Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-17
SOWING SEEDS IN DANNY
BY NELLIE L. McCLUNG
aubor Of "The Next Of Kim" "Three Times and Our etc.

Of tee that d. hi am appy thinkin
of yu der polly.
"And Polly is dead ~ burst from Mrs
Motherwell as something gathered in her
throat. She laid the letter down and
looked straight ahead of her.
The sloping walls Of the chicken loft
with its cobwebbed beams, faded away
and she was looking into squalid
little room where an old woman, bent
and feeble, sat working buttonholes with
trembling fingers. Her eyes were restless
and expectant; she listened eagerly tc
every sound. A step is at the door, O
hand Is on the latch. The old woman
rises uncertainty, a great hope in her
eyes--it Is the letter--the letter at last
The door opens, and the old woman
falls covering and moaning, and wiring
ing her hands before the man who en- :
ters, II Is the ofiicerl N
Mrs. Motherwell buried her face In
her hands.
oh, God, be merciful, be merciful,'
Sam Motherwell, knowing nothing OF
the storm that was passing through his
wife's mind, was out in the machine
house tightening up the screws and, bolts
in the binders. getting ready for the
harvest. The barley was whitening al.
ready. ITIT =
The nurses letter had disturbed him
lie tried to laugh ut bimself--the idea
of his boxing up those weeds to send
to anybody. Still the nurse had said
how pleased Polly was. BY George, II
Is strange what will please people. Z,
He remembered when he went down to
Indidna buying horses, how tired he
got Of the look Of cornfields, and how
the sight of the first decent sized wheat
field just went to his heart, when he
was coming back. Some way he could
not laugh at anything that morning
for Polly was dead. And Polly was d
willing thing for sure; he seemed to sec
her yet, how she ran after the colt the
day 1t broke out Of the pasture, and
when the men were away she would
hitch up horse for him as quick as
anybody. ="
II kind o. wish now that had given
her something-it would have pleased
her so--some little thing" he added
hastily. - =
Mrs. Motherwell came across the
yard bareheaded. -,
Come into the house, SAM" she
said gently. II want to show you
something"
He looked up quickly, but saw some
thing In his wife's face that prevented
him from speaking. '..
He followed her into the house. The
letters were on the table, Mrs. Mother
well read them to him. read them with
tears that almost choked her utter
ance. I.
"And Polly's dead, Sam =" she cried
when she had finished the last one
DAlt tt,te, -I Nl,n IL h.,
will be looking, looking for that money
and it will never come. Sam, can't W.
snve the poor old woman from the poor
housep Do you remember what the CIR
said in the letter, Inasmuch as "
have done it unto the least of these m.
little ones, ye have done it unto Me-
We didn't deserve the praise the CIR
gave us. We didn't send the flowers
we have never done anything for any
body and we have plenty, plenty, ant
what is the good of it, Sam? Wen di
some day and leave it all behind us.
Mrs. Motherwell hid her face in he
apron, trembling with excitement
Sans face was immovable. but mys
terious Something, not Of earth, wa
struggling with him. Was it the faitl
Of that decrepit old woman in that bar
little room across the sea, mumbling t
|
God knows. His ear is not dulled; Hi
arm is not shortened; His holy spiri
moves nightly. ~. '
Sam Motherwell stood up and strucl
the table with his fist. f
"Ettie," he said, II am q hard man
a DANCED hard man, and as you say, ~
never given away much, but am no
so low down yet that have to reacl
Up to touch bottom, and the old womal
will not 60 to the poorhouse If hav,
money enough to keep her out -
Sam Motherwell was as good as hi
word.
He went to Winnipeg the next day
but before he left he drew check TO
500, payable to Polly's mother, whicl
he gave to the Church of Englan,
clergyman to send for him. About tw,
months afterward he received lette
from the clergyman of the parish il
which Polly's mother lived, telling hin
that the money had reached the ole
lady in time to save her from the work
house; n heart broken letter of thanks
from Polly's mother herself accom-
panied 1t, calling on God to reward
them for their kindness to her and hei
dear dead girl.
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