Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-01-22
His Better Self
0~
BY RALPH HAMILTON
Copyright. 1919 by the Western News
paper Union.)

and fright, sobbing as though her heart
ported her with one ARM, while he
shook the fist of the other at a gri2
zled, sullen-faced old man who held
the bride of a horse he had just led
across a neatly planted space about
twenty feet square at the edge Of a
vacant lot.
You're a bear-a great big, ugly,
wicked monster! J" shouted the boy. ut
was a peace garden, and we were
working to send the things we raised
to the starving children in Europe"
"Well, you impudent young rascal"
grated out the man, this happens to
be my property, and if | want to lead
my horse across it I'll do it. Who gave
you permission to come and camp
down on my land with your rubbish
patch of truck?'
Every decent man in town who had
q lot he wasn't using!" retOrted the
lad dOughtily.
The harsh-eyed old man seemed to
ldhC q il1ullCiOuS ucllSII Ill III luNd-
sion of the children's cherished garden
plat. AS the horse nibbled the tender
sprouts and sank his heavy hOOfs deep
into the carefully prepared soil the
little girl became positively hysterical.
Her champion reached ever, picked up
a stone and hurled 1t at their ruthless
tormentor. The missile grazed the lat
ter but struck the flank of the horse,
who started and kicked out. There
was@a crack and a groan, and Mark
Blair lay prone on the ground with
a broken limb.
The lad, vainly e~ndeavOring to
sOothe his distracted companion, led
her from the spot. A man from the
house neal by hurried Over to the side
of the writing victim of his own
meanness. In a few moments Blair
was borne to his home and a physician
was sent for.
Mark Blair was a grabbed, lonely old
man who seemed to hate everybody,
and particularly the man who had
married his niece, Elsie Dayton. She
had run away with Walden ThrOOp
and had married against the will Of
her tyrant relative. From that hour
Blair had disowned her, had never rec
Ognized her husband, and so acute was
the situation that when little Lucy
came to the welded pair he never
spoke of her nor noticed her, nor had
the ThrOOps ever enlightened her as
to the identity of the relative who
ignored her.
1t was this same child whose little
garden had been devastated, one of
many created by the patriotic children
Of the town. 1t vas located a short
distance from the ThrOop home, and
Lucy and her boy friend had devoted
all kinds of care upon It's culture. Be-
fore the day was over there had cut
knife the knowledge that his inhu-
mainly had led to a serious result.
After the physician he had sent for
had set his broken limb Blair heard
him say to the housekeeper:
II will call again later In the eve
ming. l have another urgent case,
that little Throop girl. Somebody de-
stroyed her garden and she was
brought home in a distracted condi-
ton"
In his uneasy bed Mark Blair
squirmed and %groaned. The next day
another remark of the doctor pene-
trated the hard shell Of his s~elfishness.
"We have finally quieted that poor
little mite up at TROOPS" he heard
the physician say. "For hours she
was in a delirium, constantly calling
out about her garden. She is still I'LL
with the shock and fever, but we have
soothed her by telling her that the
garden is all right, and have promised
to take her over to see it just as soon
as she is better"
For the first time in his life Mark
Blair counseled with his own soul.
His past life and it's ignOble motives
arraigned him as q culprit. 1t was
the next morning when he called his
man of all work and impaired to him
secret instructions which were the
nrSC measures OIL his aLOneIueuL. 4Idt
night the most extraordinary garden
ever was had superseded the n dew
astated.
Its been made smooth as a floor"
narrated Lucy's boy friend, "and all
shut in with a little fence, and the
onions are up, and the beans, and the
peas, and I never saw a garden grow
so quick. Oh, l know it's fairies
work."
The Throops 500 learned Of the
hidden hand that had wrought all this
reparation. They took the delighted
Lucy over to view her precious truck
patch. She was left to surmise that
it's destruction was a hideous dream
and it's present magnificence the work
of kindly nature.
A week later the ThroOps learned
that Blair had left town for a health.
resort. There came from him a note
to Elsie:
"When / get some of the meanness
out of my system" the old man wrote.