The Wrangell sentinel., 1920-08-26
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OLD ABNER
 By AGNES G. BRoGAN
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 morning hours passed slowly. With this new ache In his back, he was un- able to weed the garden. and Betsy felt aggrieved. Betsy was his elder sons wife and when her husband had decided to make the farm their home, after his mothers death. old Abner had stayed on with them. But some way or other the real home vanished with Betsy's coming.
 Abner couldn't understand it. Betsy's biscuits were as faky as his wife's had been, and the big house was kept immaculate. Yet Abner preferred to sit outside now on the door stone. His qunvering whistle grew more plaintive AS he whittled absently at a stick. Violently Betsy threw open the front door.
 "Land!" she exclaimed Hook at those shavings. Pick 'em up, father" Abner glanced diffidently in his young grandson's direction.
 "Mebbe Dannie would do 1t for me-" he ventured.
 "Dannie will pick up his own shaw ings when he makes 'em," Betsy re- torted, land you can pick up yours" AS Abner bent painfully to his task. he recalled time in his own child hood, when he had spoken in what his mother considered disrespectful manner to his grandfather. Abner remembered also the shamed humility of his punishment.
 "Times has changed" he murmured. Betsy presented pan of green peas to the old man.
 You can pod these as easy as whit tling," she said. So grandfather Ab- ner began on the peas, and as he awkwardly podded he mentally con- trasted the attitude of his younger son in the city, and of the friends whom he brought out to the farm, with the actions of the elder son and his wife. There seemed little prefer ence between the two.
 John, happy and thoughtless, had succeeded remarkably in the profess sion for which his parents had sacri- ficingly prepared him. Old Abner winced remembering the good-natured but irritating jokes of Johns friends.
 'Times has changed" old Abner murmured-he was very tired. Then as he stared wearily down the long, stretching road, his years of patient submission were overwhelmed in a sudden rebellion. He would submit no longer to dominion or ridicule-no one really cared about him-he would run away.
 Again. memory brought day from his forgotten boyhood, when in revolt he had fled down the same country road only to return at evening, re- pentant, to welcoming arms. There would be no welcome back now; still he must go.
 Tremblingly, he placed the pan of podded peas on the step and hobbled swiftly toward the woods.
 A small. gayly painted Noah's ark sort of a house. having the appear ance of being recently set down in its place, attracted his attention. The girl on the porch told him about 1t when he stopped perplexedly to ask If he was mistaken in thinking the house had not been there before.
 The girl laughed delightedly as she explained.
 Its a portable house." she said; father and send it along wherever we wish to stop. Father hunts speci- mems, and go to see that he's fed. Father would forget all about eating if were not there to remind him. Won't you sit down." she asked kindly. land rest upon our veranda?"
 Gratefully, old Abner accepted the invitation, the problem of his destina- ton had been growing as he walked. and 1t was a big problem now.
 Some way or other as he sat in the restful silence, with the girls sympa- thetic face near by, he found himself answering her gentle questioning, with the faltering story of his life. But when his own eyes grew moist with tears the girls blazed defiance instead. The pretty pink spots in her cheeks grew even pinker.
 "The pity of it" she exclaimed. and impulsively leaned over Abner's bowed figure.
 You are going to stay right here," she declared, until you tire of us. Now. listen while tell you. It will be no charity at all. Father Is longing for some one to trudge with him through the woods-and to help him examine his specimens. So 1t happened. Miss Paula Provost herself drove In her car to inform Mrs- Betsy of the whereabouts of her father-in-law and also of his resolu- ton to remain where he was.
 It was John from the city who came post haste to seek out his runaway fa- ther. He found him one summer after noon seated upon the porch of a gay little house. between a contented old naturalist and his charming daughter. Abner could not be persuaded to