, sullen, smoking wick was its only response. Then he felt in his pocket and struck a match.
 The light revealed the dinginess of the little room. There was a bed covered with musty, ragged clothing; table filtered with broken and dirty dishes and pieces of stale food; a stove cracked and greasy, and one or two bare boxes serving as articles of furniture. But it was to the bed Dave turned, and with another match bent over the shrunken form that lay almost concealed amid the coarse coverings. He brought his face down close, then strengthened up and stead jed himself for a moment.
 Hell soon be well. don't you think, mister? He said he would be we'll when the hOlidays-''
 But Dave's expression stopped the boy, whose own face went suddenly wild with fear. "He is well now, Charlie" he said, as steadily as he could. "It is all holidays now for him."
 The match had burned out and the room was in utter darkness. Dave heard the child drawing his feet across the floor, then suddenly whim- pering like a thing that had been mOr- tally hurt. He groped toward him, and at length his fingers found his shock of hair. He drew the boy slowly into his arms; then very, very tight. After all, they were or phans together.
 "You will come with me-" he said at length. "I will see tkat you are provided for. Tine doctor will soon be here, or we will meet him on the way, and he will make the arrange ments fOr-the arrangements that have to be made, Tou-lnoW."
 They retraced their steps toward the town, meeting fhe doctCr at the broken bridge. D1ve exchanged few words with him in low tones, and they passed on. Soon they were swinging again through the city . streets. Even with the developments OL i1lC CNVlllilS> III NH~t4ls- L4EStN l!N ul]bli his mind Dave could not resist the temptation to stop and listen for moment to bulletins being read through a meGaphone.
 ''The kaiser has stripped off his British regalia," said the announcer. "He says he will never again wear a British uniform"
 A chuckle of derisive laughter ran through the mob; then someone struck up a well-known refrain-"What the h do we care" Up and down the street voices caught up the chorus. Within a year the bones of many in that thOughtless crowd, bleaching on the fields of Flanders, showed how much they cared.
 Dave drove direct to the Hardy home.
 After some delay Irene met him at the door, and Dave explained the sit 1otiHn in